# Small house thread



## shanetedissac

Hello!!!

I need help finding the small house thread. Please guide me...

Thanks!


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## babybugmama

- but I'd like to come along for the ride...


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## Mamatohaleybug

:


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## babybugmama

I guess we're it...wanna start a thread for the three of us?

what are the blessings and curses of a small house?

Less to clean...NO storage!


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## ankh

Takes me about 7mins to vaccum the whole thing and I only have to unplug it once.


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## zipworth

Gives you good reason to simplify, simplify.....I am a reformed packrat and our house is very cluttered. But...I love my house so much it motivates me to press on. Also, When buying new furniture the Ikea catalogue comes in handy as it caters to small spaces. I love our small house!


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## conflictedmama

Subbing...

What do you consider small? Our house is 1400 square feet. With four of us, it sometimes feels quite small. But we do have an upstairs.

Anyway, I wanted to pass on a great idea I got from Flylady (okay I'm out of the closet!) She says you should only hold on to 2 sets of sheets for each bed in the house and store the clean sets between the matresses.







Brilliant! She suggests this in order to clear out the "linen closet" and I wish I had one! But for us it clears out much needed drawer space in the bureau...

Otoh, I've discovered it's not that easy to lift up the mattress and put the sheets in there...I need help w/that.


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## momaste

There are a couple of small house threads floating around here for specific small homes (Delight and cdmaze come to mind.) But an all around thread for those who live in small houses would be nice!

We have a 960 sq.ft. house for the three of us. It's plenty for our small family.


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## Mamatohaleybug

I don't currently have a small house but I did for 10 years and hope to again someday.







So, I'll participate as much as I can.


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## Sharlla

We live in a housethat is about 750 sq ft. It's ok for now but DS1's room is definitely not big enough for 2 and yeah about the storage thing. When we move into our house that we own it will be about 900 sq ft until we get the add on built then we will be looking at 1200 sq ft.


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## oldcrunchymom

Our house is 513 sq ft. Honestly, it's not a bad size for the 3 of us (me and two kids). Our house has no closets so that is our biggest challenge. We have to declutter all the time in order to keep things manageable. My kids have the two bedrooms and I have a futon in the living room. I want to get a full-sized loft bed though to save space in here as soon as I can, which means sometime next summer probably when we have more money.


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## Berber

we live in a 900 sqft home currently and it will be fine for us and hopefully a baby. I love love purging things but, DH is a pack rat! He has more clothes than me and I'm a shopper... just can't manage to get him to part with anything.

We were so frusterated when shopping for new furnature because it seems like the only type of new furnature being manufactured is for all of the McMansions that seem to be sprouting up in the suburbs... I like Ikea but, it is a little modern for my taste most of the time.


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## Starr

We are selling our 2,000 SF house with full basement and going down to 900 SF.


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## kathirynne

We (myself and 4 children) live in a two-bedroom flat. I haven't actually measured, but I estimate that it's between 1,000 and 1,500 square feet.

I used to think it was too small (although it is bigger than the 750 square foot townhouse we lived in before I graduated!!) Now I realize that it's just too full, and I have been de-cluttering with a vengeance lately to correct that problem.

So far I have completed the study area, and made some serious progress in the sitting area and the bathroom. (The best part is, as I make headway in the areas of the house that are my responsibility, my children are starting to de-clutter their areas, as well!







)


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## raleigh_mom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lisa72* 
Takes me about 7mins to vaccum the whole thing and I only have to unplug it once.

We have 4 of us, plus pets in a 1200 sf some and this is one of my favorite parts!


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## Past_VNE

DH, DS and I live with a dog, cat and two ferrets in 800 sf.

We're always near each other, it's easy to clean and there's no storage to collect crap.

Yay!!


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## corhorvath

Well, I no longer feel right posting after reading the sqfootage of other posters, but I'm going to anyway.

My dh, dd1, dd2, and I live in a 1,100 sqf house and a full basement. I've lived in it one year but my husband has for 2+ years. I'm doing the decluttering challenge to clear it out.

