Reya Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 To answer a previous question from a pp- no, the lady I was conversing with is not a realtor; she's more of a social worker wannabe. The discussion started when she asked me when we were moving to a larger home due to dgd and dd living with us. Evidently 5 people in a 3 bedroom home goes against some DCFS (or a similar government agency) regulation. Â No it does not. The woman is an idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 There are DCFS regulations for some of this stuff but it applies to FOSTER and sometimes ADOPTIVE families, not a requirement for private families. The rules are there for a reason----esp. when you consider that many foster kids have been abused, neglected, highly sexualized, etc. Sometimes the foster child needs their own room for their own protection and that of the other kids. Â Every foster child doesn't have to have their own room, though! They each have to have their own BED, and there are usually gender rules and a maximum number of kids per room, but the maximum isn't ONE!!!! Not anywhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I personally like space. Â I don't like cleaning extra space, but I sort of like having space in my home. We have 3400 feet for four people (it was five people when we moved here). I have teenage sons, and like having space for everyone to move around. There was a time when I had the same five people in less than 1000 square feet. I was happy then too. I certainly cleaned less. But given my preference, I really like having a bit more room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 I personally like space. Â I don't like cleaning extra space, but I sort of like having space in my home. We have 3400 feet for four people (it was five people when we moved here). I have teenage sons, and like having space for everyone to move around. There was a time when I had the same five people in less than 1000 square feet. I was happy then too. I certainly cleaned less. But given my preference, I really like having a bit more room. Â Â I think there is a direct correlation with the size of boys and how much space is needed. It's not the amount of stuff they have - teenaged girls have far more belongings - but teenage boys just spread out (physical sprawl). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Â I think there is a direct correlation with the size of boys and how much space is needed. It's not the amount of stuff they have - teenaged girls have far more belongings - but teenage boys just spread out (physical sprawl). Â Â So, once my boys move out my house will be clean again? I do agree! My 19yo ds came home from college and it seems like he takes up a ton of room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Â Every foster child doesn't have to have their own room, though! They each have to have their own BED, and there are usually gender rules and a maximum number of kids per room, but the maximum isn't ONE!!!! Not anywhere! Â You are right in that it is not a RULE to have only one child per bedroom but in our 100+ foster kids there ARE kids that MUST have their own rooms for their safety and the safety of the other kids. Â For the OP though, there is no problem with 5 people in a 3 bedroom house. Â I know in our area there are many apartment buildings that will not rent a 2 bedroom apartment to a family with 3 kids as they say a max of 2 people per room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I would say as an absolute minimum of 100 square feet of communal space plus 20 square feet per person. An open concept living space would need to be at least 10 by 10 feet. Each person physically takes up 5 sq ft when sitting and about 15 while sleeping. Ideally they would be separate spaces (which is the 20). There are places in the world where they don't even have that much space. Â In North America though I would think less than half the numbers your friend mentioned (we live fine in half of our suggested space, plus we know a family who lives in less than 1/3). And assuming the space were well designed and functional, I think we could do 300 sq ft communal and an additional 75 sq ft per person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I was in a conversation today and was told the following: Â A family should have at least 1000 square feet of communal space - the kitchen, dining room and one living room - and then 300-500 square feet per family member, this would include additional communal space and private bedrooms. Bathrooms weren't included in the total. Â Her example was: a family of four should live in a home with a minimum of 2200 square feet, ideally 3000sf. Â I won't list her reasons because I think they are a tad crazy but I would like to know what everyone else thinks. Is this what 'people' or the hypothetical 'they' believe? Â I know my family doesn't come anywhere close to her ideal and I am thinking that most families probably do not. Â What do you think? Â Sounds like a snobby elitist to me. Definitely first world thinking. My parents raised 6 kids in a 2200 sq ft house and that was the bigger house. We previously lived in an 1800 sq ft house (about 250 sq ft of it was added on when the