Small House, Happy Home

If anyone reads this and wants to move to a smaller home.......I have a two bedroom townhouse in Lake in the Hills, IL - I'll sell it to you for a good deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess that says how I feel about a smaller home!!!!!

So she is saying she needs a small house to make the decisions she should make anyway?

No one should buy too big a home because the expense will make them miserable but I don't think you need to have no where to put useless things to avoid buying useless thing, ya know?

Sounds like she has a small home and is trying to rationalize happiness but maybe that is me.

I live on the coast of California, so I get the worst of all worlds: small house, no yard, not-great-neighborhood and very high mortgage. Still, I do love living here. We tend to spend a lot of family time outdoors at the beach, hiking and the like and so the smaller home is not a big deal. I do wish I could find a way to give each child a desk for homework...other than that, we are doing well.

My husband, son and I were all living in a very small house for two years and it was hell. No privacy. Yes less furniture but still no space, no room, very crowded, etc etc. I was moody all the time, my husband and i were fighting all the time. I honestly kept telling myself, if we were in a bigger house we would be less stress, no more tension, no fights, more room, more PRIVACY for everyone, i can finally have friends/family over to stay (bcause i love having ppl over for a weekend or so) . So we finally upgraded and honestly... i'm really relaxed/happy. I don't know if the small house made us argue a lot (I KNOW SOUNDS SILLY!! I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT) but at our new home we haven't argued or anything and it feels good. I have a big kitchen, what i always wanted. My son has a play room and his room, we have room for a new baby if God wants to send us another. It's as if our tension lifted from us. IDK, even my husband has a better mood. I wake up in a better mood and happier at 4am to send my husband to work with lunch and breakfast, something i dreaded before. Maybe its all in my head maybe its not. Who knows but like i said, we all look and seem happier.

Bigger house and same furniture, we managed to fill up all the rooms . didn't realize we had so much. :/ yikes

I wonder how big their small house is, and how many people.... Because we lived in an 800 sq foot apartment as a family of four and a dog for 3 years and it was absolutely miserable, even though a lot of the things in the article are true (easier to clean, cheaper bills...) And we had almost no toys/furniture and it was stressful always bringing stuff to Goodwill, and having to lay down the law on the grandparents giving our kids huge toys all the time (like 4 wheelers and the like), and we were practically on top of each other all day. No privacy, no quiet or anything ever, no storage space, not even a towel closet, so very, very cramped that it was actually more difficult to keep clean and tidy. We actually were always fighting and nitpicking the smallest things to death. We were always stubbing toes on corners and hitting our chests on the high kitchen counter that protruded in the living room. Hardly any room for seating, we once took the kitchen table down and ate on the blanket on the floor for a year. When we moved to a slightly larger home, the fighting stopped instantly. We do have lots of those same perks of a small house and the size is great for us, another room would be perfect though.

Well, overall, as a philosophy of life, I believe "the simpler the better".
I will also never be a slave to a mortgage payment that makes life less accessible in any way. I won't compromise experience, fun and security for bigger square footage.
We have a 3 BR house for 3 of us. It's plenty of room for us.
And our house is paid off.
Could we become members of the keep-up-with-the-Joneses Club in a new (or newer) McMansion and step on the hamster wheel of life? Sure. Would I want to? Never.

True happiness is wanting what you HAVE, not what you don't have. :)

My daughter and her family live in a small 3 bedroom apartment which is bulging at the seams. If they could afford it they'd move into a house right now.

What's small? Our first house was 868 square feet with 2 bedrooms. Our plan when buying it was that my husband, son and I would stay there for 3-5 years, then move into a bigger house and add to our family. Then my SD moved in...then baby #3 and baby #4. So six of us in that house forced us to sell after 3 years. There's small and there's "wow we have nowhere for the kids to sleep" impossibly small.

Our current house...with all 6 of us (the two oldest are teenagers now)...is still what I would consider small at 1100 sq ft. We have three bedrooms, one bathroom, a family room and kitchen. Thankfully we have a garage, basement and attic for storage and were able to finish half of the basement last year.

Would I choose this over the 2400 sq ft colonial with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a 2-car garage that we actually need (which we envisioned creating when we bought this place 5 years ago and planned on adding a second floor)? No, never. I long for a house where each child can have his or her own dresser. Where if you take a shower, you don't have to poll the family to make sure no one needs to use the bathroom first. Where I don't have a teenage boy and teenage girl sharing a bedroom because there is nowhere else to sleep. Where I could have a dining room and host a holiday dinner or birthday party. Where we could host an out of town guest properly and not have to kick one of the kids to the floor to offer a guest a bed.

