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Looking for tips on living in a small house


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When I say small, think 1,100 square feet. I know some people who think 1,800 sq feet is small.

 

I was hoping to find some families living in a similar size house who also have four or more children. Can you recommend space-saving ideas? Can a familiy of six live in this size house?

 

Thanks!

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I Live in a small house also but I only have 1 son but i have a Great tip i use

 

On the back of the kids bedroom door hang a shoe holder the ones with pockets and the one i have in pockets i put those pencil boxes and in them it holds like tape,glue,staples and so on makes a handy organizer :D

 

get like clothes pins,clothe line rope and 2 small nails, nail one nail on one wall , stretch across to other wall(Use Corner or behind childs bed) and put other nail and tie on the clothes line, let the children paint the clothes pins what ever color they want and They can hang there Art work , best part is like after a week they can change the art out :D

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We have three kids in that size. Besides decluttering, and having what I call 'easy access storage' (we have a basement that is half the size of the house, and a garage), we try to be considerate of one another in terms of privacy. There are enough rooms so that everyone could be alone at the same time, and we all have our times/areas where we don't like to be disturbed.

 

I haven't really found that I need 'space saving ideas' as we have plenty of space - it's just the stuff in it that can make a house too small. Toys, clothes, and books are regularly weeded out, and what we keep is rotated through from storage. Plastic bins with lids are my best friend for seasonal storage, and I'm also in love with giant ziploc bags. Toys can be retrieved from these and set up to play on the dining room table, but we haven't found that we don't have room for a decent selection of toys to be in the main part of the house (even when all 3 were young).

 

Every type of activity (art, science, sewing, scrapbooking, board games) has one main location, and one storage location. We can retrieve extra supplies from the storage location as necessary, but if something lingers in storage, it's outta here! Which frees up more room for other storage, and keeps things from getting overcrowded.

 

Bulky furniture is a definite no-no. Bunkbeds are essential. Our bedrooms look more 'cozy' (to my eyes = cluttered) than the main part of the house, but that's okay.

 

Every room is multi-purpose, and the purposes sometimes change seasonally.

 

We also spend a good chunk of time outside - makes the house feel much bigger! :p A special little place (a hide out, a perch) outside is good for everyone to have. If you can't have your own room *inside*, you can outside.

 

Having friends over is rotated - with 2 teenage dds, it works for one to have a friend sleepover while the other one is gone to a friend's house. We've even done big sleepovers, though!

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When I say small, think 1,100 square feet. I know some people who think 1,800 sq feet is small.

 

I was hoping to find some families living in a similar size house who also have four or more children. Can you recommend space-saving ideas? Can a familiy of six live in this size house?

 

Thanks!

 

I have 6 dc and live in 1300 square feet. The only advice I can give you is to get rid of stuff. That is what we had to do - we have less furniture and less belongings overall. When things start to stay messy more than straight, I know it is time to re-think what we actually need. My dc have fewer clothes than most and few toys. (BTW, this house felt like a MANSION when we moved in - we had 4 dc in an 800 square foot trailer before this!)

 

Go to the library and check out the book "Material World" to see how families all over the world live and what they have. Many live in houses much smaller than you or I - it helped me to see what was really a necessity. About twice a year, I re-think it some more. For example, I think we have too many blankets right now - if I am having a hard time figuring out how to store them, then we don't need them!

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We live in a raised ranch, the main floor is about 1100 sq ft., the downstairs is maybe 500-600 sf. We have 5 dc and spend the majority of our time on the main floor together. In fact, we are all usually in the living room and dining room. It's very, very cozy!:o

 

However, this seems to be the way everyone wants it right now. My oldest is almost 12 and our youngest is only 10 mo., so that might change as they get older. But as it stands now, we have enough room that each child could be alone if they needed/ wanted to be. Of course the baby has no need for that, but sometimes I do...so I count myself in that number!

