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There have been a lot of comments like "my parents never had ..." or "when I was growing up I had to share a room and we never had ..."
The home I grew up in was much smaller than my current home, and it's where my mom still lives.
I guess I'm wondering what is inherently wrong with wanting to have more than you had growing up, or wanting to provide more for your family than you had growing up? I'm not trying to stir up an arguement: I am a HUGE proponent of strict upbringing of kids and mandating chores and respect and manners, etc. So I'm not talking about giving your kids a free ride.
I'm just commenting that there's a lot of postings in this thread implying because you grew up in a smaller home, or your parents grew up in a smaller home, that wanting a larger home for yourself and your family is somehow wrong.
EXACTLY!!! I mean seriously....if you look at square footage per person.....so 6 people living in 1-4000 sq ft house=666 sq ft per person. So if you have 2 people living in a 1300 sq ft house is that considered "too much"? Or 1 person living in a 1000 sq ft house? I mean honestly.....people have to do what they think is right for them.
We actually moved to a different area so we could afford a larger home. Our new house is twice the size of our old one but the mortgage payment is less. Our utilities are about the same because our new home is more energy efficient. The area we moved to is also cheaper, so our new "lifestyle" actually costs less than our old one! And we have so much more space. It was a no brainer decision for us.
Sure I could cram my whole family into a 1 room shack, but why would I want to? As long as we can afford it, I don't see why it matters. Different strokes for different folks!
I don't see anything wrong with a conversation about the difference between NEED and WANT.
I know I have too much junk - I got rid of a lot when I moved here, and am working hard NOT to accumulate more. We as Americans do love BIG everything - big cars, big SUV's, big houses, super-sized meals, etc. etc. etc. Nothing wrong with taking a little critical look at ourselves once in a while.
This discussion is also interesting in light of folks in other threads pointing out how the cost of living here isn't low enough to offset the sometimes large cuts in salaries. Maybe our expectations need to change? I know I wanted maximum flexibility so I bought a house costing less than half of the one I sold back in VA. My mortgage is very low, I have no other debt, I have plenty of space, and I have the freedom to accept a job I like at a salary that would have been way too low to live off of back in VA.
Let's be clear, people don't need 2000-4000 sq foot homes, they want them. Folks in San Fran would laugh at the claim, we have friends who are a family of 7 (5 kids) living in a million dollar home in South San Fran...3 bed, 2 bath, 1200 sq feet, 0.4 acre lot. They're buddies living in condos think they are living extravagantly.
And whole tribes of Aborigines live in grass huts...
What is your point?
Your friends choose to live in one of the priciest housing districts in the country, not surprising they have to get by on 1200sq ft.
No one "needs" more than a roof over their heads, an outhouse in the back and "maybe" running water.
After that its all "wants" over "needs" anyway and what is wrong with that?
Different strokes for different folks, I don't "need" anyone telling me what size house I have to live in either.....free country and all that....
ThThink of it this way...a builder has a lot that is xxx square feet. He can build a 1500 square foot house and make a $50,000 profit or build a 3000 square foot house and make a $150,000 profit. Which do you tink he'll build?
Have you been down and actually looked inside. I am from MA and square footage is actually calculated a little differently down here. I don't know about NJ. My point is a 3,000 sf home in Ma would be roughly the same as a 3,400 sf home in NC. I see the difference everyday when I show homes to clients. If the calculations are the same, you might find that a little larger home here might not seem as large after all.
Wow, I just learned something. I didn't know that homes in different parts of the country were calculated different. How do they do that?
Of course....didn't you know that North Carolina is a conservative state, and therefore a square foot is smaller than in a more liberal state like Massachusetts?
Check out Holly Springs! It's a nice town in a nice location (IMHO!). I found at least 30 homes under $225k and under 2000 sf. We also didn't want a huge house. The biggest house we had owned before moving to NC was about 1400 sf, so the 1800 sf we have now feels just right (3 bedrooms, plus a bonus room over garage). We also use every square inch of it, with 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats and a fish! More square footage just means more cleaning anyway (not to mention the cost of furnishing it)! Plus we didn't want to have to spend a fortune on carpeting and other flooring if we had to replace it.
Of course....didn't you know that North Carolina is a conservative state, and therefore a square foot is smaller than in a more liberal state like Massachusetts?
No, I really didn't know that. Makes me glad I still live in the South. Of course, with the sun beating down on us all summer, our porches are usually bigger than our house.
On another note. Size wise. We live in a 1300 sq. foot home. Up until last year, we had 6 people in here.
Let me tell you guys, when one works from home and has clients in and out and is on the phone all day, 1300 square feet is simply not enuogh.
My converted office is at the back of my home, so, I have to make sure that my living room, kitchen and dining room are spotless each morning before I even step foot in my office. I have considered a side door, but there is usually heavy equipment blocking the side drive.
We built this house in 1984, before we had any children. It started out a 2 bedroom home and was plenty large enough. Hubby and I worked away from home at that time as well.
I have taken in my sick grandparents and tended to them till their death, all the while trying to raise my family, moving my youngest back into my bedroom for a year! My oldest used the couch as my grandparents were in the second bedroom.
I know about not having space, and in all reality, each individual needs a space in their home that they can go to that is quiet once in a while. We have done without privacy for lengthly periods of time and our children have been paitent with us during this time as well.
When my grandparents were here, I had a total of 7 people in here. This was before we added on, because we could not afford to add on at this time.
It was after my grandparents died that we managed to save enough to give our oldest a room of his own, and not the living room. It was also at this time that we moved the youngest into a room. Now, we did not consider putting them in the same room because they are both boys and oldest was 15 and youngest was 9. Too much age difference.
After the oldest moved out last year, I got this room for my office and suddenly we had a dining room again. Yes, my office was actually where the dining room was. We went without a table for many years because I had to have office space. Now I have a dining room again and it has become really special to sit down and eat together.
I understand that many of you like smaller homes, and I think that is wonderful. Over the years, we have really loved this place, since we actually built it with our own hands, there are special memories for us.
Yet, our lifestyles have changed. Our livelyhood is the businesses we each have built up over the past 10 years. Our need for an office is not a want, but is a necessity. ( of course, there is nothing wrong if we had just wanted one as well).
America is all about freedom. That includes the freedom to choose what type home to live in. We are all different, that is what makes this country so special.
Aiangel Writer, your post reminded me of my childhood. My parents were always taking in people who needed help - friends, family, even some students from the local bible college. At one point we had 12 people living in their 2000 sq ft home. We had only 2 bathrooms for all of us. I had to share my bedroom with 2 other kids. I know it was a strain on my parents & it wasn't always easy, but some of my happiest memories come from that time.
Whoa whoa whoa! I don't think anyone here telling anyone else what size house to live in - people are just expressing opinions on wants versus needs. My want is someone else's need, vice versa, different priorities, etc. If someone works out of their home and has extended family living there, by all means you need a larger home than average.
I've seen a lot of neighborhoods with average sized homes and nice yards be razed and crammed with three times as many homes on zero lots. Then you'll see a couple with one or two kids move in to these giant monstrosities. Seems like a lot of waste and extravagance to me. This is what buggers me the most! But that is just my opinion (everyone's got one, and they all stink! ).
People should strive to do better than what they had, that's progress. But I think sometimes the wants get out of hand and no one stops to wonder if bigger really is better (or if smaller is really all that awful) in certain situations.
I guess I'm wondering what is inherently wrong with wanting to have more than you had growing up, or wanting to provide more for your family than you had growing up?
More and bigger do not always mean better.
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As long as we can afford it, I don't see why it matters. Different strokes for different folks!
It All Comes Down To $$$$
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