There's enough room for us but not enough for having people over. This is probably what I don't like about it.


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## CandyApple

Quote:


Originally Posted by *corhorvath* 
There's enough room for us but not enough for having people over. This is probably what I don't like about it.

I agree - I love our 1600s.f home. Its just perfect for dh, both boys and myself (maybe 1-2 more babes







) but I really struggle with house guests. We have a large family, and it seems there is always someone staying over (one brother for weeks at a time) and there is no extra bedroom, and the living area is all connected, so there is no space for privacy. But mostly its just due to the layout of our home and my personal time issues!









Not enough of a bother to make us move/add on, but an issue non-the-less!


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## Emilie

I LOVE the sheet idea!
That is AWESOME!
We have 1200 sq feet upstairs. We have a full unfinished basement. So I am cheating. But I still consider living in a small house because I do my everyday living upstairs. It also has some wasted space that I can not figure out what to do with.


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## sabrinat

We live in 1700sqft. Me, dh and 4 kiddos. When we purchased we had one and thought we'd only live here for a little while. Now who knows if we'll ever move. I like it now, although I've had periods where I didn't. I like that we're not a slave to our mortgage, and I can hear the kids from most any place in the house and it's cozy. I'm learning to appreciate what I have and being thankful for it.


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## sweetest

We are in a 1200 sq ft home. But we have a garage and a large yard. We spend more time outside if the weather is at all nice. The main thing is purging. My only issue is closet space for me







I work in a profession where I wear suits everyday and my closet is pretty crowded.

Our house is cozy and the utilities are cheap - we use less resources to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We looked at newer homes about a year ago - we were walking through one and realized the place had two air conditoner units







: Dh was like "I bet it costs a fortune to live here"


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## Berber

*Does anyone ever get house envy when visiting friends or family who have bigger new homes?*

It is a pretty hard struggle for me to fight the stuff envy I occationally get when visiting friends and family with bigger newer homes. It is so silly because I love the small home Dh and I bought and we are by no means living beyond our means(as many of my friends with those McMansions can not say the same thing). I see them struggle with money and I know I would much rather live with less than live with the constant worrying of paying bills... but sometimes I can't help but really love their big beautiful homes and lovely pottery barn interriors....


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## LilMama23

The three of us are in a 800 sq. ft, one bedroom apartment. We only have two closets that are stuffed! But it's all we can afford. Someday we hope to have a 1000 sq. ft. house.


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## Gremco

I'm loving every minute of it! I couldn't imagine living in a bigger house. I love how it doesn't take me very long to clean, even when its a disaster. I'm not jealous at all at larger houses, because my bills are at least half, even with no central heat or air! I think small houses are so cozy! The biggest challenge is organizing everything.


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## oldcrunchymom

I don't usually get jealous of larger homes because it seems like they'd be so much work to maintain, and I'm lazy.







Anyway, I loathe the McMansion layouts with the huge rooms and the cathedral ceilings and such. They practically give me vertigo.


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## sabrinat

I'm in a playgroup w/ a girl that has a 6000 (that's right) sq. ft. house...it is beautiful, but I can't even imagine the mortgage, cost of utilities or why w/1 child you need 6000sf? Anywho, I don't have envy persay, sometimes I do wish our house had one more bedroom, or another living area, but overall I'm pretty happy with it at this point.


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## Berber

Quote:

I'm in a playgroup w/ a girl that has a 6000 (that's right) sq. ft. house...it is beautiful, but I can't even imagine the mortgage, cost of utilities or why w/1 child you need 6000sf? Anywho, I don't have envy persay, sometimes I do wish our house had one more bedroom, or another living area, but overall I'm pretty happy with it at this point.
I'm alot like you in that I just couldn't imagine the stress of paying all of those costs for such a huge house.


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## marybethorama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
I'm in a playgroup w/ a girl that has a 6000 (that's right) sq. ft. house...it is beautiful, but I can't even imagine the mortgage, cost of utilities or why w/1 child you need 6000sf? Anywho, I don't have envy persay, sometimes I do wish our house had one more bedroom, or another living area, but overall I'm pretty happy with it at this point.