 

I have multiple purposes for almost all of the rooms. There is a computer in my bedroom that I use as an escape...sometimes the kids use it for games. I like having a computer also in the kitchen so if mine is being used, I can use that one or someone else can. There is a table in there so someone can work at that, the dining room is sort of my office area during the day, there are toys in just about every room. You know, as I'm writing this, I realize I don't have any tips because I waste space in just about every room of my house. I have found that keeping things picked up and just continually picking up and having the kids pick up make the biggest difference. Clear horizontal surfaces are key! If the couch is neat, the coffee table or dining table or counter are clear, then there can be stuff everywhere else and it's not nearly as bad. It's not as much of an assault on the eyes...kwim??

 

I have a friend who always talks about her piles....her house always looked great and she said her secret was "piles". I haven't quite figured that out yet, I'm still working on it.

 

I don't know if this was at all helpful. I thought I'd have helpful tips and I just seemed to remember how disorganized I am-I also realize that this phase (baby and toddler) will be over one day and I'll have more time to work on real organization of my house. Right now, it's really all about appearances to me. If anyone really LIVED with me, I think they'd be appalled. Maybe I should be!:o

 

Good luck! I think the book that was mentioned earlier will be tremendously helpful, I'm going to look into it myself. My oldest son always says how lucky we are and how in most parts of the world, our house would be considered a mansion and people would consider our meals a feast. I think he can see that because he has read books that compare lifestyles of people in India, for instance, to the American way of life. I'm thankful he can see this because we live in a very, very affluent town, where somewhere around 75% of the residents live on trust funds, and our house is definitely considered small. But when I first moved here, I thought it was great because it's bigger than the house I grew up in. Imagine my shock when my neighbor said something about our neighborhood being a "low income neighborhood"....my dh is a computer engineer, we are not low income by a long shot. Compared to most people in this town however, I guess we are. I worried about how the kids would feel as they grew older and would they compare themselves to everyone else. Well, that's a whole other story.....

 

I can't wait to hear of other people's organizational tips!

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My family just moved to a 1380 sf home and floor to ceiling adjustable bookshelves (Ikea) have been a lifesaver. We go as vertical as we can with things.

 

We also maximize top of closet space, under bed space (which is pretty basic but has really helped us). I would look at The Container Store closet storage and similar places for creative storage ideas.

 

The smaller space is teaching us to be more disciplined with putting away items when we are finished versus just jumping to a different table to eat, etc.

 

HTH

Amy

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These posts have been so helpful to me.

 

I told the boys we really had to go through their things again and get rid of that which they don't use. They have tons of Playmobil, but play with it every day. They also do something artistic everyday, so I like to have their art stuff stay. My 8 year old listens to audio books all the time, so they have to stay. And books, well -- they're always being read or looked at.

 

My husband and I have talked about having another baby and figuring out how to accomodate him/her is beyond me.

 

I love organizing and purge things all the time -- I've actually come to the point of having NO junk drawers. I am currently in a "use it up" phase -- like stored away art projects -- use it now or get rid of it. I liked the idea of spare sheets under mattresses, because they don't really have a great home in our house. We only have spare sheets for the younger boys because they still wet the bed. When I wash sheets, the bed is made the same day.

 

I also don't have a bunch of towels. We have a couple extra -- that's all.

 

I think I just overall have too many books and resources. I also scrapbook and make cards, so that stuff takes up space.

 

Keep posting ideas!

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We have three children in under 1000 sq ft, although we are getting ready to move, and we are looking for a few hundred more sq ft in our new home (1200 or so.) We purposely live in small houses.

 

Our best friend here is open shelving. One whole wall of dd's room is open shelving, with a desk at one end built in. Dh put it up, and it was really easy. The dining room/ school room is lined with tall book cases.

 

We also save a lot of room by just not keeping *stuff*. Dc don't have a million toys, we don't have a ton of clothes, I don't have dishes or kitchen equipment that I don't use on a daily basis, etc.