youngest was born.) By her calculations, we should have had a minimum 3400 sq ft house - something only the really wealthy had back then. We are a family of 5 living in a 2200 sq ft house. It is plenty of space for us. Every time I think I need more space, I just look around and realize that we just need less stuff. I know larger families who live in smaller spaces and do quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 You are right in that it is not a RULE to have only one child per bedroom but in our 100+ foster kids there ARE kids that MUST have their own rooms for their safety and the safety of the other kids. Â For the OP though, there is no problem with 5 people in a 3 bedroom house. Â I know in our area there are many apartment buildings that will not rent a 2 bedroom apartment to a family with 3 kids as they say a max of 2 people per room. Â True, but those are the kids who are violent or sexually abuse other kids, torture animals, start fires, etc. It's not a general rule for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I would say as an absolute minimum of 100 square feet of communal space plus 20 square feet per person. An open concept living space would need to be at least 10 by 10 feet. Each person physically takes up 5 sq ft when sitting and about 15 while sleeping. Ideally they would be separate spaces (which is the 20). There are places in the world where they don't even have that much space. Â In North America though I would think less than half the numbers your friend mentioned (we live fine in half of our suggested space, plus we know a family who lives in less than 1/3). And assuming the space were well designed and functional, I think we could do 300 sq ft communal and an additional 75 sq ft per person. Â Except in places where the house is only a hut big enough to sleep in! :) No cooking/communal space at all. Â I saw a show--a River Monsters episode--that featured families who live in small floating houses on the Amazon river. There is nothing but the house and the boats--no place for the kids to play, no woods to run in, nothing! It's one thing to have a tiny house when there's the world around to run in--quite another when you're in the middle of a RIVER. Â These were European immigrants, and I wondered what their living conditions were in their home countries that the first people who settled there said, "yeah, that's an improvement"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Well, I'm too lazy to clean that much "square footage per person", so *I think her* idea is ridiculous! :laugh: That is just my opinion, though. Â Layout and useable storage are way more important than size - any day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 We grew up with the guideline of one bedroom for parents, one bedroom for boys and one bedroom for girls. How much square footage depends on the layout of the house. My aunt's two bedroom home had eight people staying. Her oldest slept in the living room on a sofa bed. There was two bunk beds in the kids room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 It seems excessive even though I do live in larger houses. In Florida, we had a smaller house and it was too crowded when we unexpectedly had our oldest move in (it was 2400 sq ft. but too few bedrooms). OUr next two houses, including this one, have five bedrooms. One in each of those houses was turned into an office by previous owners. So that leaves four actual bedrooms. THis is the house that I expect to be living in when all my children leave in a few years.So normally we have over 3000 sq., ft for 3 people--- I like it but would never consider it a requirement for anyone. It wasn't until my dh was a lt col. that we started living in such large houses. Before our houses were between 1600 and 2200 sq. ft. including a few months when we were very cramped in 900 sq. ft. I am an introvert and don't like living cramped style. I did grow up sharing bedrooms with my sister, really didn't like it and so I moved the two girls apart by the time the youngest was 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I know people who think that. They want big houses and they feel they have to justify a big house. Really, they don't have to justify it. If you want a really big house and you can pay for a really big house, then have a really big house. But, don't tell others they have to have one so that you can feel less misplaced guilt just because you have one. Â Ayup. Â ETA: I think I just discovered the "Like" function. *wry grin*) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I was in a conversation today and was told the following: Â A family should have at least 1000 square feet of communal space - the kitchen, dining room and one living room - and then 300-500 square feet per family member, this would include additional communal space and private bedrooms. Bathrooms weren't included in the total. Â Her example was: a family of four should live in a home with a minimum of 2200 square feet, ideally 3000sf. Â I won't list her reasons because I think they are a tad crazy but I would like to know what everyone else thinks. Is this what 'people' or the hypothetical 'they' believe? Â I know my family doesn't come anywhere