Your space, your story

[72doug2,2S]

Tell me about your space, more directly your living space history (in square feet please). How much do we actually need?

800 sq ft first apartment - 2, 1 (Two bed, one bath) -No kids
-No garage
-No basement


1200 sq ft first house (Town house/row house) 3, 1-1/2 bath -1 kid
-No garage
-No basement


1900 sq ft second house 3, 2-1/2 bath -3 kids
-Yes garage -2car attached
-No basement


3600 sq ft third house 5, 4-1/2 bath -3 kids
-Yes garage -4car attached
-Yes basement, 1500 sq ft, plumbed for future basement (5100 sq ft total)

How much do we need?
[Edit for bed info, kid]

[GH85Carrera]

Need or want? There is a big difference.

My first Apartment was a $90 per month furnished garage apartment and I did not get to use the garage. It was maybe 400 sq ft. The only redeeming feature was the price. I had to walk 13 steps up and only the bedroom had any AC.

Second place was much nicer but I had a room mate and he got the garage parking spot.

3rd place was my 1st house. It was 1,000 square feet but is was all mine. It did have a garage for my 914.

4th place was the house my wife owned. I sold my house when we got married and dumped that money on her mortgage and we paid it off. It had a two car garage and a 1,800 sq feet.

Last place is current house. 3 car oversize garage with a work space and a bathroom in the garage. The master closet is bigger than my first apartment. The house is just under 3,000 sq feet. For two people and two dachshunds that is plenty big. All I cared about was the garage. I assumed there was a kitchen and a bedroom attached. My wife saw the closet and we said sold!

It is now paid for so we are 100% debt free.

[72doug2,2S]

With debt out of the equation, there is a point where a large space is no longer a chore to clean, but a job. Right now with kids I like my space, but I will neither want or need this space when they are out of the nest.


Being an empty nester is 5 years down the road, more or less. At least we'll be down to one child at home. For a couple, what is the ideal space? I was thinking 2500 sq ft, but the wife thinks she needs 3000. Where's the sweet spot?

[motion]

For a couple only, I think 1,500 sq ft is fine. We have really grown to prefer smaller spaces. Our beach retirement home will be tiny... something like 1,000 sq ft. Wifey wants to retire in luxury hotels. She thinks 400 sq ft is just fine

[matt711]

1000sf of living space and a really big garage... and a workshop.

[recycled sixtie]

For the last 27 years we have been in a side split house of 1400 sq.ft. Daughter moved out 5 years ago so this house is adequate for us. Tv's on each of the two bottom floors. One double garage.

Not a believer in big houses due to heating costs, cleaning etc. No real plans on moving. Not a fancy neighborhood but have a security system and some great neighbors.

With my first wife(no kids) we had a 2300 sq. ft house . The size of the house did not make up for the lack of love so I was gone!

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by motion

Wifey wants to retire in luxury hotels. She thinks 400 sq ft is just fine

As long as 50% is bathroom (if she is like my wife )

Ian

[72doug2,2S]

Wow, it seems like many <2000 sq ft answers. I would not have thunk it.

[JavaBrewer]

This is all really dependent on how many people and associated lifestyle. The wife and I were really happy with our 1400 sq/ft 2 bed/2 bath townhome when we were married and even after the arrival of our son. We made the move to 2100 sq/ft 4 bed 2.5 bath home with the arrival of our daughter. Life and job was going well and we rode the housing market into a new 4000 sq/ft 5 bed/3.5 bath home.

We planned to stay there until the kids were out but recent changes in life and economics forced us to reconsider. We sold the home in 5 days and are now very happy in our 70's era 3 bed/2 bath home totaling 2200 sq/ft. Even though we are in a major renovation (no floors or kitchen and one functional bathroom) we are moved in and love it. Traded the big home for a larger (3/4 acre) property offering more seclusion and great (not master planned) community that's 15 miles closer to work.

Needs and desires change.

[Zeke]

Doesn't this depend on family? MIL living with you, children? Hobbies including collections or screening/audio room? The less you have, the less reason to live in a mansion.

AFA history, I think the theme will be small at first, working up to larger and then back to smaller as you go into retirement. 400 sq. ft. is not enough for 2 people to enjoy. But I could live alone in 400 sq feet. I'd still need a garage, though. And a yard. Equal proportions would be OK but that might only happen in a trailer park. Not living in a trailer park.

Steve McQueen had it all figured out living in a hanger. With a garden outside, that would be heaven. For me alone.

[lgb240]

I'm in a raised bungalow - 3 bedroom, 1400 sq. ft. plenty big enough for me (I'm single) Lower level is 1/2 garage (I have 4 cars in there now) and 1/2 rec room.

Plenty of living space, but, ideally need / want more garage / shop space.

[nostatic]

I've never lived in a house over 2K sq ft.

