If you have a large family in a smaller space

[sassenach]

We are a family of 6 in 1500 square feet. Happy, healthy, not killing each other.....

[katilac]

I would consider moving, but the small yard in addition to the smaller house would really have me thinking twice. We have 4 people in just over 2,000 square feet, and I can't imagine 3 more, lol. However, we do run a small business out of our home that sucks up some of that space, so, hmmm . . .

 

Lots to consider!

 

I am definitely in the "tweens & teens use up more room" camp, so I'd hate to give up room at this stage, but you have lots of positives here as well. The money factor is huge, of course, and may trump everything else. I would never, ever be voluntarily house-poor. Good neighbors are significant. The park would help make up for the small yard in a big way, I think.

 

One more thing to consider is that very few houses optimize their space. If you are going to save a significant amount of money by moving, I would allocate a certain amount to planning and implementing space-saving strategies. This might include closet systems, a shed for storage, whatever.

[BakersDozen]

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.

 

 

I would move for these reasons! I'm one who believes most families have way more house than they "need". I also firmly believe in wise financial choices/living so decreasing debt is a huge factor.

 

As far as dc getting older and needing more space, I've found that I am grateful for the close proximity of our living conditions because it has helped keep my family close. No going off into separate rooms or disappearing into the basement. There are times I long for another bathroom but otherwise 1800sqft. works just fine for us. :) If we outgrow our bedroom space we always have the plant shelves we could use... :D

[mom2abcd]

Could you add on to the new house? If not, I would wait for something else. I don't blame you one bit for wanting to sell the current house and save money. But I am one who needs a "big enough" space and the new house might not have enough for me if homeschooling a crew.

 

So much depends on the floorplan. To me it's a bonus if the bedrooms are small. That means you have bigger living areas. Is there storage?

 

We moved from house that was smaller than the one we are in now, but it worked better. We had basement storage. This house has a bit more square footage, but no storage at all. I hate it.

 

How many bathrooms does the new house have? If one, that is a consideration because even though people manage with that all the time, I will tell you from experience that it is tough with a big family.

 

Things are different, too, because you homeschool. You have a big group there all day. Every mom has a different "chaos" level. I need peace and quiet at times. In some smaller houses, you just don't get that.

 

Now if there's a basement that's not figured into the square footage, then definitely GO! I know some people don't count basement square footage and while I can understand that for realty purposes, in real life, it counts! Unless it's the kind of basement that you can't put anything in, it counts.

 

It sounds like there are a lot of pluses to the new house! I think you've got a great idea to move, but maybe there is a house out there that would fit your needs better. I wish we could have waited it out and found something with storage. But we're stuck.

[twoxcell]

A 2,200 sq ft house isn't small in my opinion. I say go for it, but we live with 6 people in a 1,200 sq ft house and that includes the garage. We do need to move though because it is a 2 bedroom and we are starting to need 3.

[LAS in LA]

It sounds to me like moving to a smaller space is your best option right now.

 

Thinking beyond teenagers, I'll mention that my mother appreciates her big house now that there are children, children-in-law, and grandchildren that she wants to have home for Christmas and at other times. Several live nearby, but some of us are far away and she wants to be able to have us stay with her when we're in town.

[Cricket]

We've lived in different size places. For 10 months all six of us lived in a 30 ft motor home. From there we went into a 3000+ sq. ft. house. I actually hated it. I really liked the kitchen but that was it. We stayed there about 9 months. I had no furniture and hated the thought of what it would cost to fill it with furniture. The kids would follow me around the house anyway so I didn't have any more privacy than I did in the motor home.

 

We took a job that provided housing and now we are living in 1300 sq. ft. (and 450 sq. ft. of that is a business office). There are two bedrooms so dh and I made our bedroom in what was supposed to be the dining room. I prefer this house to the big one. You don't need as much stuff to simply fill rooms. If I start to feel claustrophobic, then it is time to declutter. When I want privacy, I hide in the bathtub and pull the shower curtain. :)

[enviromommy]

First off, I want to thank each and every one of you, it is so nice of you to take the time to share your perspectives. We are leaning strongly towards the move; he's willing to have a contingency for our selling our current house, since he's not in a hurry.