close to her ideal and I am thinking that most families probably do not. Â What do you think? Â Â Yeah, they SHOULD have that much. But not all of us do. I now realize the wisdom of it though, now that I have teens. When I had little kids, I had a 5000 square foot house that I thought we didn't need. Â Yeah, I made a mistake. We should have stayed there. But this place is cheap and will be paid off quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 There are DCFS regulations for some of this stuff but it applies to FOSTER and sometimes ADOPTIVE families, not a requirement for private families. The rules are there for a reason----esp. when you consider that many foster kids have been abused, neglected, highly sexualized, etc. Sometimes the foster child needs their own room for their own protection and that of the other kids. Â In a regular family, a 3 bedroom home would be fine. I am assuming that you and dh share a room, your son has a room and dd shares a room with her baby. Totally fine. Â Â Â Exactly. Under the circumstances that many fosters come into the system, it can be vital for them to have privacy, and it can be vital for the children already in the family to have not only privacy, but often locking doors. It is the extreme nature of the situation that leads to these guidelines for DCFS and it has nothing to do with the average family. We know a couple living in a camper with three children due to unemployment. They are good people and NO ONE is lining up to berate them about the lack of square footage per person. There is no need for the average family to feel as though there is a state minimum sq.ft. requirement that they should be obligated to provide. Â However, there have been some circumstances with very large families in very tight quarters that have given me a little concern. It can be very, very hard on teenagers to live co-ed in bedrooms or to have no privacy at all from youngers. In those cases, the parents weren't really thinking about how to effectively shuffle the sleeping space or creating a spot where older kids could go and do homework and such without the constant harranging of toddlers and preschoolers. Sometimes people do need some space. Not a lot, but some. Â Really, the main thing is the appropriate application of common sense. A large group can make less than 1000 sq.ft. work just fine, but they have to be judicious about how they organize that space and the rules that apply to personal boundaries. Same thing applies to large houses. Dh's brother's home has nearly 6500 sq.ft. and all four children have their own bedroom and personal bathroom. Yet, these people never seem to be able to leave each other alone or get along. Sheesh! I'm convinced that no matter what size "cage" you put them in, there would be fighting. Â Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I like living small. :) We have 6 in our family, 1800 square feet. We could easily chop off 2 rooms and fit just fine. I've also often thought that especially if we moved somewhere that had an acre or more of outdoors, we'd very easily live in a much smaller space. They'd be outside all the time! :) We were pretty happy in 1300 square feet before we moved into this house. I don't *mind* the extra space, but it just doesn't feel *necessary*. Simple's good. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKshanmar Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Well, just for fun...I'll throw my house in, to skew the averages. 10,000 sf! OK, but it pays for itself as it is a B&B. It is an old remodeled dairy barn. We have six guests rooms, which can sleep up to 28 people. Our part of the house is just under 2000sf. We have 3 bedrooms for 6 of us, although the 2 oldest are gone now. Living in a cold climate, extra space is always nice, as you can't just send the kids out all of the time. We were also very happy when we lived in our 30 foot motorhome... You can peak at our B&B at www.pioneerridge.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I think that she is confusing "need" with "want". A family of 4 can want 3000sf. A family of 4 can fill that much space with their crap if they want. A family of 4 can enjoy that much space. But clearly a family of 4 does not NEED that much space. Â I am too cheap to want to heat or cool that much space. Â And even with a weekly cleaning service, I am too lazy to want to clean/tidy that much space. Â My ideal is somewhere around 1500 sf with some sort of cold storage/cellar and a garage additional. However we were quite happy with 3 people in a tiny 450 sf studio when our oldest was a baby. I think home is what you make of it and that you can be happy in any amount of space. I prefer to have little enough crap that living in a small house feels comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Â Every foster child doesn't have to have their own room, though! They each have to have their own BED, and there are usually gender rules and a maximum number of kids per room, but the maximum isn't ONE!!!! Not anywhere! that depends on the agency and the country. We were foster cares for one agency, they had the rule one child per bedroom. We are now with an foster to adopt agency, foster siblings an share a room