2 ms·

I don’t know about you, but 1000-2000 sqft for a single family home with an actual family in it is downright cramped. You could turn a garage into a wood shop

I don’t know about you, but 1000-2000 sqft for a single family home with an actual family in it is downright cramped. You could turn a garage into a wood shop though if you don’t have a particular need to store your car in a garage. The point of a large home is to turn it into your own personal oasis where you can spend days at a time without ever really needing to leave, and without feeling bored. The thing is, many people just don’t know how to live in a big house, because they spend so much time in cramped quarters until they can afford a home. A big house is all about features. Every room is an opportunity to have a space dedicated for something, if not for sleeping. Mindless excess is dumb, but thoughtful excess is amazing.

irrational 9y ago
Oh, I don't know. We've lived in a 1900 sq ft house for the past 15 years. We have 7 kids (currently ages 4 to 20) and it has worked out just fine so far. We haven't felt cramped yet.
lostlogin 9y ago
And a well designed small house is better still in my view - having everything you describe in a small place without it feeling cramped. My suggested measure is being able to vacuum the whole house from a single power point.
- dagw 9y ago
  And a well designed small house is better still in my view The design and layout of a house is so much more important than just the sq ft. I wish more people would focus on that. We have a really well planned out 1500 sq ft. house and we have literally more usable rooms and space than many people I know with houses more than twice the size.
jacobolus 9y ago
Um... I grew up living in a maybe 1100 square foot house with 4 people and occasional extended guests. It was a bit tight maybe (e.g. 2 kids in one bedroom, some contention for the one bathroom), but “downright cramped” is an exaggeration. I currently live with 3 people in a 1200 square foot condo and it seems plenty spacious. 2000 square feet should be enough for a family of 8 or something. My godparents’ family lived with a dozen people in a few mud-brick + straw roofed rooms probably totaling 500 square feet, plus some outdoor space between buildings. Now that’s cramped. > The point of a large home is to turn it into your own personal oasis where you can spend days at a time without ever really needing to leave, and without feeling bored. In my opinion that is a depressing vain and wasteful way to live. YMMV.
- matte_black 9y ago
  A small home is an equally wasteful way to live — a waste of opportunity.

irrational 9y ago

Oh, I don't know. We've lived in a 1900 sq ft house for the past 15 years. We have 7 kids (currently ages 4 to 20) and it has worked out just fine so far. We haven't felt cramped yet.

lostlogin 9y ago

And a well designed small house is better still in my view - having everything you describe in a small place without it feeling cramped. My suggested measure is being able to vacuum the whole house from a single power point.

dagw 9y ago
And a well designed small house is better still in my view The design and layout of a house is so much more important than just the sq ft. I wish more people would focus on that. We have a really well planned out 1500 sq ft. house and we have literally more usable rooms and space than many people I know with houses more than twice the size.

jacobolus 9y ago

Um... I grew up living in a maybe 1100 square foot house with 4 people and occasional extended guests. It was a bit tight maybe (e.g. 2 kids in one bedroom, some contention for the one bathroom), but “downright cramped” is an exaggeration. I currently live with 3 people in a 1200 square foot condo and it seems plenty spacious. 2000 square feet should be enough for a family of 8 or something. My godparents’ family lived with a dozen people in a few mud-brick + straw roofed rooms probably totaling 500 square feet, plus some outdoor space between buildings. Now that’s cramped. > The point of a large home is to turn it into your own personal oasis where you can spend days at a time without ever really needing to leave, and without feeling bored. In my opinion that is a depressing vain and wasteful way to live. YMMV.

matte_black 9y ago
A small home is an equally wasteful way to live — a waste of opportunity.