So while I appreciate that we have a house at all, and I don't want something huge and sprawling, I would love to have twice the space that we currently have.

Our first place was a 2 bedroom duplex, 1000 sq feet. Now we live in a 2000 sq foot 3 bedroom 3 bathroom house. I would LOVE to live in a smaller house again. We paid $500 less a month then we do now, cleaning was MUCH easier, I spent a lot less money when we lived there. I am always buying things to complete this house. We have lived in this house for almost 3 years and there are so many empty spots that can be filled with "stuff" that we don't need. This house still doesn't feel like a home to me because of those empty spots. Our old place was much more comfortable to me. Before we moved here the thought of a big house sounded wonderful to me, but the grass is always greener...if I only knew then what I know now!

My brother and sils family song/motto is Love Grows Best in Little Houses. They lived in a tiny mobile home for yrs with thier 2 little kids. As time went on and they moved up in the world, they were able to buy the home my sil always wanted. A big 2 story house in the country with some land. That was the most miserable time in the marriage. They fought alot and had money stress. They didn't have the $ to take the little weekend ski trips and family outings they were used to. They hated being out in the country away from eveyone. SO, they got smart, sold the bog house in the country and moved back to town. They settled in the middle with a midsize home. Not a tiny trailor but still very cozy and warm. Money was good again. They started going on vacations again. Life was good again. Theyve been married over 25 yrs.

My other brother never figured that out. He thought he had to live in a ritzy neighborhood and drive new cars every year. He has been divorced 3 times.

IDK, I mean, everyone's idea of small is different, kind of like everyone's idea of a lot of money is different. When the kids were babies we rented a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom 900 sq foot apartment & it worked out fine for us. For the past 7 years we've lived in a 1600 square foot 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house & honestly, I feel a little squished. I'm not desperate to get out or anything, and it can feel a little tight sometimes, but I sure do love the $950/month mortgage payment.

I love it. We, on purpose, purchased a much cheaper and smaller house than we qualified for due to many of the reasons listed here. Low and behold, 2 years after we bought our house, my husband lost his job and we were able to keep our house because our house payment was so cheap. Now that my husband has been gainfully employed for the last 6 years, we have the extra money to do many things we wouldn't be able to do if our house payment was bigger.
Just my two cents,
R.

A year and half ago we lived in a home half the size we currently have. It took just as long to clean, the neighborhood (although decent for the area and small homes) was not a good fit for us and we felt squished. I've missed the smaller payment, but we can afford what we have. We've gained so much more from moving, so I'm very happy we did!

I can see how it would be better for finances but I could not live in a tiny home. We have 2 kids and we all need our space. We are in almost 1600 sq feet right now and it seems just right for us now, although someday when we do buy a home (we are renting for now) I would like around 2000 sq. feet or even a little more. So, financially yes, they would be happier. But for me, daily, I would go nuts.

I find it ironic because I look at the houses in our older neighborhood and think of all the families raised here years ago. Today they are considered 'starter' homes because when people have their families they feel the need to move to a larger home.

I was talking to my neighbor the other day who told me her parents raised nine kids in a THREE bedroom house. Who would even consider doing that today?

While bigger may seem better I am reminded of a book I read about the actual cost of all the 'stuff' we accumulate. People max out their space and then they are renting storage space for the 'stuff'. Or they move to a larger home which quickly fills with more 'stuff'. They talked about determining how much per square foot you are paying in mortgage or rent on all of that 'stuff'. Just the thought of that grounds me although I am not a minimalist by any means.

I tell people that when the kids are over the toy stage I will gain so much more space. But I am in no hurry because I don't want to wish away these years.

I'm sure there is a direct correlation between the level of happiness and the number of bathrooms in the home! I live in a small house (930 sf) with my hubby and 13 & 9 year old daughters. I hate clutter and think of myself as a minimalist so I don't mind the small house so much but we only have one bathroom and I'd give my eye teeth for another one!

I think small houses have their advantages and also their disadvantages.

My husband, son and I live in a small apartment. It has everything we need, and yes sometimes it is nice but in our area we could be getting a nice smaller home for what we are paying, and I think somedays that drives me crazy.

I would LOVE to get into a little house close by. I want a yard that my son and I can play in outside. I would love to have a laundry room, instead of a tiny closet that passes for one, and that I can fold my laundry in and have space, instead of having to sit on the livingroom floor and fold. Thats frustrating.
I would love to have a real kitchen that both my husband and I can fit in and cook together rather than again this closet sized one I have.
I want a room that my son can have his toys spread out everywhere and be able to play with instead of in a box in the living room because there is no space elsewhere.

