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We went to some open houses and I think for me over 5,000 or 6,000 square feet starts feeling nice and open. Anything smaller is ample but I still consider it cozy. Am I way off base here?
I think no house is too big or too small as it all depends on the needs/requirements/desires of a person/family.
I think most people have never been in homes in various sizes... I used to live in a 1500 sq foot house and consider it small, moved up to a 2200 sq ft house and consider it average, and then currently live in a 3100 sq ft house and consider it above average but not big... I have friends with 4500 sq ft house and still above average but not big... I have been in 6000 sq ft house and that felt big... Ironically planning on building a 11000 sq ft house in the future because I think it's just about the right size for me... Not too small or too big, just big but not oversize big...
As long as the house is big enough to be comfortable for the inhabitants, it's 'big enough'. A family of 5 might enjoy 4,000 sf., whereas a single person would feel like they were living in a castle at 1500.
Just finished principle photography on an 8,000 sf home last week - older home, lots of public spaces v. private spaces, repurposed servants quarters, etc. It didn't seem "too big" because of the way it was put together - but it was pretty spread out. :-)
I've always wondered what the folks who live in 10,000 sq feet homes do when they misplace their glasses or something like that---it's a lot of house to search
I always thought that 3000 sq feet was too big, and now I like in a house that has 3030 sq feet. We picked this size because we have 3 kids and pets and want to be the house where all the kids congregate. Now that we've lived here a while, the size seems perfect for us. When the children aren't here, I sometimes don't go upstairs for days, and I think when they've all moved out I will definitely want to downsize, because with just two of us 3000 sq feet will be BIG.
When we were house-hunting we toured some houses that were 3500 sq ft and up. They all seemed much too spread out for me.
I live in a 3800+ sqft house and it's not big. Each room is used, and I can still hear the kids beating each other up and screaming at each other. My husband and I both work from home, so we each have an office. It's not big enough as I can still hear his conference calls though he's upstairs and I'm downstairs.
Last edited by FalconheadWest; 04-27-2014 at 09:17 PM..
It's hardly the case that making a bigger house is the only way to keep from being disturbed by each others noise.
You're correct. It's all about the floorplan and where the walls are. Open floorplans are louder than more separated floorplans.
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