enviromommy Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I'm looking for a reality check here. I'm worried I may be about to do something I will regret, especially since I just saw there was a thread about needing more space and outgrowing a house. We are considering downsizing to a house we have been noticing for years that is about to go on the market. We live in a large, beautiful house -- about 3,000 sq. ft. not including the basement. It has four (large) bedrooms and three upstairs bathrooms, plus a half bath downstairs and a full (but yucky and unused) bathroom in the basement. We have a family room to use as a school room, a living room, a formal dining room, a kitchen and a three-season sunroom. We have a large backyard with big beautiful trees. BUT: It's a money (and fuel) guzzler. We live just on the city side of a city/county line, and if we moved five blocks away to the other house, our property taxes would be one-half what they are. (Which translates to about $5,000 less per year.) Our house was built in the 1940s and is incredibly drafty and inefficient, with windows that almost might as well not be there. We also have a very old heating and cooling system that is inefficient and on its last legs. The other house was built in 1992 and also has a brand new heating and cooling system. If we moved, our height-of-winter monthly gas and electric bill would drop from $900 to $200 at the most. We bought our house when we moved here, thinking that I was going to be a full-time corporate lawyer. It's financially not good for us at this point. I never expected to be a home schooling mother. I'm working part time from home now, but still, the house is a huge financial strain. Our house also makes me feel very guilty environmentally - our footprint just does not need to be this large. Also, we are continuously feeling sad that we have this house but don't have the money to really make it nice - it feels like a wasted opportunity that someone else should have. And keeping up with a big house is just so much work, which I fail to do. The "new" house is about 2200 square feet (and also has only a teeny tiny back yard). The rooms (especially the bedrooms) feel MUCH smaller than ours, but frankly, other than nostalgia for our old house and the kids' memories, size is the ONLY drawback to the other house. Here's why I want to move: 1) Much lower expenses, freeing up money to (I hope) travel. 2) Smaller environmental footprint. 3) DIRECTLY across the street from the park - this is A HUGE upside. 4) Beautiful play set in the back that the old owners are leaving. 5) Very good friends of ours living in the houses directly on either side of us. 6) Slightly closer and more convenient to just about every place we go to, including walking distance to the grocery store much more easily than now. 7) A terrific, modern kitchen that gets tons of sunlight (our current kitchen is fairly dark) and is open to a long family room area that we would turn into a kitchen/dining room/ school room and spend most of our time in. 8) The whole house gets more light than our current house. 9) Landry room on the second floor! I've always dreamed of this and it's not possible the way the gas line is in our current house. Most of our friends (including the people selling the house!) are telling us we are crazy and should not leave our big, beautiful house. They say when we have 5 teens and pre-teens instead of little kids the house will feel way too small. They say it will feel too small now and we "need" a bigger house. But I keep thinking that all this extra room is so unnecessary. Most of the rest of the world would never DREAM of saying that a family "needs" thousands of square feet. Even in the U.S., the number of square feet per person has spiraled upwards over the last few decades. By 1950s standards, the house we are looking at is plenty big, even with 5 kids. So what do you think? Is this a great idea? Or a bad idea that we are going to regret and look with longing at our old house several blocks away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 It sounds like the smaller house would relieve some stress as far as your financial and environmental concerns go. Is that more important to you than living in an older house that has "character"? FWIW I grew up in a 1200 sq ft home with no yard. There were 6 of us total--mom and 5 kids. I think your plan is doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I'm looking for a reality check here. I'm worried I may be about to do something I will regret, especially since I just saw there was a thread about needing more space and outgrowing a house. We are considering downsizing to a house we have been noticing for years that is about to go on the market. We live in a large, beautiful house -- about 3,000 sq. ft. not including the basement. It has four (large) bedrooms and three upstairs bathrooms, plus a half bath downstairs and a full (but yucky and unused) bathroom in the basement. We have a family room to use as a school room, a living room, a formal dining room, a kitchen and a three-season sunroom. We have a large backyard with big beautiful trees. BUT: It's a money (and fuel) guzzler. We live just on the city side of a city/county line, and if we moved five blocks away to the other house, our property taxes would be one-half what they are. (Which translates