if they are young, same sex and blood-relatives. Otherwise they have to have thier own room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Hey whoa on the supposition if I have a big house it is crammed with "stuff." Â Fact is some people like elbow room. I do. I love visiting other people's homes that are cozy and full of things (some big and some are small). They are lovely in their own right. But in my day to day living, I need empty space around things, not filled up with anything but air. (Need as in function optimally. I am happy. It's easier for me to manage the place...that type of need...more from a mental health perspective) . Â In a place where we have the ability to choose our circumstances, I think trying to apply a formula to such a complex and personal issue is funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 WE have a large great room and it is not filled with stuff. Same with our family room. Both have lots of space and that is how I like it. I like having a house that I can invite a large gathering. IT isn't about stuff storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 My family of 7 has always lived in 1800 sq. ft or less. Interestingly, the smallest families I know have the biggest houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Thank you all for sharing. I am happy to know I am not the only one who thinks her formula was a bit off. I enjoy the variety of home sizes and styles that are available and admit to being a bit of a snoop about how people choose to decorate. If your lights are on and the drapes are open and I am walking my dog, I will look into your windows (maybe that should be posted on the 'Bad Side' thread). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 We were a family of 10 in approx 1000sqft until 6 years ago when we moved into our current home of approx 2800sqft. Â I know many people with much larger homes and only a few kids who honestly say they can't imagine living in such a small home with so many of us. I try not to look at them like they are wackados. Sometimes I even succeed. ;) Â We were able to endure in the tiny home better than most, and I suppose if I had to do it again, I could. Life is much better for many reasons here, several having nothing to do with sq footage. Â Our personal standard preference for a home is: Each bedroom should be large enough to comfortably hold at least 2 bunkbeds without blocking a window and still have at least a small space for sitting in the floor to play. Even if it's only a little 3x3 ft spot. The dining area should be able to seat a table large enough for the entire family plus 2 for company. The living area should be large enough that everyone can be in there too. (to watch a movie together, play boardgames..) A separate living/dining area that be converted for other uses (library, play area.. ) it doesn't have to be big, but it's a tremendous assistance to not have to constantly clear the dining table or living room floor. A bathroom for every 4 people. In our previous home, 1.5 baths was okay when only 7 people were needing a toilet. There was an occassional line, but it was livable. Now we have 2.5 baths and it tends to be plenty for us. The yard should be accessible and useable. We could hardly ever use our previous backyard bc it would swamp in even a light rain. And the neighborhood wasn't nice enough for me to feel comfortable sending the kids out front or down the road to the playground. Which meant we spent a lot of time traveling to places they could burn energy and play outside. Â Ideally I would have a 1 story home, but that was one requirement we couldn't get met. And it took us over 3 years to find this house in our price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 There are DCFS regulations for some of this stuff but it applies to FOSTER and sometimes ADOPTIVE families, not a requirement for private families. The rules are there for a reason----esp. when you consider that many foster kids have been abused, neglected, highly sexualized, etc. Sometimes the foster child needs their own room for their own protection and that of the other kids. Â In a regular family, a 3 bedroom home would be fine. I am assuming that you and dh share a room, your son has a room and dd shares a room with her baby. Totally fine. I'm glad to hear that. I often worry if I would be "in trouble" with DCFS for the size of my home. We only have 2 bedrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 My whole home is just under 1000 sq ft for a family of 5 (and basement is not suitable for anything other than storage it is more like a cellar than a basement), and it is only that big due to the additions that were put on this house over the years. When this house was built it was considerably smaller, I would hazard that the grandtotal of sq ft was close to half of what it is now. I would love a bit more space or at least a decent basement but I don't think my family would need 2500-3500 sq ft. But jumping up to 1500sq ft sure would give us some breathing room  Ahhh... someone I can relate to. ;) Ours is I'm guessing 950 sq ft. and we have a similar "basement". However, our laundry is down there, so that saves us some room. I was in a family of five (mom, dad, myself, and two siblings) - always in 3000+ sq. ft. homes. I'm in a family of five now (DH, myself, three kiddos) in a 900 sq. ft. home. We're minimalist, so we're not drowning in stuff and we're not right on top of each other all the time. Small living room, small dining room, small kitchen, three bedrooms, 1.5 baths, two small hall closets. That's it. There is a basement, but we don't use it ever. I don't miss having a a bigger home. This is the smallest I've ever been in, but I love it. In the past, DH and I have been in bigger homes, but I don't see us moving back in that direction if/when the time comes to buy again. I'm a minimalist wannabe. ;) Our home is the same size. Ours only has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, though, so I wonder how your home fits the extra bedroom and 1/2 bath. Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 But in my day to day living, I need empty space around things, not filled up with anything but air. Â This is my main reason for wanting to move. I just want a little more "air" space. I *hate* clutter. Â I often worry if I would be "in trouble" with DCFS for the size of my home. We only have 2 bedrooms. Â Yeah, DCFS doesn't care. Now landlords? THat is different. Here, there is a limit to number of children and gender for certain kinds of rentals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Â Yeah, DCFS doesn't care. Now landlords? THat is different. Here, there is a limit to number of children and gender for certain kinds of rentals. Â Yes, I think that is the least of my landlord's worries, though. I live in a fairly crappy area of a nice suburb. They have been trying to rent out the places around me for over a year...maybe 2 years. I'm pretty sure that they are just happy to have $ coming in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Yeah, DCFS doesn't care. Now landlords? THat is different. Here, there is a limit to number of children and gender for certain kinds of rentals. Â I'm going to have a little rant right now. Mkay? (Not at this poster. Just at the situation.) Â I'm going to be very honest here. I broke my lease at my last apartment because it was a 1 bedroom and I have 3 kids. When I moved in there it was ALL that I could afford. Literally I could not find anything cheaper. I had to move out, though, because the apartment wouldn't allow me to stay there with 4 people. I get that. I was fortunate enough to find a place that has laundry downstairs and 2 bedrooms but was only about $100 more per month plus utilities (so more like $200 more per month). The area sucks in a lot of ways, but it has great community and I know lots of my neighbors and we all watch out for each other's kids. I guess my rant is just that I don't understand how people can force you to get a bigger place. How do the expect me to do that? I can't afford it. I wish people (this is just a general "people") were more concerned with what kind of a parent I am instead of how many children I have sleeping in 1 bedroom. Lots of people judge me for it, but it is what it is. I wish they would notice the fact that I work hard to always be home when my children aren't at school. Or the fact that I serve on the policy council for my daughter's preschool. Or how about the fact that I do homework with my children every night. I volunteer at their school and talk to their teachers regularly to make sure they are on track. Ok, rant over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WistfulRidge Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 DH and I are both introverts so for us it is important to find that balance of "enough space for us each to have our own little area and not drive everyone crazy" and not drown in too much space. We've lived in a 550 square foot apartment which, while I would have loved a bigger kitchen, was actually a pretty good size for just DH and I. It was workable after DS1 was born and downright cramped after DS2 joined the family. We are currently living with parents and their house is just a smidge above 2700 square feet (4 bed, 3 bath, bonus room, fairly open living/kitchen/dining). When it is just DH, myself, and the boys here it is definitely too big, but when the rest, or at least most, of the family (my parents and 4 of my younger siblings) are home it is just right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Right now we have six people here in our single-wide mobile home full time, with an additional two children who have a claim on some space due to visitation. We have 1000 sq ft. Cramped? Nope. Two bathrooms, which is really helpful. But do we need more space? Well, right now I'm sitting on the loveseat with my husband and my five year old. My two year old grandson is on the floor at our feet. My nine year old daughter and my twenty-six year old daughter have staked out the other two chairs in the living room, and the rest of the place is currently empty........so what do people DO with all that extra space besides visit it occasionally? Â I'm not really interested in more space to clean! In fact, I'm pretty vocal about downsizing once my adult daughter and my grandson move out next summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 True, but