 

Anyway, I think a family of 6 can easily live in 1100 sq ft. :)

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I think a lot depends on the layout too. Living in a small house with a good layout can be good, living in a small house with a bad layout, is no fun. We are in a larger house now, but before we were in a 2 bedroom, 900 square ft house. It was not fun, but we made it work, dh and I lived there for 12 years almost.

 

Getting rid of stuff & bookshelves helped.

 

Kristine

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I have to admit this is a bit too tight. When the boys were younger it was better. Now as we have three growing teens in one 9 x 10 sq.ft. room some space would be wonderful. We only have one bathroom, so the shower curtain doubles as a room divider and everyone leaves it alone when it is drawn across. It can even be pulled across, hooked in the dryer door, and used to block off the toilet area for privacy.We like the small house because keeps us closer. We have to learn to get aong, share, be considerate of others. As well, it forces us to have less stuff. That's a good thing in my book. My favorite organzational book is ''Orgnizing from the Inside Out'' by Julie Morgenstern. This completely changed how I attack organizing. She claims most of us do it backward. I concure with her. It is awkward to do the steps her way at first, but the results are far superior and long lasting. For example, in our bathroom I was given a shelf and a drawer for my 'girlie get ready for the day' stuff. For 6 years it was kind of messy and cluttered. About 1 1/2 years ago as I was watching Morgenstern's organizig DVD, I chose my bathroom space as the spot to organize first. I followed her steps exactly. Here I am over a year later, and the space is still working great and it is organized. I love to get ready each day. I can find what I need easily and clean up is a snap. Slowly I've been putting the principles she taught to work all around my home. The results are truly amazing to me. Hubby loves the resuts as well. My current pride and joy are the kitchen drawers. I worried the little ones who put away clean dishes would have a hardtime putting utensils away in an organized way, but no problem. One question about where one item went and that has been all. They've been organized one month, and we Iove it. Definitely get her book or DVD and try her method on one little place in your home. See if it can help. We never had a lot to put in place to begin with. This has just helped us fit in better.

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When I say small, think 1,100 square feet. I know some people who think 1,800 sq feet is small.

 

Me too, but I knew a family of 5 who were in 700sq ft. CA real estate for you. They were amazing and inspiring to me. They had their boys in one room with a triple bunk bed. Each boy had one dresser and could have whatever toys could fit on top. That's it. Mom wanted a sitting room, so they built a loft in their room and the sitting room was under with a chair, table and dresser in it. I didn't feel cramped at all there. They were living in a retreat/community type of situation, so there was a park near by that they children played at with the other children. They just could not buy or keep what they did not need. I think it was frustrating sometimes, but a valuable lesson and in many ways a blessing.

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We have four children in 1160 sq ft. We moved just over a year ago from 800 sq. ft. I find 1160 to be perfect.

 

Things we do:

 

Spend lots of time outdoors - usually at least three hours per day

 

Keep up on laundry! - this will pile up very quickly without a "laundry room"

 

Donation pulls - every six to eight weeks

 

Each person has a "personal space" - a desk or a dresser that no one else is allowed to use or look into without permission.

 

Things I wish we had:

 

Wood or even tile flooring - Our carpets get destroyed. With so many feet in so small a space the carpets are a wreck. We also have two indoor/outdoor cats. I invested in a steam cleaner. I clean the carpets every couple of months and the furniture a couple of times a year.

 

More closet space :) - Our house is actually a one bedroom home. My daughter has the only closet in the house. We have to use it for jackets, the vacuum, the carpet cleaner and about a half dozen boxes that can't sit outside in storage. So we have seven dressers in our tiny home.

 

 

Things I love:

 

One bathroom - It is so easy to clean only one bathroom. No privacy, but still worth it.

 

You never have to shout for the kids. Three of my kids share a loft which doesn't even have a door. From the center of our house you are less than ten steps from anywhere in the home.

