Diet-on living space, possessions

[lph]

For me design and layout is a lot more important than size, though I in fact enjoy having a small house. I like having less to clean, less to heat, fewer places to lose things and a definite limit to the amount of (indoor) possesions I can amass. I easily feel overwhelmed by having too many things, and while I can dream of having spacious rooms for drying clothes, working on my bikes etc I know I'd also use them to store "things" rather than make an active decision on whether to keep them or not. Being able to store food and buy in bulk is a good point, though.
One of things I love most about going camping is having to pare down necessary items to a minimum.

Design: I want most space, air and sun in the living spaces, and that is what we have now. Tiny bedroom for the two of us, small bathroom, largish bedroom for our teenager, perfect for our needs.

I've read that it's easier to live greenly in urban surroundings too, but I'm sure that depends on a lot of factors.

[shootingstar]

Hey GLC, 1700 sq. ft. would definitely be big for dearie and I in city.

Prior to me, he and his ex with 2 young children lived in a multi-level rowhouse at 900 sq. ft. But then he and ex also had a 100-acre beef farm outside the city for 10 years where he farmed on weekends and he built the house. House was 2 storey, probably under 900 sq. ft. He sold the farm.

Depends what one does with space. I probably could use a small 2nd rm. in Vancouver home at 9 ft. x 9 ft. size with window...to do painting. Doing some art requires space, hard flooring and window ventilation as well as natural lighting to gauge accuracy of paint colours.

but I never had this. I had to lay down plastic sheeting on our dining area floor to floor carpeting before laying out my oil or acrylic paints to start, plus portable easel. Took me half an hr. to set up and then put away stuff. IT doesn't allow me to leave out paints/set-up for several days/weeks, etc.n Same for sewing. I have to unpack and pack a tabletop sewing machine for alterations.

I have a portable ironing board....which I place on the carpeted floor and kneel down to iron. I don't want to buy a full standing ironing board, takes up too much storage rm. I don't iron that much anymore.

Is it a hassle? Well, how much more of a hassle is this compared to picking up many toys that young children throw down onto the floor every day for a few years? (No matter how good they are about picking up after themselves...no one is perfect.)

So that's just a wish to have 1 extra small rm., but probably won't happen unless we win the lottery.

[Crankin]

Well, this discussion is the reason I didn't mention the size of my house in my post . My last house was 2100 sq. feet, which I've heard is about the average in the US. It was an 8 rm. new colonial, with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a large family room and a very small formal living room and dining room. Since I actually use those rooms for entertaining, that part was bad. Our furniture didn't exactly fit.
It felt cramped with 2 growing teens, who were 10 and 13 when we moved there. Family room and bedrooms were good, but the house felt small to me, compared to my house in AZ that had the same square footage. I think it has to do with the lay out. So, we finished part of the basement, mainly so son #1 could play his guitar and son #2 could use the trainer and blast the Spinervals without me going nuts from the noise. Then, a few years later, we added on a very large screened in porch, which we really lived in for 3 months out of the year. We ate all of our meals out there, when it was nice. That really made a difference.
This house has just under 3,000 sq. ft., no one can give me a straight answer on the exact size. But, the house is built vertically, in a very different shape, on 4 levels. It is an older house than the last one by about 12 years. The bedrooms are smaller, and so are the bathrooms. But, the other rooms are bigger. I miss having the open type of kitchen/family room, but it's not so important, now that the kids are gone. However, this house does not feel bigger to me when I am inside. It looks dramatic and big from the outside, but I think it's because it's a contemporary, in a part of the country where they are unusual.
It's true, 2 people don't need a house this big. But, since we have remodeled the place from top to bottom, including replacing every system and window, roof, etc. to make it energy efficient, I feel we actually live more economically than we did in the last place. I also live closer to shopping and do many more errands by bike. It's closer to the city by 10 miles, which has made a huge difference in time/gas when I go to my classes and we have 2 commuter rail stations, as well as being closer to the end point of the regular train line.

[DebW]

I'm currently in a 700 sq. ft. apartment, having gone from a 2000 sq. ft. house with 4 people in it at one time. I love the small space, it's a perfect size for 1 person, though crowded when I have visitors. Easy to care for and clean and cheap enough to heat, plus close to work (commute by bike, grocery shop by bike). I have a large basement for bike work. Currently starting to think about buying a house and have seen a 624 sq. ft. cottage in a quiet setting and a 786 sq. ft. place that I like. Both have less closet space than my current apartment, so thinking carefully about layout and storage space in terms of what will work for me. The decision may also depend on whether my 22 year old son is likely to live with me very much. I don't think I could manage a 500 sq ft place unless I gave up some hobbies and biking/hiking/skiing equipment and the clothing/boots/shoes that go with them.