those are the kids who are violent or sexually abuse other kids, torture animals, start fires, etc. It's not a general rule for everyone. Â Eh. When my parents took in foster children, there were other, less serious, reasons why the foster may need their own bedroom - horrific night terrors, bedwetting, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Â I wonder what your friend would think of us? We are in the process of selling our home and moving into our RV fulltime - 396 square feet for 8 people. According to her, that's probably downright criminal. (LOL) Â (Oh, and by the way, we are going to be touring the continental United States for while.) Â Â This sounds like the best adventure ever. Please share some of the details. Planned destinations? Go with the flow? What did you do with all of the stuff accumulated over time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 We are a family of four, with 1400 sq. feet, which feels very adequate most of the time. It would be nice to have a basement when the boys' friends are here :tongue_smilie: Â 2200 woul be just about perfect; but I wouldn't want to clean a house with 3000 sq. feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 This person sounds like she's trying to sell you a big house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 We pretty much fit that. 4 people, 3278 sq. ft. It helps that housing is very reasonably priced here. In many areas of the country we wouldn't be able to afford this home. Honestly, I'd be okay if our home was smaller. My house is too big for me to keep clean. Our previous home was 2000 sq. ft. We were more cramped, but I could get that thing clean, top to bottom, with no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Oh is there a CPS rule of some kind? No, not quite. However, there are general vague "cause for concern" stuff about over crowding, mixed gender, enough beds, and so forth. So to some degree it boils down to the opinion of the social worker called to the home. Â And I will be honest, we did worry about it in our old home. I kept that house almost spotless because I worried a ticked neighbor or whatever would complain. So clean and organized that our realtor said some people just wanted to walk through my home to see how a family of 10 could live in it. LOL. I refused to have my ONE girl share a room with any of her 6 brothers for the same reason. So I had 4 boys in bunks in one room, 2 in another, dd had her own room and the baby girl slept with us in our room. It would have made things much easier if I hadn't made dd have her own room, but I didn't want to risk the raised eyebrows of ignoramuses over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 Â We have a toy hauler bunkhouse fifth wheel that has dedicated sleeping space for 8 people (without having to convert dinettes and couches into beds, kwim?). It's a big rig. Â So there's the plan! Â I have seen rigs like those on TV and similar ones at horse shows. They are pretty nice, lots of bells and whistles for comfort and convenience. Â Your trip sounds great. I can only imagine the fun experiences and memories you will have after such a venture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatashainDFW Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 We currently live with the inlaws. Nine people in a 5/2 and I am cramped beyond belief. The thing is my family of five is fine in 2 bedrooms but all the extra people even in their own rooms makes it very uncomfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renmew Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Until almost 3 years ago there were 6 of us in 690 sq ft. It was too small for us. We had too much stuff, the layout was terrible, there was almost no storage space, and the yard was a postage stamp. Now, my 3 kids and I share 1450 sq ft and looooove it. But, the 4 of us could do less than 1000 easily, as long as we limited the excess and had a yard of adequate size. I think we should all learn to do with less, both stuff and space. Imagine all the beautiful open space we might have if we learned to value nature more than large homes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 The smallest I have lived in was 170 sq ft for 6 months when my first was a baby - a cabin in rural mountainous NZ. We up-scaled to 300sq ft the following year when my ds was a toddler and my husband worked from home. My sister and her husband even came and stayed with us for 3 weeks. And now we are in a palatial home of 700 sq ft for the 4 of us. Really, it is a state of mind (and a lack of stuff).  "Folks are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be." attributed to Abe Lincoln  Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 This time last year there were 3 of us living in about 2,200sqft plus an unfinished half to the basement and crawl space we used for storage and a garage. Now we have 4 of us in 1,027 and it's an apartment, so no yard I can just turn DD loose in. I'm finding it very hard to adjust. I definitely don't need the amount of space that was suggested! I found the 2,200 to be more than I wanted to keep up with. But I could really use another 200 sq ft or so. We're only on a one year lease, so we might try looking for something just a tiny bit bigger next summer. I know getting rid of some of our junk would probably help a lot right now, but I just don't know where to start with that. I've never been good at getting rid of stuff, even though I hate the clutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 It's not how many people who live in the house that matters but how many people CLEAN the house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea_lpz Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 1000 sq. feet, family of five, small but we make it work. You can make anything work if you have to :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly IN Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I was in a conversation today and was told the following: Â A family should have at least 1000 square feet of communal space - the kitchen, dining room and one living room - and then 300-500 square feet per family member, this would include additional communal space and private bedrooms. Bathrooms weren't included in the total. Â Her example was: a family of four should live in a home with a minimum of 2200 square feet, ideally 3000sf. Â I won't list her reasons because I think they are a tad crazy but I would like to know what everyone else thinks. Is this what 'people' or the hypothetical 'they' believe? Â I know my family doesn't come anywhere close to her ideal and I am thinking that most families probably do not. Â What do you think? Â I am replying to this post and another one but do not know how to multi quote yet. Â We have a tad over 3000 sf. Family of 5. We have plenty of room here. However a friend of ours have a 7000 sf space and family of 4. Well their house is tiny to us. They think our house is much bigger than theirs. Not according to sf. It all has to do with how it is set up or arranged?? sorry can't think of the word. sigh. It depends on the floor plan more than anything. Â You have to look at the overall picture of the home. not just the sf. I know of another family that is a family of 12 and their house sf is much smaller than mine. It is about 900 sf. They are happy but I can't imagine living in that house with that family size. My house....yes absolutely. It depends on your outlook and your priorities than anything. So I disagree with this friend of yours. Â Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Aside from issues of what people can afford, i think a lot of it has to do with layout. I grew up in 2000 sf and it didn't feel that big because it was compartmentalized. I later lived in 1100 sf and it felt spacious because the bedrooms were large and because I had roomates I spent most of my time in my room. I lived in a 3000 sf house but it was an older Victorian-era and it also had lots of small rooms and could feel close in. We're now in 1000 sf and it feels spacious, probably because of the large kitchen. Â Aside from layout, I think the biggest factor is how much stuff you have. I think I would go crazy living in 1000 sf if we had a lot of stuff piled everywhere or all the surfaces were covered, with crammed closets. I could do 700-800 sf if we were more spartan. Â I agree. Our last 800 sq ft place felt bigger in many ways than our current 1800 sq. ft place. It's about layout. I actually miss a smaller house sometimes. Less cleaning!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 We are 3 people living in 1000 sq feet of old poorly laid out space right now, there is only 1 small bathroom and the third bedroom is tiny and has a door to the outside so it isn't really functional as a bedroom. We also have 3 big dogs and are sorely lacking in closet and storage space. Â We are in the process of moving to 2000 sq feet and it feels HUGE, much bigger than twice the size of our current house, because it is open, airy and there is zero wasted space, and lots of closets. They literally tucked a closet in every nook and cranny they could. Â I have been in 1000 sq foot houses that would have been totally adequate, and felt much bigger, but Im not gonna lie. I am so excited to not be so cramped in all the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 When Husband lived in a tower block in Hong Kong, the flat's stated square footage included our 'share' of the lift lobby and swimming pool. The actual flat was well under 1000 square feet and it was tight, but the boys and I only lived there part time. It had a horrendous layout however: three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an 'amah' room. It currently rents for over USD 4,000 a month. Â The maisonette that we own in London is 1,300 square feet. It's definitely family sized to me. It has three bedrooms, one bathroom, one toilet, one reception room and a good sized kitchen. It's over three floors, so there's a fair bit of hallway. Â Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 This is ridiculous! We are a family of 11 in 2700 sq. and believe me when we clean it, it is plenty big. By those calculations we should be in 5,000-6,000 sq. ft. While another bathroom would be nice, I don't know if I would want to double my house size! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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