to about $5,000 less per year.) Our house was built in the 1940s and is incredibly drafty and inefficient, with windows that almost might as well not be there. We also have a very old heating and cooling system that is inefficient and on its last legs. The other house was built in 1992 and also has a brand new heating and cooling system. If we moved, our height-of-winter monthly gas and electric bill would drop from $900 to $200 at the most. We bought our house when we moved here, thinking that I was going to be a full-time corporate lawyer. It's financially not good for us at this point. I never expected to be a home schooling mother. I'm working part time from home now, but still, the house is a huge financial strain. Our house also makes me feel very guilty environmentally - our footprint just does not need to be this large. Also, we are continuously feeling sad that we have this house but don't have the money to really make it nice - it feels like a wasted opportunity that someone else should have. And keeping up with a big house is just so much work, which I fail to do. The "new" house is about 2200 square feet (and also has only a teeny tiny back yard). The rooms (especially the bedrooms) feel MUCH smaller than ours, but frankly, other than nostalgia for our old house and the kids' memories, size is the ONLY drawback to the other house. Here's why I want to move: 1) Much lower expenses, freeing up money to (I hope) travel. 2) Smaller environmental footprint. 3) DIRECTLY across the street from the park - this is A HUGE upside. 4) Beautiful play set in the back that the old owners are leaving. 5) Very good friends of ours living in the houses directly on either side of us. 6) Slightly closer and more convenient to just about every place we go to, including walking distance to the grocery store much more easily than now. 7) A terrific, modern kitchen that gets tons of sunlight (our current kitchen is fairly dark) and is open to a long family room area that we would turn into a kitchen/dining room/ school room and spend most of our time in. 8) The whole house gets more light than our current house. 9) Landry room on the second floor! I've always dreamed of this and it's not possible the way the gas line is in our current house. Most of our friends (including the people selling the house!) are telling us we are crazy and should not leave our big, beautiful house. They say when we have 5 teens and pre-teens instead of little kids the house will feel way too small. They say it will feel too small now and we "need" a bigger house. But I keep thinking that all this extra room is so unnecessary. Most of the rest of the world would never DREAM of saying that a family "needs" thousands of square feet. Even in the U.S., the number of square feet per person has spiraled upwards over the last few decades. By 1950s standards, the house we are looking at is plenty big, even with 5 kids. So what do you think? Is this a great idea? Or a bad idea that we are going to regret and look with longing at our old house several blocks away? GREAT idea! We did it last September. Old house was 3200 sq. ft. This house is about 2000 sq. ft. We are a family of 7. I totally know what you mean by the big house guzzling $$$. The financial benefit smoothed over most of the regrets we've had. We're more keenly aware of the smaller size when it's not nice outside and everyone is running off their energy in the main living room. :D We have a plan for that now. We go to the YMCA to exercise. Before we moved DH and I both identified the thing we appreciated most about the current home. We tried to make sure to recreate that in our new home. For me it was having a private sitting space in my bedroom. For him it was having a work space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We have 8-9 people in a 1200 square foot house (oldest is only home sometimes.) Ours is laid out very, very well, and that helps. We don't have a lot of stuff, and that helps, too. It only feels too small when the dc are stuck inside due to the weather. I do wish we had 4 bedrooms, but I haven't been able to find one for the same rent we pay now (except in the bad parts of town.) That is mostly because it is hard when oldest ds is home, because he sleeps in the livingroom on a mattress. This summer he will go in to his sister's room and they will sleep in the livingroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meltf928 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I'm no help, because I wouldn't do it. We are a large-ish family of 6 and live in a house similar to the one that you currently reside in. Our basement is finished and we use all of the spaces in our house daily. We have only a great room, not an additional family room/living room on the main level, so our schooling takes place in a room downstairs. Last year we looked at a house that was absolutely beautiful in so many ways. The property adjoined a National Park and the back yard was landscaped like a formal garden. AND it was a ranch with a school room over the garage. However the secondary bedrooms were tiny, 2 of my kids would have had to share and there was only 1 bathroom for the kids. As much as I wanted this house, we just knew it wouldn't work for us, even with finishing out the basement. It was tough b/c I sooo wanted to make it work, but it wouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We only have 5 people in our family, but we moved from a 3000+ sq. ft. home to a 1000 sq. ft. duplex that we are renting. We have been here almost 2 years. We are saving huge amounts of money and it has allowed us to live on one income. Whenever I get claustrophobic, I think of that. It sounds like there are a lot of upsides to the new home. You will miss the space a bit, I'm sure, but you and the family will get used to it. And, really, 2200 sq. ft. is nothing to sneeze at! I say go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 You might want to make a list of things that you would need to fix or replace on your current house to see if that makes a difference. If your heating system is that old, before you sell you will need to replace it. What is the housing market like for your current home? Would you get enough out of your home if you you sell it now as is? Are you into gardening? Does the other house offer enough space for stuff like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 It sounds like the move makes most sense. That said, then we would love more space. I have six kids home now and two college kids. Not sure about your potential new house, but what we need here (about 2000 sq. feet on three floors) is a family room (or a nice basement) that would have been our school room or a family hang out for teens. As it is , then we have a small living room, small kitchen with dining area and a small dining room that has the dining room furniture and all our school stuff. It is tight and has resulted in me barely entertaining (something I love to do with 20 people over at a time). Our previous home had a huge open floor plan and we could easily have been 100 people there, yet it was just a few hundred extra sq. feet in size. Our basement is a joke vs. our old house's so that is a huge difference as well. On the upside, then this house here is way easier to heat and upkeep has been minimal plus commute to Boston is slightly better. Does the new house have a basement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Think about noise, sound. If your possible new home is like ours you will be able to hear everything all the time. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I think your move makes sense. We live in a smallish home, and at one point we had five teens at the same time. It DID feel small, but you know what? I liked it that way. I liked that we had to learn to live together, that we couldn't each hide out in our own corner of the house, that we had to learn to be creative with what we had. I also liked that as our kids became older we could spend our money on experiences for the kids, rather than putting all that money into a home. Our children have had some pretty incredible opportunities that would not have been possible had we been putting a lot of money into physical assets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezrabean2005 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We have six people in a 1,003 square foot apartment. It works and it is much, much better than when we were in our house that was 2,000+ square feet. The house was old, drafty and wasted space and resources. We'll never go back. I'd say to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in C-ville Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We did a similar thing - moved from ~ 3600 sq.ft. 3 story colonial to ~ 2000 sq. ft ranch. The layout of the house makes it possible. Our bedrooms are MUCH smaller, but we just don't live in our bedrooms very much. The kitchen is bigger and we use the living room for our school room. When Sara Maria is home from college, their room is a bit tight. And it's tough for anyone to get any privacy. But, it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I think it's do-able. We went from 6000 sq feet to 2100 -- it's fine -- and we did it for financial reasons -- pretty much what you stated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zookeeper Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We moved up from 1600sqft to 2400sqft with 7 kids and love all the space. lol!! My requirements when looking were for the kitchen, dining room, and living room spaces to be large. They are. We're rarely in the bedrooms so I wasn't too worried about how big they would be. Granted, we have A LOT of outdoor space and my little kids are rarely inside if the weather's nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvingLife Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 My family and I live in a extremely small house (like 800 sq. ft) and there are nine people with one more on the way. The cost in our area is high and we are looking to move within the next 2 months. A small house just is not for us, especially with the long winters we have up here. For us, it is just not do-able. For you maybe!