 

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"?

 

I think the draw of the old house is less the "character" and more the nostalgia/emotion involved in just having gotten attached to "home."

 

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.

 

I knew when I posted that I'd end up feeling guilty, like a spoiled brat for calling something "small" that is large to most people. You are totally, totally right. It's just hard moving from larger to smaller than having been in smaller all along, YK?

 

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 $$$.

 

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.

 

That is really smart! I am going to think about this.

 

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? /QUOTE]

 

Yikes, I hadn't thought about having to pay for a new system here. Have to think about that.

 

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.

 

Does the new house have a basement?

 

Yes, it does have a basement, and it has an open area that I would use as dining room, school room, etc. - for anything that requires a table. In fact, but using the open area off the kitchen rather than the formal dining room, I actually might be able to seat more guests for a meal than in my current house, which is a very traditional colonial with each room very separate.

 

Think about noise, sound. If your possible new home is like ours you will be able to hear everything all the time. :glare:

 

Are you talking about what I think you are talking about? :lol:

 

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.

 

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.

 

I really agree with all of this. These are our values.

 

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

 

Thank you!

 

I would do it. We have 4 in a 800-900 sqft house. I feel much more calm in a smaller house.

 

See, that's what I think, that I would feel more, rather than less, calm, in a smaller space. I always feel vaguely anxious in this house -- too many choices of where to be. Does that make any sense?

 

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.

 

It's not harsh, and I agree.

 

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.

 

I agree with this too. The character benefits of teaching children to share and live respectfully and unselfishly is very important to me.

 

I would consider moving, but the small yard in addition to the smaller house would really have me thinking twice. We have 4 people in just over 2,000 square feet, and I can't imagine 3 more, lol. However, we do run a small business out of our home that sucks up some of that space, so, hmmm . . .

 

Oddly, I think even though the yard is much smaller, we would use it more. It's more accessible and the kids LOVE the playset.

 

Could you add on to the new house? If not, I would wait for something else. I don't blame you one bit for wanting to sell the current house and save money. But I am one who needs a "big enough" space and the new house might not have enough for me if homeschooling a crew.

 

How many bathrooms does the new house have? If one, that is a consideration because even though people manage with that all the time, I will tell you from experience that it is tough with a big family.

 

Now if there's a basement that's not figured into the square footage, then definitely GO! I know some people don't count basement square footage and while I can understand that for realty purposes, in real life, it counts! Unless it's the kind of basement that you can't put anything in, it counts.

 

It sounds like there are a lot of pluses to the new house! I think you've got a great idea to move, but maybe there is a house out there that would fit your needs better. I wish we could have waited it out and found something with storage. But we're stuck.

 

There are enough bathrooms - 2 full upstairs, 1 half on the ground floor, 1 full in the basement. And the layout is pretty good. DH is dead set against adding on to the house. He says the whole point of moving is to downsize, lower our expenses and decrease our environmental footprint; why would we do that and then add on? I think I agree with him.

 

It sounds to me like moving to a smaller space is your best option right now.

 

Thinking beyond teenagers, I'll mention that my mother appreciates her big house now that there are children, children-in-law, and grandchildren that she wants to have home for Christmas and at other times. Several live nearby, but some of us are far away and she wants to be able to have us stay with her when we're in town.

 

So, thinking beyond teenagers, the move makes even more sense to me. It will obviate the need for downsizing after the kids move out, leaving enough room for them to visit but not so much that we will be rattling around in the house. So they will be able to come back and visit their home rather than some senior citizen apartment, LOL.

 

THANKS AGAIN.

[LibraryLover]

In the end, I think layout is what is most important. A small, well- designed home is a wonderful thing.

Edited February 15, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Scuff]

It sounds like you know what you want. ;) Remember that your friends don't live your life or know your budget. You are the ones eho have to live with your decision, not them. (or us)

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

:iagree:That you are making a wise decision, since you feel it is doable and having a park, friends next door, all I can think is WOW!

 

I LOOKED at a house across from a park, but it was too far for my husband to drive to work everyday.

