December 9, 2009
-
Small is beautiful
Are you comfortable with the size of your house?In developed countries family size has been generally shrinking, in some countries family homes have grown in size, notably in the United States where the average size of new single family homes grew from 1,780 square feet in 1978 to 2,479 square feet in 2007.
I think that is crazy. There are so many people paying to heat rooms that they never use or many uses once every blue moon all as a status symbol or because they “need” the room. When my grandmother was a child no one would have ever thought that she “needed” her own room. They lived in a farm house with her parents and 12 brothers and sisters. They only needed 3 bedrooms. One for the boys, one for the girls and one for the parents.
The advantages of a small home exceed basic economics; such houses change the way people live and are attractive for people who want to lead a less cluttered and complicated life.
Why do people think they need so much more room now then they did 100 years ago?
Blessings of a small place…
1. Fewer places for things to get lost.
2. You can sweep quicker
3. The heating bill is lower.
4. No room for furniture you can’t afford anyway.
5. Families spend more time together
What Do You Think?
Comments (25)
Anyone who has lived in NYC is used to living in a small place (for the most part). I think small places are great, as long as there’s good storage. The smaller the place, the easier it gets dirty, musty, dusty & cluttered.
Do not have house of my own right now but I would be happy anywhere if it was with the ones I love.
I think some people have been duped into thinking of their homes as investments and then there are some who have a huge house because it’s a reflection on their wealth. Of course sometimes I wonder if they need such big homes so that they can escape each other. ;o)
We lived in an 800 square foot mobile home for the first three years of our marriage. We now own a 1,300 square foot home, with a half basement underneath. It is very adequate for our needs. And you are right… it takes me a good hour and a half longer to clean my house now than it did in the trailer. Now I have bigger rooms, two baths, a dining room, etc. It has it’s advantages both ways, but I agree…a lot of people live in spaces beyond their necessities or means.
I’m going to chime in as the dissenting voice here. I love the mystery of space. When I was a child, my grandparents lived in an old mansion an hour outside of town that my great-grandmother built in the country in Florida years ago. The house was so mysterious and beautiful to me. It had a guesthouse, too, and we would spend nights in it and feel so important because the adults were in the other house, and the kids were in our own. My great-uncle used to own a historical mansion here in town, and I loved that house, too. My other great-uncle has a historical home in Orlando, Florida, with white columns and a rose garden outside. My family’s house is not nearly that large (we are a minister’s family and not wealthy), but I love big houses. People should never live beyond their means, but I believe houses can be works of architectural art. Bigger houses are good for entertaining guests, too, and having visitors who stay for longer periods of time. I also love tiny houses that are pretty and well-built.
I lived in a 900 square foot house with my family of four when I was growing up. Two bedrooms – one for my parents, one for my sister and I. Part of the reason people need more room now, becomes apparent in close quarters – way back when, people had one schedule – everyone got up and went to bed at the same time, because they lived & worked together. Not so now, with at least one parent working outside the home in most families and kids going to school (with hours that do not coincide with said parents’ work schedule).
Ours is almost 3,000 square feet, and I love it. I grew up in a big house…it just feels like home. We lived in a small one for 6 years prior to this one, though!
I grew up in a 2000+ sq ft house. 5 bedroom, for 4 people. However, we used every last inch. I never really thought I had a big house, because where I lived the majority of my friends houses were even bigger. Now, as an architect, when I design master bedrooms that are 300 sq ft, and bathrooms that at 150, and closets the size of the bedroom I grew up in, I just don’t get it. I think when I grow up, and buy a house, I’d prefer it to be smaller. Like you said – less area to clean, less are to lose things, more time spent with family…there are lots of good reasons!
I have always feared large houses. I want a small one.
I see a house in terms of functionality, part of my daily bread. It provides a basic necessity, that being a roof over my head. I don’t see the wisdom of investing in something that is guaranteed to decay, and I don’t honestly believe we own our houses so much as they own us. If anyone at all actually owns our homes, it’s the government. Don’t think so? Fail to pay your property taxes and see how long you will continue to live there! You rent your house from the government, and you spend huge amounts of time and energy maintaining their property!
In those small places, there must be 1 bedroom and one kitchen and one bathroom because people don’t need living rooms. I can’t see anything else in those pictures besides what I listed. And only one person can live in that because a whole family can’t be cluttered in that one tiny place. I know with me, if I am cluttered and squeezed into a small place, I need to get out. I don’t like the feeling of not being able to walk without hurting someone. And I will get irritated and angry fast if I am cramped together with about 3 other people.
I am not saying I live in a mansion but I can’t live in those tiny houses.
Growing up, my dad was constantly getting promoted to a new job with more responsibilities and with that, more pay. We moved around quite a bit, and with each move, our house got larger. My parents would always talk about how small their parents homes were that they grew up in, but I never saw it. Even today, looking at their houses, thinking about when we had all our extended family in them, they never seemed that small. I think a big house has become part of that “American Dream” everyone is striving for. A large home isn’t quite what I want in my life.
Kristen you make excellent points in this post! I hope you have a super day friend
I grew up in a 11 bedroom home for my parents and 2 siblings and a nanny. I hated it. Now I live in a tiny apartment and have no need for storage or space.
As much as I love the comfort of small houses, I would crazy being in such close quarters with my family all the time.
We don’t “need” more room, we just have more crap so we feel entitled to having more room. It’s ridiculous.
Those are not family friendly. On the other hand, many of the house around here are huge. The ones built in the 50′s and early 60′s are much smaller. I live in a place with around 900 sq ft. With the family being much smaller now, this place suits us just fine, however it would be nice to have one large room for when the Mrs sets up quilts. It gets crowded then!
I’m only 20 and my dream is to live in a house that’s smaller than 1000 sq. ft! I have several house plans that I’m currently looking at (maybe to build in the future) and pretty much, all I want is enough space for a wood stove, a decent kitchen, and some hidden storage space!
I could live there comfrotably and happily.
My previous house was a 100+ year old farm-house, not unlike the ones in the pictures you posted. It wasn’t much, but it was perfect for just my husband and I, and I liked having a full size suburban lot that was mostly yard instead of mostly house. With kids on the way I do want them to have their own rooms, personal space is important, but not for a few years. The rest of the house can stay small though.
I love this post! I actually hope to build a small house for myself and my wife someday.
Regardless of how small or large a house is, if there is love and grace in that house, it becomes a home. Every body can live with those two things.
Great post.
The houses you posted are incredibly cute.
Happy Hanukkah. We have a large house. Sometimes I question our choice, but we may need to house our parents as well as our children in it.
@Alatariel40 - Happy Hanukkah to you as well