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We live in a 1,800 sq. ft. house which is twice as big as where we've lived the past 5 years previous to this one. I would do it, but I can't possibly imagine a 3,000 sq. ft. house. I'm used to small houses! We want to move, not because of the size, but our layout is terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aelwydd Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I don't have a big family, but FWIW, I think the move sounds really good. Personally, having friends very close by would be a HUGE benefit. And having a park right across the street sounds awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I would love to have 2,200 square feet. Five of us live in a 14x70 mobile home (that's like 980 square feet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Yes, I would do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 As long as you can sell your house it seems perfectly reasonable to me. As my father liked to tell us (over and over), he lived in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment with his parents and two brothers (all three boys shared a room). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Write down the pro's and con's. See which list is longer :). We live in 1056sq feet and there are 5 of us. We want to move. We don't necessarily need bigger but a garage would be supreme! We don't have one right now and all that stuff we would put in a garage is cluttering up the house. So, I guess I am not much help, for us either house is an improvement! @Mariann 6000?? *boggle* No wonder you wanted to go smaller. That is a heck-of-a-lot of house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 What you will be able to live with will depend upon many factors. After 10 years in a 1000 sq. ft. basement (we started there with 3, there were 7 of us before we left), I know I could "do" with significantly less space, but I don't want to. I finally have some mental peace. I need quiet. I never had it in the other house. I have kids entering puberty who need a quiet space I can SEND them, when things get emotionally rough. We never had anyone over. I did not like sharing my eating space with the playing space, and the living space. We were always tripping over each other and the baby's toys...tensions ran high. We still spend most of our days together, but it is quieter. More school work gets done with fewer distractions, I can keep up with the laundry, My bathroom stays clean (we now have 2.5), and the family is happier overall. I'm currently working on some house plans that are a bit smaller (anticipating our move to the Tidewater, VA area), but laid out in such a way that we can get what we want and need, while still remaining comfortable. There are lots of things that can be done to make a less than ideal home work (although, if I were in your shoes, I'd certainly be looking to move...), but the house would have to be RIGHT. A house that seems perfect when your oldest is 11 and your youngest is 1, may feel pretty cramped when your oldest is 16 and your youngest is 6. Having friends over may not be as important now, but may be more important later... After not having guests (other than IL's) over to our house for the FIRST time in 10 years, it is so nice that we can... and we have space for the kids to play, while the adults can enjoy each other's company, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 The other house sounds like a lovely opportunity to gain a fun lifestyle and have some more money in your pocket to enjoy it. As long as the layout of the smaller house wasn't really wierd then I think it sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 It sounds like the smaller house would relieve some stress as far as your financial and environmental concerns go. Is that more important to you than living in an older house that has "character"? FWIW I grew up in a 1200 sq ft home with no yard. There were 6 of us total--mom and 5 kids. I think your plan is doable. :iagree: I can I just say that a house that is 2200 sq ft would feel like a mansion to us. My current home was built in the 1930s it is right around 1000 sq ft with the additions. The additions were teh front entrance and the mud/back room. WHile that is good for storage stuff (back room has my deep freeze, dryer and pantry) It is not really livable space because it was DIYers who built them and did not put insulation in the walls, as I have posted before our winters often get down to -40C. ANyway, my point is that reduces the actual livingspace quite a bit. The basement is also not usable for anything, it was a dug out basement that someone cemented. Without dry-loc done each year it floods like crazy. So I use it for storage of things in rubbermaid bins but otherwise it is also un usable space. Detached garage is good for storage. All of that to say that there is 5 of us in this tiny place, and I babysit 2 toddlers M-F, so there is always 5-7 people in this home. It is do able, though cramped at times. If we moved into a 2200 sq ft home I would feel like I had oodles and oodles of room :D I think your list of pros for the move are sound and worth it. I do not think dropping down to 2200 sq ft is going to be as noticeable as you may think as it is still a fair amount of room. The mention of the size of bedrooms had me chuckle. This weekend I painted the boy's bedroom. It has a bunkbed set up. ANd that is all, there is no room for anything else. In order to paint the room I had to push the bunk bed over to do 1 wall and then move it for the next etc. There was no room to fit in a step stool if the bed was in the middle of the room. They have no dresser, no night stand, all clothes and toys must go in the closet. I actually think their bedroom is smaller than my front entrance. After all it was built in the 30s when small bedrooms were