 

A kitchen with a large island/bar to divide it from the great room. I fit five barstools around it and it is used constantly.

 

Lots of windows!!! The light and being able to see outdoors from anywhere in the home makes the house feel much larger than it is.

 

No room for extra stuff. There are so many things we don't own because they simply would not fit. Not anywhere. I love it! :D

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I can't tell you how many things I had to go through and get rid of.

 

Some space saving things I did:

 

Kids Rooms: invested in closet organizers; bought a bed that had drawers underneath and a shelf headboard (for a dresser); hung shelves on the walls for display items and books.

 

Linen Closet: very small - so went through and kept only the towels we use and sheets.

 

Master Bedroom - used underbed plastic containers to hold sheets for our bed; purses; misc. items.; bought plastic drawers for inside closet to hold socks, underwear, etc.

 

All else I just went through and donated lots of stuff. I have to be very good about only keeping things we are currently using. I do have some storage in the garage, so I can keep boxes for the kids and some items I really don't want to part with quite yet.

 

I've found that what makes a big difference is keeping the house free from lots of furniture. We only have the basics and I try to maximize floor space. It can be done, it's just a lot of work to keep on top of. Nothing can accumulate.

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and although I only have two children, I think the principles are the same.

 

 

  • Throw/give away regularly. Whenever we get something new, I try to make sure something goes. At first I met resistance ("But Mommy! It's my favorite!" , but the kids have a good attitude about this now. They are old enough that I often let them choose what will be given away. (I have some rules- the playmobil, legos, and Thomas stay. They are investments for the future!)
  • Organize, organize. Find books in the library- there are so many right now. Or, if you watch tv- check out HGTV. Every other show is about home organization! :D
  • Use vertical space. If you are able, buy shelves for closets, wall shelves, baskets for the top of your refrigerator, etc. Look up!
  • Tidy regularly. In a small space, the clutter can easily get overwhelming. Try to make sure that part of the family routine is each individual is responsible for putting away their own things.
  • Go outside as much as possible.:D

Good luck!

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in a duplex 800sq ft with 6 people and 4 cats for a year. It was tight.......my mother had her own room and my 3 kids shared a room........my husband slept on the couch and I slept with the kids for that year. It was amazing what you can do without and we learned a lot culling "things" while living there. When we moved to California a year later we got rid of almost everything we had in storage for that year because we realized we didn't really need it.

 

I have 5 people, 4 dogs and 3 cats in 1800sq ft now and it feels small only because of the layout........it really does make a difference!

 

I agree with what others have said about making rooms multi-purpose and having a place for everything.

 

I go through the whole house about twice a year and cull and i am amazed at what I get rid of........what has accumulated. You don't realize it bringing one thing here and there into the house, but it really adds up.

 

Ask yourself if you really need this.........or sometimes if I get one thing new, I throw one thing out.......or I try to get things that are multipurpose. I bought a food processor with attachments for juicing so I was able to get rid of my blender and juicer and multiple graters, etc...much more efficient use of space. I also got rid of 9 spatulas and just kept 2 in the sizes I use most......most of us really hang onto things "just in case" I may need it someday......and we usually don't.

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Don't over-appliance your kitchen. Something should be used every week or it's outta there. Get to know a good knife sharpener, and you can eliminate a lot of kitchen appliances. :D

 

Store things vertically, like books of course. Baskets can go on shelves for all sorts of stuff. Don Aslett of "The Clean Team" says to get as much stuff as possible off the floor. He even votes for wall-mounted trash cans! I replaced the basket of reading material on the floor of the bathroom with a wire basket that hangs from the side of the toilet tank. It makes cleaning the floor quicker and the room less crowded.

 

Jill St. James says let the grocery store be your bulk storage facility, rather than sqeezing stuff into every corner. :D

 

OK, that constitutes my .02!

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