For places I've lived (post college/roommates)

750 sq ft 1br/1ba house w/ garage (married, no kid)
1100 sq ft 2 br/1ba apt w/garage
900 sq ft 1br/1ba apt w/garage
1800 sq ft 3 br/2ba house w/garage (married, one kid)
1500 sq ft 3br/1ba house w/garage
1900 sq ft 4br/2ba house w/garage
800 sq ft 1br/1ba apt w/garage
1000 sq ft 2br/1ba apt w/garage
950 sq ft 2br/1ba apt w/garage
1900 sq ft 3br/3ba house w/garage

The next move will be to a smaller house as my son will likely be out of the house. I'll get rid of accumulated crap (did that when I moved to small apartments after my divorce) and downsize again. Just need a room for my music gear and a garage. The wife likes a large closet (has a walk-in in our current rental rouse).

Don't want more space. I think the place we have now is too big.

[70SATMan]

Been in our 1300 sq ft 2 Bed, 2 bath since '89. My two daughters shared a room until I converted our small office room into a third bedroom to give them a little breathing space when they were 15 and 17. My oldest has been moved out now for the last year while attending college so, my youngest is back in her old room and will be there while she is attending a local college. So, we have our office back.

We have a large covered carport which is sheltered on three sides but, the long term goal is to convert it to a formal garage with 2nd story mezzanine storage.

We never considered moving to a larger place because we knew we wouldn't want a huge place when the kids move out and let's face it, the amount of time when you really feel the crunch of having a couple of extra near adults in the house is pretty short.. There have been times when I wished we had an extra 500sq ft to give someone a little get away space and storage has always been an issue but, it's also kept clutter down to a minimum.

I have other friends who have two car garages that are stuffed to the gills forcing them to keep their cars outside. Never understood that.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

As long as 50% is bathroom (if she is like my wife )

Ian

The other 50% would be closet space.

[cashflyer]

My current place is ~ 3200sqft. 3/3 in 1.5 stories, sitting on a 1/2 basement garage (1-car).
I hate the place.
I hate the upkeep, I hate the wasted space, I hate the energy that gets wasted.

I was happier with the size of my previous place, which was an apartment.
A room to watch TV in, a room to f**k in, a room to cook in, and a room to shower in. What else do two people need??

Oh, but the wife wanted extra rooms, in case we have guests.

[KevinTodd]

My first place way back when was a 750 sf studio which was just fine for me at the time. Since then I've had up to 3700 under air with 5 BR and a finished basement--I rarely went into more than two or three of those rooms at all.

Then it was a series of apts and houses around 1200-1500 sf and those were more than enough.

We bought and lived in an 800 sf loft a decade ago and that seemed much larger since the ceilings were 20 feet high and had floor-to-ceiling glass on one whole wall.

Now we are in a craftsman with right at 2000 sf and a one-car garage (guess which car lives in there) and we still rarely go into the guest rooms. My one-car garage is 24 ft deep however and allows me to keep tons more stuff along with the p-car--my other air-cooled toy lives in there too with room to spare.

[Embraer]

1. 300 sq ft in college. one bedroom apt in a house that was subdivided into 5 apts.

2. numerous rented rooms.

3. 1200 sq ft townhouse

4. many hotel rooms

5. 3200 sq ft 4 bedroom house (this is my house I own....I only went into about 3 rooms.)

6. 800 sq ft apt in California

7. 75 sq ft camper (spent 7 months in the Mojave here...actually liberating)

8. another rented room in California

9. 1100 sq foot midcentury house in California.

(my 3200 sq ft house in Indy is still my favorite place. it's a turn of the century craftsmen house with a finished basement)

I'm single, and realistically, I could be happy with less than 1500 sq ft, as long as I have plenty of garage to do what I want

[Hugh R]

First place I bought was a two story duplex. I live upstairs, rente the bottom out. 500 sq. ft. each.

2nd house was one story about 900 sq. ft.

3rd was about 1,800 two story, two car garage

current is 2,800 single story, three car garage. I need 1/2 or less now that the MIL passed and the two kids moved out.

Next will be much less, but hopefully with a two car garage

[desertt5]

First house we bought was 1029 sq. ft. 3/2 with small 2 car garage.

2nd was 1800 sq. ft. 4/3 with a big 2 car garage on 1/2 acre.

Current is 3700 sw. ft. 6/4 with a 3 car garage. Grandma still ives with us, but just this month 2 kids have moved out leaving just a 13 yr old at home. I still enjoy the extra space right now.

We will down size in 10 years or so.

A few rentals and base housing places before these.

[Don Ro]

I live in a 4 bdrm, 2,600 sq. ft. house w/big 2+ stall garage on an acre as of 2010.
Right now I still have unpacked boxes so all bedrooms have stuff in them. 'Got two motos in the main living room and one in the garage. I justify the room due to the AZ heat...if I have a project to do in the summer heat, I just do it in the house. Not car stuff, tho.
I like a lot of space...but the land takes attention.
.
ps I live here alone...so far.