 

We are having our 8th child soon, and when we moved here, the basement was partially finished with no leaking.. 2 years later it started leaking badly.

We have cleaned it up and thrown away so many clothes and books it is sickening. Some leaks have been fixed, but it needs to be cleaned out again and professional work.

 

So, for the time being, we have had to live up here in a tight space. I am thinking about switching our bigger bedroom for the girl's who have the smallest, then moving the boys to our room and girl's to theirs. This will give us more room to have the beds and play areas.

 

I admit, it was great to have that 2 years for our school to go on in the basement with a playroom for little ones and even a huge hand made play pen that I would get in an nurse the baby and read books. It kept the house a lot cleaner and less cluttered.

 

Above Rubies had a magazine dedicated to small spaces with large families.

Many people are living in small spaces and have to simplify, with only current home schooling materials on hand, and much less clothing, furniture, etc.

 

In the Winter, I always wish for more space and if the basement was finished it would be great. I also, think about moving and we have looked with no success for a house that is smaller with a garage or building and more land. We really want to be more secluded for privacy and safety reasons.

 

Pesticides are all around us, and reading about the effects, makes me think my health problems have come from them, and I am very concerned about our children. We raise a garden but it will never be organic here.

 

I think we will continue to look and be more prepared to make a sacrifice for even less space if it is far from pesticides and has a park or lots of land. Great neighbors are hard to find, and I need some help sometimes.

 

Wishing you the best!:001_smile:

[Coffeetime]

It's doable. We are a family of 7 living in about 1400 square feet. It's small. But it helps us keep life simple. ;)

[mamakim]

Eight children, although eldest isn't here anymore, in 1799 sq ft here. The oldest 4 at home are teens.

 

Sometimes I wish there was a little more space for hobby stuff. But mostly I see how it has developed character, as so many have noted in this thread. It just hasn't ever been a problem. Although I do think if we entertained more there could be issues.

[Annie G]

Sounds like a well thought out plan. I think little kids need a lot more room than teens. By the time ours were teens, they didn't have tons of toys and such. And they grow up soooo fast- our house is way too large for the four of us now living here, and I anticipate being empty nesters in the next two years.

 

With a park nearby, you'll be fine in a smaller place.

[runmiarun]

We're a family of 6 and will soon (Lord willing) be living in our new 1700 sf split level. The bedrooms are small but the public rooms are large. The yard is fabulous. We have lived in 3 other houses ranging from 1600 to 2800 sf. I'll take the 1700 sf any day. It will be easier for me to clean since I'm the only one who currently does that, at least until the kids are a little older to help with that more regularly. It also fits our budget. We'll finally have some breathing room for vacations, heck, even extra grocery money. Our bigger houses were nice but I'm tired of the nagging stress of a larger-than-we-can-now-afford house.

 

Personally, I'd take a smaller house with a park across the street any day of the week and twice on Sundays. The park can become the yard and Dh/kids don't have to mow it ;p.

 

A good friend of mine is now a doting grandmother of 6. She lives in a 2 bed/2 bath house that she downsized to when the kids all moved out. When her kids and grandkids come to visit, the grandkids stay with her and the kids stay either at hotels or in rented RV's in the driveway. Everyone loves the arrangement. The parents get alone time and grandma gets alone time with the grands. With her smaller living expenses, she can afford to share in the RV or hotel expenses.

[bettyandbob]

I haven't read all the replies, so I don't know if this is covered.

 

You work part time from home. I presume as an attorney. You need to make sure you have space for that. Much of the reason for this move would be financial. If you move will that mean you can't work and does that mean you won't get the financial relief you are seeking because while you save money in taxes you lose your income. How much s the savings compared to your income. You need to balance this.

[CalicoKat]

I haven't read all the replies, so I don't know if this is covered.

 

You work part time from home. I presume as an attorney. You need to make sure you have space for that. Much of the reason for this move would be financial. If you move will that mean you can't work and does that mean you won't get the financial relief you are seeking because while you save money in taxes you lose your income. How much s the savings compared to your income. You need to balance this.

 

:iagree: At least be sure to include in your house hunting wants a work at home room!