the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 (edited) What you need to do, is bring all of your kids into your kitchen, have them stand there, and try to imagine them as adults and how much space they'll take up. I never quite got that my littles would grow up into large people very quickly-11, 12, 13 and there would be these tall people taking up space and...see what I mean? I had 9 people in 1000 square feet. It was a nightmare. The kids will use the park now, but will they when they're 15? They'll use the swingset now, but what about when they're 13? Edited February 13, 2012 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 (edited) By 1950s standards, the house we are looking at is plenty big, even with 5 kids. :) I passed a house last week I thought was probably a rental that had been moved out of. Today, there is a sign in the yard. I called. I looked it up online. It is huge. I *love* the idea. Now we have five permanent kids and we'll still have some come in and out. But I'm arguing with myself. Do we really want to pay another $400 per month? And even if it wasn't two story, the bill would be higher just because it is more space. But then having a second floor will make it go up even more. ETA: Okay, okay...y'all convinced me. We don't need a bigger house. ETA2: I also don't consider 2200 sq ft small by any means. A lot depends on how space is set up and used. Our other house was 2400 sq ft but SEEMED a lot bigger than this one (which is 2000) where my mom's doesn't seem smaller than this barely at all (she has 1700ish). Edited February 13, 2012 by 2J5M9K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I'd move. 2200 sq. feet is not small, per se, and for the peace of mind you would gain due to $...to me it would be totally worth it to move to a smaller house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 2200sq ft is not a small house. You can certainly live quite well in that space, even with 5 teens. It might feel small at first, because of what you're used to. And you'll need to declutter and get rid of some stuff. But you will all be fine. To put things in perspective a little, we were a family of 5 living in 2 br, 850 sq ft. It was cramped and I don't prefer it, but we did it. We will soon be a family of 7 living in 4br, 1500 sq ft. We live quite comfortably. My mom grew up with 6 siblings in a 3 br, 1000 sq ft, no basement, 1 bath. They wee close. (in more ways than one. I don't mean to criticize, just offer a different perspective. You have a lot of good reasons to move and this smaller house will ease some of the burden you are carrying. Don't let fear take that from you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I would do it. We have 4 in a 800-900 sqft house. I feel much more calm in a smaller house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Honestly, I would stay where you are, if possible. We moved from a 1050 sq. ft. home almost 2 years ago. We now live in a 2700 sq. ft. home. We are a family of 7 (was 6 at the previous home). When the boys and I first moved in with my dh, they were 2 and 4. So little, right? Well, dh and my step son were already living in the home. At the time, it felt cosy. Not crowded at all. Fast forward a year and a half. By that time we had dd and all the boys were of course growing. We were feeling the crowdedness (is that a word lol?). When we moved in here, it felt SO MUCH BETTER. We weren't on top of each-other anymore. We could actually come in the front door and not have to wait for the first person in to take off shoes/coat. It was freeing. Anyway, I know our situation is different than yours, but with so many growing kids, it might not feel crowded now, but think about the future. Just my .02! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 (edited) Move!!!! :D It doesn't seem you are enjoying your current house. And all the money you will save for travel! (We are a family of 5 in just under 1000 square feet, and we love it! Sometimes I wish we had a better layout, but I don't wish for more space.) Edited February 13, 2012 by sunflowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 They say when we have 5 teens and pre-teens instead of little kids the house will feel way too small. My experience has been that the older children get, the less space they take up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Just a note because someone mentioned inviting people over. I have no problem inviting people over! We do it all the time, 1200 square feet and all.;) We had 45+ people here in June for ds's high school graduation, but we do have a large deck. That might just be a personality thing, so take that into account. Besides, 2200 square feet is HUGE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I think my perception of how big a house one 'needs' must be skewed. I grew up in a barely 1000 sq ft house. There were four of us girls, plus our parents. Three bedrooms, one bathroom. We survived. We have a 1500 sq ft house right now, which DOES include the basement. Two bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths. It's honestly perfectly fine when all the kids are here, making six of us. Dsd has a room in the basement, and the three boys all share the larger of the two bedrooms. No problems at all. And I agree with a pp. The older kids get, the less space them and their stuff need. I