I would love to have a place where my livingroom wall doesnt sound like its going to fall down because every weekend and sometimes weeknight my neighbors think they have to have a loud party and keep my family awake til wee hours of the morning.
And then to look out my usually great view of protected wet lands to see they have thrown their beer cans, and whatever trash they like outside in my view.

So yeah, small places can be great, and we make do but I honestly believe that when we are able to get a nice little house that we will all be so much happier. And we will all have some breathing room, place to play and do what we like.

Yeah, that sounds wonderful to me.

I will agree to a point. Our small house is a cozy bungalow. Two bedrooms, a converted attic/master bedroom and full basement (not finished). My friends regularly encourage me to get a house with a bigger yard or a better basement so that I could run a preschool program in-home. (no thanks, never living where I work again!) While I'd love a sewing room, I know from my husband how quickly a space can fill up.

The best part was that he bought the house before the bubble, so our mortgage is very reasonable. Just enough of house and yard to keep me busy...

You listed a lot of good points. I'd just add that people do need room to get away from each other. Some days, I need my husband to take Kiddo and for them to Get Out for a while. Too much facetime isn't always easy for those of us who tend to be more introverted.

Maybe it would different in a house with a yard but we live in an apartment and it is so frustrating because we are always in each others way! We don't have our own washer nor do we have any outdoor space to play. We live on a busy street so I'm worried about my 3 year old playing out there. I know the costs are less but for us if we had the option we would want a house with yard. I'm the apartment manager so we really don't have that option lol. I'm glad you are happy with your small house though! I can't wait until I'm done with school and we get in to a house:)

I love this! We live in a 1200 sq. ft. home and it's perfect for the 5 of us!

I think it is all about the layout. We moved from a small house (972 sq ft) into another small house. The first small house had 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, laundry room, kitchen, bathroom. There were only two closets in the entire house - one in each bedroom. The laundry room was fairly large (especially in comparison to the other rooms) which was not a good use of space at all because it only needed to fit a washer and dryer. The kitchen layout was awful, very little counter space and no good place to put a much needed table (no dining room). The kitchen actually had five doorways. The space was just configured badly. So, while the house we are in now isn't that much larger it is so much better because of the layout. I actually have closets and ample space for a table in the kitchen. The laundry is in the basement. And we now have two bathrooms. The only drawback is that my bedroom does not have a closet but there is a spare "unfinished" room beside it that does very well as a makeshift walk-in.

Both my husband and I say we will not go back to a house under 1000 sq. ft. We are fine with small...just not that small.

My home is less than 1000 sq feet. We are a family of 5 and I think we'd be much happier in a larger home. I don't want anything huge, just mid-size, but only if we could afford it comfortably. We are always on top of each other. There is no storage except for our 1 car garage, so we can't park a car in it. There is nowhere to go if you need some quiet time. It's frustrating, but then I remind myself that we are fortunate to have a roof over our heads, and food on our table, and clothes on our backs. We can also afford things that we may not be able to if we had a larger mortgage payment. I can be a SAHM, my children attend a private school, they play sports...I wouldn't trade any of those for a larger house.

Never, never would I want a small house...it would be like apartment living...and I remember hating that. Every closet and nook and cranny would be full to the brim with storage stuff. 1900 sq. feet....3 bedrooms...sunken den...attached 2 door garage with huge finished attic...tool shed and storage shed out back.. Living room is 44X28ft....I have tons of furniture and it all fits beautifully. Dining room with plenty of room for tons of guests. Happy as a Lark!!! But if you are happy is all that counts!

I love my mid-size (2200 square ft) house.

Starter house was a 1400 quare foot victorian (think small rooms, 1 bathroom, cute as heck). It was large enough while our kids were small. It had an awesome park like backyard fenced with gate and driveway so we used the back door and kids could come and go and be safe. Honestly we just outgrew it.

When we were building on our current property we lived in a two bed apartment with no garage (it was in the woods, walk to beach and had a pool so we spent a lot of time outside) but it was really frustrating. Both girls in one bedroom, office in the master, we were going crazy even knowing it was only temporary.

We love the size of our house now. You may find you want more room when your kids get older. They have friends over and want their own space but we still spend most of our time in the great room. Just becuase a house is bigger doesn't mean the kids aren't right there with us most of the time.

I guess it's all relative. We live in 2600 sq feet with 2 kids and a dog and it's just about right. We have friends w/ bigger houses and I don't envy them at all. More work, more stuff etc. But we've also gone to friends' houses that say are sub 2000k and that seems a bit squished. I'm the opposite of a pack rat but I like to have some extras around. So I do agree no need for the McMansion but 2 bedrooms for 4 people if the living space is small too would get on my nerves a bit.