 

Nothing more impossible than try to get family members to tip toe around the house so it's quiet enough for the one working.

[Farmgirl70]

There are 5 of us in 900 square feet and 1 bathroom. We also host people LOTS. It works for us. I like having to keep possessions to a minimum and it feels like enough space. My kids are 15, 16, and 18. They are all adult sized--even large adult sized. The boys share a bedroom, our daughter has a small room and my husband has a home office in our bedroom. I know we're not an overly large family, but we do more in this space than lots of people do in large houses :001_smile:. I love my little house. I see lots of advantages to your new space with friends nearby and a park. It sounds like you are game to move!

[MistyMountain]

.

[enviromommy]

I haven't read all the replies, so I don't know if this is covered.

 

You work part time from home. I presume as an attorney. You need to make sure you have space for that. Much of the reason for this move would be financial. If you move will that mean you can't work and does that mean you won't get the financial relief you are seeking because while you save money in taxes you lose your income. How much s the savings compared to your income. You need to balance this.

 

This is such a good point. Interestingly, though the house is smaller than our current house, I know where I would put my office in the new house, whereas here I actually don't have a dedicated work space (my desk is part of the home school room). I think that needs to be addressed if we stay in this house, as well.

[Excelsior! Academy]

I don't even consider 2200 sq feet to be small even with all the kids. I would definitely do that in that situation. Then again I have 3 kids in 1050 sq feet condo and all I want is a bigger kitchen and an extra bedroom since I have boys and girls. I don't need a lot of square feet.

 

We just moved from 1600 sq to 2800 sq with 9dc. The smaller house was completely doable. We only moved because of yard issues. I literally couldn't see the children when they were outside, and with our dc ages at the time I had to be with them. If you have ways for your dc to blow off steam like a park nearby or a yard, then to me it is a no brainer. After a few years of smaller bills you can always upgrade to a larger house again.

[LAS in LA]

OP - Awesome multi-quoting in your reply! :D

[enviromommy]

OP - Awesome multi-quoting in your reply! :D

 

LOL. I am a woman of many talents.

[FeFe]

Personally, I would still consider moving to ease the financial burden but I would find a larger home than the one you're considering.

 

We have a 3000 square foot home (plus an unfinished but still used for storage and winter play basement). We have four children ages 5, 7, 11 and 15. We often have extra children here, especially teens. We are moving this summer and while we don't need a house quite this big, we absolutely need an extra living space. As your kids get older the way you use your home changes. It's nice to have another space for the older kids to hang out (and yet still be close by). The park might be terrific for the younger ones right now but eventually they may outgrow it.

[LucyStoner]

I agree with you that the square feet americans demand per person these days makes no sense at all. My grandparents had up to 7 children at a time (9 total kids) in a house that started out as about 1100 sf 3 br 1 bath. They slowly finished the basement as the kids got older. 2200 sf was fine for all of them. . Frankly the 3000-4000 sf homes that people seem to expect these days seem too much to me.

 

Lower taxes, more walkability, incentive to have less stuff, proximity to recreation and friends plus way lower utilities? I would do it. Just declutter as you move. It will only feel small if you try to shove 3000 ft worth of stuff into a 2200 sf home.

[stm4him]

I'm really excited to downsize actually after house hunting in Wilmington, NC this weekend. We are currently in a 3850 sq. ft. house in Northern VA with 6 kids ages 10 and under and probably more in the future. I really like our house here but for financial reasons and based on the selection of houses where we want to move we'll probably be in something 2300-3000 sq. ft. I think with a smart layout, new furniture that has lots of storage, and some well thought out built ins we could definitely make it work and be comfortable. A biggie for me is a fenced in backyard and screened porch which gives the kids a place to go no matter the weather (unless it is too cold which isn't very long in NC). We will miss having a rec room where they can go "be somewhere else" but if they can just go outside we'll be good I think. Also, we'll have to declutter which I'm happy about. Forced decluttering is always best (most thorough). Also, I think I will like that there will be less to clean! The main thing I care about is being able to keep all of our books and school supplies. As long as we can do that I'm ok with smaller.......We'll just cover our walls with bookshelves!