Comments on: Downsizing our home

By: kweeket

kweeket — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 03:16:19 +0000

@Tony: You said “Putting turns in a subdivision street will slow people down. Harder to run a turn than it is to run a stop sign.” What would slow people down more is a gridded system (like older neighbourhoods) with narrower roads. Wide, winding roads with no sidewalks are an invitation to speed, which is why they so often include speed bumps.

By: N'Awlins Kat

N'Awlins Kat — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 05:43:09 +0000

We have 1650 s/f, but it’s not well-apportioned. The kitchen appears big, but actually doesn’t have enough room to swing a cat. (My husband has accidentally knocked the arrowback chairs through the kitchen window twice, trying to move the table back against the wall to make a little more space. Sigh.

I truly laugh myself silly at the McMansions in all their tawdry finery, but I must admit, I’d like a bedroom that’s just a wee bit more than the 12×12 that I have. I’m constantly whacking my toes cutting corners around the bed too closely. And my husband’s office is about 9×10, with three computers, four book cases and two desks. It’s impossible to cool. We have a beautiful piece of property to build on eventually, but my only real requirements are a huge seating area for dining, a claw-foot bathtub deep enough to soak in, and an office I can lock myself in to write in peace. My desk in the bedroom really doesn’t work for privacy. I’d love an older Victorian, or even a Craftsman bungalow style, with nooks and crannies, but as I loathe housekeeping, more space probably isn’t a good idea.

By: Native Woman

Native Woman — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 21:53:07 +0000

This is great. There ARE people out there who don’t want to have it all. That having it all means time and family not stuff. We raised 4 children in a 1200sq ft home, 1 acre at the end of the street. We are now in a larger home with one that bounced back. But really I don’t think bigger is better. I am ready to sell as soon as this one is back on her feet. I want to move further out, with land and a smaller older home to fix up. I can hardly wait. Great site.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 06:02:50 +0000

Metrozing: Thanks for the reference to Littlebrowndress website. That is the most inspirational ‘simplicity’ journey I’ve read in ages! Reading her blog should inspire everyone to clean out their closets.

By: Metrozing

Metrozing — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:20:37 +0000

@andamom: in the spirit of whittling down your possessions, you might be interested in a blog written by a woman who wore one brown dress every single day for a year. Interesting. For more info: http://www.littlebrowndress.com

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:16:01 +0000

Amazingly, the older suburbs are a very good deal these days. Pittsburgh has a lot of them.

I’m no longer there, but I grew up in a suburb of pittsburgh called Mount Lebanon. During my teen years I felt it was an oppressive “voted-for-reagan-twice” enclave. But now, people from my generation are buying there and starting to raise their families and totally changing the demographics. Anyways, the housing stock consists of very well built smallish homes with manageable lot sizes, good public transportation and top notch schools. To top it off, it is undervalued because the former residents have all diffused into the more remote exburbs.

By: Jasi

Jasi — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:39:40 +0000

I’m so with you on this. My husband and I purchased our first home in the country about 3 years ago. Since then we’ve devoted every weekend and spare moment to repair, rennovations and maintenance. And now with a child, we’re really hurting for free time. We’ve come to the same conclusion.. that we don’t need this space, that it’s ‘pwning’ our asses, and the extra money could well be spent on college funds and vacationing. We plan to downsize in the next few years -after- we decide where to go next. Any suggestions?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:46:06 +0000

Many people in my demographic (yuppie 30 somethings with or without kids) are stressed to the limit by their possessions and households. So many of us were brought up to think that a big yard, big house, multiple cars, a boat, and tons of sports equipment are the markers of happiness. But in reality, these things can quickly become drags and sinkholes of money. My suburban friends are victims of this.

I think that NYC’ers have these quality of life issues nailed. Having a small living space enforces discipline and keeps clutter in check. When you don’t have an extra room to use as a place to toss stuff to deal with it “later”, it keeps you aware of how much you have and forces the decision to remove something when something new is brought in.

By: H20

H20 — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:45:35 +0000

wow… 2800 square feet…
How many kids do you have? I’m sure it’s more than enough space……

Unless you have more than one wife….

~haslin jasman~

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:29:12 +0000

2800 square feet is enormous. Two years ago, my wife and I (no kids) sold our 1200 sq. ft. house in the suburbs because it was too big for us; now we live in a 645sq. ft. apartment in the centre of town. Because of our move we were able to sell our car (since we walk everywhere), get rid of a bunch of stuff we don’t need, and now we live a simpler and more active lifestyle. Godspeed!

By: David

David — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:55:25 +0000

Enjoy the downsizing, it’s fun and very satisfying! My wife and I had worked our way up through increasingly larger houses because that’s just what you do. Within a few years we found ourselves in a 2400 sqft + garage + basement house with 3 cars. No matter what size house, your posessions will grow to fill it! We downsized straight from there to an 800 sqft apartment with no cars (or AC, TV or microwave), and couldn’t be happier. Plenty of room to live and have guests even, and less time and money spent maintaining and fiddling with our physical posessions. They had started to own us! Getting rid of 80+% of our junk really lightened our mental burden as well as physical. Organization has become a top priority though, which is why I’m an avid reader.

By: Charles

Charles — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 06:16:28 +0000

@Minnie

No, thats pretty much the case everywhere. I live in Oregon, and I was just saying to my wife our next house will have to be an older home, because we want a yard.

And, while a small house can be nice if you don’t do a lot of parties and so forth, I’ve found it to be pain. We did our family’s Christmas in our 1500 sqft home, and it was a bit of a nightmare. Mostly with the kitchen. However, I have seen some people do that quite easily.

By: Aimee

Aimee — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:48:44 +0000

I admire the “not so big house” series because although it’s not always big, they are very custom and made for the people who live in them. I think this is the key to being happy in a house, no matter the size. The house has to serve the needs of the people who live in it, and for some that may mean a bigger house, and for others, a smaller home.

By: Louise

Louise — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:27:46 +0000

We downsized from a 1200 sq ft condo to a 300 sq ft RV exactly three years ago, and I can’t imagine needing more space that this. I love it. If we ever move back into a bricks and mortar home, it will probably be a studio or possibly 1 bedroom condo/apartment.

The freedom from “stuff” must be experienced to be appreciated.

By: Andamom

Andamom — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:22:09 +0000

Come take a trip to visit us in NYC — You’ll find that a family of three can live in a 300 square foot apartment. That family isn’t mine — but I read about them in Time Out NY Kids… Our family of 4 lives in 907 square feet. One of the reasons I spend an inordinate amount of time on unclutterer is because I am constantly trying to whittle down our possessions to make our quarters feel larger.