mean, my 14yo dss doesn't have buckets of legos, cars, and building blocks like the two small boys do. His 'toys', like his 3ds and his keyboard, are relatively small. So as your kids grow, you really will need less room, not more. However, if you're still planing on adding to your family, that'd be another consideration. Four to a bedroom, even a good size one, at younger ages, is about the limit, I'd say. I mean, two sets of bunk beds is one thing, but then start adding other beds, and it can get cramped, even in a 'master bedroom' sized room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Chiming in again here after re-reading the OP. You mentioned over and over the financial strain of your current home. You don't have the resources to keep up with it. I think the financial considerations outweigh the space concerns. You can't afford the home you're in. I'm not trying to be harsh. I've just been there and I had way too many sleepless nights worrying about paying for our large home. Some of us would say that we would like a bigger home, but if we can't afford it, it's a moot point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I'm looking for a reality check here. I'm worried I may be about to do something I will regret, especially since I just saw there was a thread about needing more space and outgrowing a house. We are considering downsizing to a house we have been noticing for years that is about to go on the market. We live in a large, beautiful house -- about 3,000 sq. ft. not including the basement. It has four (large) bedrooms and three upstairs bathrooms, plus a half bath downstairs and a full (but yucky and unused) bathroom in the basement. We have a family room to use as a school room, a living room, a formal dining room, a kitchen and a three-season sunroom. We have a large backyard with big beautiful trees. BUT: It's a money (and fuel) guzzler. We live just on the city side of a city/county line, and if we moved five blocks away to the other house, our property taxes would be one-half what they are. (Which translates to about $5,000 less per year.) Our house was built in the 1940s and is incredibly drafty and inefficient, with windows that almost might as well not be there. We also have a very old heating and cooling system that is inefficient and on its last legs. The other house was built in 1992 and also has a brand new heating and cooling system. If we moved, our height-of-winter monthly gas and electric bill would drop from $900 to $200 at the most. We bought our house when we moved here, thinking that I was going to be a full-time corporate lawyer. It's financially not good for us at this point. I never expected to be a home schooling mother. I'm working part time from home now, but still, the house is a huge financial strain. Our house also makes me feel very guilty environmentally - our footprint just does not need to be this large. Also, we are continuously feeling sad that we have this house but don't have the money to really make it nice - it feels like a wasted opportunity that someone else should have. And keeping up with a big house is just so much work, which I fail to do. The "new" house is about 2200 square feet (and also has only a teeny tiny back yard). The rooms (especially the bedrooms) feel MUCH smaller than ours, but frankly, other than nostalgia for our old house and the kids' memories, size is the ONLY drawback to the other house. Here's why I want to move: 1) Much lower expenses, freeing up money to (I hope) travel. 2) Smaller environmental footprint. 3) DIRECTLY across the street from the park - this is A HUGE upside. 4) Beautiful play set in the back that the old owners are leaving. 5) Very good friends of ours living in the houses directly on either side of us. 6) Slightly closer and more convenient to just about every place we go to, including walking distance to the grocery store much more easily than now. 7) A terrific, modern kitchen that gets tons of sunlight (our current kitchen is fairly dark) and is open to a long family room area that we would turn into a kitchen/dining room/ school room and spend most of our time in. 8) The whole house gets more light than our current house. 9) Landry room on the second floor! I've always dreamed of this and it's not possible the way the gas line is in our current house. Most of our friends (including the people selling the house!) are telling us we are crazy and should not leave our big, beautiful house. They say when we have 5 teens and pre-teens instead of little kids the house will feel way too small. They say it will feel too small now and we "need" a bigger house. But I keep thinking that all this extra room is so unnecessary. Most of the rest of the world would never DREAM of saying that a family "needs" thousands of square feet. Even in the U.S., the number of square feet per person has spiraled upwards over the last few decades. By 1950s standards, the house we are looking at is plenty big, even with 5 kids. So what do you think? Is this a great idea? Or a bad idea that we are going to regret and look with longing at our old house several blocks away? We did what you are considering when our kids were 5 and 7. They are now teens and I wish I still had the nice large house with the indoor swimming pool. It seems like overkill when the kids are little, but they and their stuff and friends certainly expand to fill the space allotted. I now regret it. We are on top of each other all the time, and no one really has any privacy. Our mortgage payment is tiny, and that's a plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 If I could afford to move, I'd get a MUCH larger house. But I can't afford it, so I do what I've got to do. I don't regret having good financial sense. ;) (But, yeah, the small size is taking a toll on *my* family!