My son married a gal with two children. They then had two children of their
own and lived in 1000 sq. feet. The learned how to get along together and
share the space. They finally did move to a larger house. The ages of
the children now are 18, 12, 3, and 18 months!!!! I must admit it was
tight. LR and kitchen were one room. An arch defined the space. One
tiny, tiny bathroom, two very small bedroom and then upper level was cape
with two small spaces. My son is 6'5", and everyone else is very tall LOL.
They were very happy in that house, but because the ages of the kids
varied so greatly they were ready for something a bit larger. Small home
equals happy home!

Our house (which I consider on the small side) is 1600 sq feet - and when we bought the size was perfect - we had two bedrooms upstairs, and office downstairs and a nice little den as well as the main living/kitchen area. Then we had another baby - lol - and it started to seem cramped. We ended up splitting our master bedroom into two rooms - put baby on one side - us on the other - which worked out well for a few months. Eventually we moved into the office (bye by office space) and now have a vacant "half room" upstairs where we will eventually move the desk. I cannot imagine putting another person in this house.
Well - I was talking to my neighbor and she said the family that first bought this house in 1980 had 4 kids! And she homeschooled them all!
OMG - talk about perspective!
So - yes - we don't need all the space and junk and stuff - my biggest complain with this house isn't necessarily the SIZE but the layout- our "den" is rarely used and in a location where it can't be converted to anything else - so that is a bummer.

Well we went from a 700 sg ft home, to about 1600...i feel like we live in a mansion! And we are MUCH happier! The kids have more room to roam and run. There's more places for us ALL to hang out together. I don't feel like I can never have company.

Maybe we are one extreme. I was happy in my little home, but I'm REALLY happy here. We can actually get away from each other if we want. Which isn't often, but we can. There, we couldn't. Ever. And we aren't paying much more to live here! I guess it all depends on the circumstances :)

We're doing this in 2012! Moving to a cheaper town, reduce mortgage stress, send the children to the local public school (there is no private school close by). I just can't wait!

We are already living in a small house, with three boys and two dogs. It's OK, but I'd like to simplify things a bit.

I think how the square footage is used also matters. We own a 829sq ft house and love it the only thing we want to add is a dettached office/craft room. We are currently working out fo town and have rented a 1100sq ft home and it feels smaller and like there is less room than the 829sq ft we own. Also when we married we had a 2200 sq ft home and it was to much for me, all those rooms to clean and so on

As long as you live within your means, I don't think it matters. We used to have a big house with a little yard, but we could afford it easily and we were happy. For the past 12 years we have lived in a smaller house on a few acres, and we easily afford this as well. We are happier in the smaller house because we enjoy "country" living, and the layout of the smaller house is much better. Also, this house is a one of a kind old farmhouse that has a bunch of personality. We love it.

I moved from very small 2 bedroom (not sure of the sq footage) to a 4 bedroom just under 2000 sq foot home. I must say, I was very happy in my tiny home and really only bought due to pressure from family to own a home! Some days I seriously regret it! It is soooo much more expensive. Not only is the mortage 3 times what our rent was, but the upkeep and maintenace can be quite high. We've had to replace our heater and hot water heater and we need to put serious money into landscaping our backyard.

Reading this most made me nostalgic for the easier days when the house was smaller; people were closer; and expenses much more manageable.

Yes, I consider it and maybe after everyone has moved out, hubby and I will find us another small cozy house for just the two of us!

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In my opinion, bigger is better as long as you can afford it without stress.I love to relax after the kids go to bed and before we moved that was hard to do since they always had their favorite read-along CDs playing. The living room was so close to the kids rooms that there was no way to avoid it! The noise level with 3 kids all squished together was pretty crazy most of the time. Life is much calmer now in a more spacious house.

I think it depends on how many people in the family and the family dynamics. It also depends on the layout of the home.

We have friends (2 adults,3 kids) who live in a home twice our size. No way would I want to have to do all that cleaning or pay the heating/a/c bill.

Not true for me....We started in a studio apartment when we had our first child, then went to 1600 s feet , then to 3000 s feet townhome with 2 kids and now back to 1600 with 3 kids. I liked our 3000 s feet townhome the best.....it had great fenced in back yard. WE always have tons of friends over with lots of kids( up to 10 at the same time) so it was wonderful.....it gets tight on our 1600 s f home. WE had a 600 s f playroom so all toys were in one place.......now toys are all over the house. But our rent was $2100 in our big home and our mortgage is only $800 now :)