Thank you all for the advice and experience shared! It is so appreciated. I have gotten a lot of wisdom from asking you all and others, lots of good things to learn. We decided to pass on the giant house, due to several factors. Currently we’re planning on tackling down and trying to fix some of the issues with our little house that we’ve been avoiding, like redesigning the tiny laundry room so that you can actually walk through it and tearing apart the closets to put them back together in a way that maximizes the space. I think there’s a lot we can do just by changing things around our home that we’ve been just “making do.” And if something comes up that we like that seems a good fit, then we’ll have to try to make this decision all over again, but if not we’ll think about an addition. I do love many aspects of our property, just the outside not the inside. lol. And since the kids practically live outside when we’re not doing school, that’s pretty important. Haha 🙂 definitely agree that less is more. I do try to keep things to minimum. And yes, the kids all pitch in on the house for sure. Good for the house, good for Mama’s sanity, good for their work ethic 🙂 so at this point I’m making a list of all of the issues with our living space, and solutions for them. The necessary things that don’t have a place to go. The areas that collect clutter. The rooms that make it hard to have company over. And then figuring out what we can do about it. It’s pretty encouraging, because at least on paper, there are solutions for many things, even if there will be lots of work and hassle involved. thank you all again for the advice! Really appreciate you, and the community on here

Yes, I completely agree with maximizing space being far more important than space itself. Our current closets drive me up the wall crazy. Again, we could do a complete overhaul and make them actually make sense, but there are so many areas of our home that are like that and I wonder if it’s worth it, instead of just starting fresh in a place that’s better to start out with.

I agree; 4500 is quite large. My husband is very fond of the idea of a house that size. I like the idea, too, but am trying to figure out what the reality would be. Haha. We are both from large families, and we want to be able to host our inlaws (or other friends and family) without it feeling claustrophobic. In our current house and setup it’s hard to have over more than 2 or 3 people in a manner that is pleasant for the guests. We also want to be able to allow our children to have their friends over as they get older, as well as (hopefully!) their own families someday. I try extremely hard to keep things clutter free but between baby necessities, homeschool books and supplies, rubber boots and raincoats, etc. there’s only so much you can get rid of without lifestyle changes I’m not willing to make (changing school, getting rid of all weather gear etc.). We’ve been considering remodeling. It was our plan until we found this house that we really like. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be as simple as knocking out a wall or even adding on a room or two. I don’t necessarily need “more room”, I need “better room”. For instance, the small laundry room isn’t too small necessarily, but it has the water heater, the giant water filter system, a sink that blocks off part of the washer and is never even used, and two doors that open into it. There is literally not even enough room on the floor for the laundry basket without impeding the walkway, let alone have a functioning laundry room for sorting and treating stains etc. There would be dozens of changes and mini remodels that would need to happen to maximize our current square footage. Maybe that would be best. I don’t know. I do love our home. So many memories; the outside is great, with a pond and a pool, fruit trees and grapes we’ve planted; I’ve put in years of effort into the garden and landscape… I like your suggestions. Maybe doing a more in-depth look of the house, really analyzing the space and whether it’s suited to our needs or overkill, etc. Also yes! to banning food to the kitchen. I need to implement that!

You people are amazing! Thank you so much for the quick responses! It’s incredibly helpful to hear others’ experiences and be able to draw from that. Definitely leaning towards looking for a middle ground, and heavily stressing the need for a good layout. Honestly I’d be happy in our current house if I could magically rearrange it and make certain things make sense that don’t. Thank you again.

Hello! I’m hoping for some advice and new perspectives from you all 🙂 We currently live in a 1200 sqft house that is not well laid out, and has very poor closets/storage options. We have 5 kids 7 and under. We homeschool. The house is kind of a nightmare for me to keep tidy especially as that is not one of my strong points. I know we could probably try to fix some of the house issues with creative storage options and such, but most of it is unfixable without major remodeling. We are debt free, have the house paid off, and are well set up financially. There is a house for sale that we are considering. It is 4500 sq Ft, very nicely laid out (I think), and has LOTS of nice walk in closets and storage spaces, a good pantry, etc. It seems like a dream to me. HOWEVER, I am beginning to wonder if I am underestimating how much more work it will be to keep a large house clean, and whether I will regret leaving my little house. What would you do? Stick with the little cramped house, and all it’s poor layout etc, or spring for the big one? Or perhaps there’s a good middle ground: something a little bigger than our current house but much better thought out and laid out. I’m at a loss. I’ve never lived in a large house, nor have most of my circle, so this is new territory. Hoping to hear from others who’ve experienced larger houses. thank you in advance.