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We're a small family, just my girls and I. We live in about 1000 sq ft. I would love more space, especially a second bathroom! How I long for a second bathroom or even a powder room. Our bathroom is small and narrow. I've found as my girls, now 11 and almost 15, have gotten older, they need more room not less. Mostly because both girls have mutliple interests and hobbies. They still love legos! I'm not complaining though. We have affordable shelter. Layout of the house makes the difference. As much as I would like more space, our house has a good layout for us, except that bathroom! In your case, if I could sell my house I would move. Financial strain is horrible and can be damaging to a marriage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezrabean2005 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I agree about the second bedroom. That makes a huge difference. To put it in perspective, we'd feel cramped if we were in twice the space with only one bathroom. That is the situation we were in previously. Who knew? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Family of 7 here, and we've lived in 1000 sq. ft., and in 2900 sq. ft. I'd go for the smaller house as long as the layout is great, though I'd try to set aside a bit of money to make a really nice outdoor space, with some sort of sheltered area, if possible. High on our list of priorities character-wise was teaching our dc to dwell respectfully and unselfishly with others. Low on our list of priorities was privacy. I've always looked at privacy as mostly something that happens in my own head. As long as people are considerate of others' need for personal contemplative time, that's been good enough for us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enviromommy Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 I won't have time to answer everything in detail until tonight, but I wanted to post as soon as possible to thank you all for your thoughtful comments. Will post more about this later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 It all really depends on you and your family. We downsized from a 2000 sq ft house to a 16X80 mobile home. Dh and I live here now with two full-time kids (8 and 4), two kids that I share custody of who are here sometimes (12 and 16), and now an adult daughter (25) and her son (2). So six to eight people. I have two other grandchildren that I tend to have here fairly regularly overnight (2 and 5). Our mobile home is laid out really well and has two bathrooms. Honestly I think it is too big, actually. Our bedroom is way too big. We have a large living room and a separate eating area. We can all fit in the living room and we like to spend time there together. Dh and I may be on the computer or reading, the kids might be reading or on the wii or watching tv. DD sometimes takes her nursing books into the separate eating area to study in the evenings so she isn't in the same room as the tv if the younger kids are watching something annoying. Only the younger kids spend time in the bedrooms and most of their toys are in there. The bunk beds have big shelves on them so that they are more like cubicles and there is a lot of room for the assigned child to keep his or her stuff. We did have an adult son who lived with us and moved out about six months ago, and I think he thought that the place was too small. He liked his privacy and didn't like to spend time sitting in the living room with the rest of us. I think it really bothered him. He only voluntarily came out of his room for meals. My adult daughter who is here now isn't like that and enjoys being with the rest of us. The teens here part time don't mind either, and I have no idea how the two younger ones will turn out when they get older but if they do become 'privacy-oriented' they are just going to have to deal. We really appreciate the savings in utility costs and the lower cost of the house overall. We have been able to do more things together as a family that we couldn't afford before, like getting a membership to a pool and going on vacation. We just went to an indoor waterpark last week for a treat. We could never have afforded that if we had to pay the kind of heating bills we had in the old house. Some people do well in smaller spaces and some don't. We like it and I'm glad we made the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Balaban Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Family of four here. We live in a 500 sq ft apartment. We repurpose every space we can, and constantly hash down what we don't need. Its not fun but it's doable. It also totally depends on the layout. We have looked at places that are 800sq ft or bigger and they feel cramped because of layout. Good luck in your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandaceC Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I am one in the other thread who is feeling like we are "outgrowing" our house...but in "upgrading," we will still be SMALLER than your downgrade! :D I should have mentioned sq. ft. maybe. :) Anyway, I think a LOT of it depends on the lay out of the home! For us, our 2 biggest priorities in getting a *somewhat* larger home is 1) more "living space" in a family room/living room to have friends over, entertain and 2) to have a 4th bedroom - 1 bedroom per child - which I do NOT feel is necessary, but mostly so we can have overnight guests. With our current layout and bed situation, we just don't have space for people to stay here for long... As homeschoolers, we are at home a LOT more than others who work/school and everything out of the home. So, I want more space to just LIVE, ya know?? Interesting thread!! :) In your case, I would definitely downsize, it's not like you are moving to a tiny house, ya know?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We are in the opposite position you are. We have 5 kids & 2 parents in a 2050 sq. ft. house. We are toying with the idea of moving up, but...it will be expensive and we are doing well financially now. A move, with higher electric, etc. might strain us. So, we decided to make our 3rd car garage into a school room, which will help us with space a little and try to be more organized when our three daughters get to be teens and need bathroom space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We've temporarily downsized due to extensive renovations. (Big tree fell and crushed two bathrooms.) The apartment is much smaller than the house. We don't miss the space. We left the stuff we didn't need and we haven't missed it. I've brought over more things for the kitchen than anything. (It turns out that ALL my kitchen stuff is necessary:D) I converted a family room into a dance room and I DO miss that room because it generated income. I've had to suspend 3 weekly dance classes until we can safely use that space again. I love the light here. Our home is two stories and heavily wooded, so it gets dark. I also love the laundry room on the same level as the bedrooms. As your kids get older, they DO get bigger, but the stuff they actually use will take up MUCH less space. An iPod just doesn't require the same amount of square footage as a dollhouse. The smaller place is much easier to clean. I say if you have the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms, to go for it. I have friends who made a move like you describe and they haven't even missed their giant house. They're homeschoolers and were ALWAYS in the same room. It seemed silly to them to be surrounded by huge, cavernous space they weren't using 80% of the time. It's been about 5 years, their girls are older teens, and they've never regretted it. Even the girls who share a room still love it. Don't ask yourself if you EVER use the extra space. Ask if you use it ENOUGH to make it worth paying for forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I have 4 kids in a 2200 square foot home, which includes a garage. If we finished the garage in to living area (our plan ultimately,) that would give us 4 bedrooms, which would be perfect for 4-5 children. I would do it. I don't want a house much bigger than this. Too much to clean and maintain. So much of a house depends on the layout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in IN Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 2200 is definitely not a small house! It's just smaller than what you have now, and certainly there would be a time of adjustment and learning to function in a different space. If your current house is a financial strain, I would absolutely try to get into a house that's less expensive. And if you've looked at this house and you like it, then don't pay attention to the naysayers. You know your budget, you family's needs, and how you function in your home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Don't ask yourself if you EVER use the extra space. Ask if you use it ENOUGH to make it worth paying for forever. This is a great way to phrase it! And also, ask what compensations for less space you could afford if you had all that extra money. That's what keeps our family from buying a second car. Yes, sometimes we have to rent a car or use a Zipcar or even take taxis, but you know what? Not having a car payment + insurance + gas pays for a lot of taxis. Enviromommy, you know that I'm in favor of the move. You aren't ever going to have five teens in the house; when your oldest goes to college the baby will only be seven. And don't you think that as your kids get older they will be spending more time at activities and at friends' houses? Their world will only expand. It will also make such a big difference to have good friends next door. That will expand your world too. The biggest advantage I see is that you could do less of your PT work. That would be huge. And hey - send some of your kids over to our house whenever they get to be too much. We like them all, and we have plenty of space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I know how you feel. I have one of those old houses and every winter I try and convince the rest of the family to move. The smaller house isn't small and with the park it would work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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