I can't imagine 6000 sq feet. That's so huge.

I also would love one more bedroom and a few feet added to the kitchen







Another bathroom would be nice also.

But overall, I'm happy. I love almost everything about our house and I really don't want to move.


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## marybethorama

plus a full basement, one car garage, and a very nice lot

We actually almost bought a somewhat larger house but it had a much smaller yard and no garage.

I still think wistfully about that house sometimes (It had a lovely oak staircase and then there was all the square footage) but I'm glad that we chose this house.

Our yard is so much nicer and it's much nicer for the kids to play. Over the years we've got our money's worth


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *marybethorama* 
We actually almost bought a somewhat larger house but it had a much smaller yard and no garage.

I still think wistfully about that house sometimes (It had a lovely oak staircase and then there was all the square footage) but I'm glad that we chose this house.









We did the same thing for the same reason. 2 car garage vs. 1 car and a much bigger lot. The 2 other houses we looked at happen to be in our neighborhood and the one that I really wanted still gets me wistful sometimes, it was in a cul de sac, about 500 sq.ft bigger, but on a tiny lot w/1 car garage, dh didn't like it becuz it was a resale and our house was being built still. Oh well...


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## mama_bee

my family of three (soon to be four) lives in a 950 sq foot house and i LOVE it. it's got lots of built-in shelving and storage so that's not an issue. cleaning is a breeze and i can call for DH or DS from across the house and they hear me!









downsides, of course, are that entertaining is a disaster. it's way too small for more than 2-3 guests. also, sometimes i just NEED alone time and it's hard to find in such a small space.


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## Rebecca

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
We live in 1700sqft. Me, dh and 4 kiddos. When we purchased we had one and thought we'd only live here for a little while. Now who knows if we'll ever move. I like it now, although I've had periods where I didn't. I like that we're not a slave to our mortgage, and I can hear the kids from most any place in the house and it's cozy. I'm learning to appreciate what I have and being thankful for it.

We have about 1200 plus full basement, garage (with storage above and below it). I like all the things the PP said, but my problem is never wanting to have people over. It's small, poorly laid out and poorly decorated with no where for company to sit. It's terrible to be embarrassed to have people come over after seeing where they live (which is always nicer than my house).


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## sabrinat

Rebecca,
I can totally relate to your feelings. I'm in this pg, in fact I own the list and I've never had a playdate at my house







. It's just not big enough...but 2007 is the year. DH and I have really been working on getting stuff out of here. I have a dream that one day I will have a playdate in my organized home


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## marybethorama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rebecca* 
We have about 1200 plus full basement, garage (with storage above and below it). I like all the things the PP said, but my problem is never wanting to have people over. It's small, poorly laid out and poorly decorated with no where for company to sit. It's terrible to be embarrassed to have people come over after seeing where they live (which is always nicer than my house).

We have those issues too.

There's not enough room for a lot of furniture and what we do have is old and ugly.

As long as your house is big it doesn't matter what it looks like


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## Berber

I think the only problem I have with my house is the lack of closet space. I really want to get some built in wardrobes put in the bedrooms. I think that would help so much with clutter and clothing storage.

We have a very small house but, I still manage to entertain friends on occation. I can't have more than 4 people over besides the two of us in the winter but, we have a very nice bricked in patio that offers the feel of another room in the summer that we use for entertaining alot.


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## sabrinat

I used to watch this show on hgtv called "This small house". It used to get me so excited. They had such original ideas for decorating, storage, everything...It hasn't come on in several years, but when I think back I remember how much all the stories showed people who really loved their spaces and that's the way I want to really feel too.


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## cdmaze

We are in almost 900sq ft with 3 kids. We love it? I say it with a question mark because it depend on the day. Today? Ok- it's fine. Yesterday- hell no- I was done with it.

It definetly builds character.


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## sabrinat

bump

How are ya'll decorating for the holidays. I feel overwhelmed...the kids want to go all out, but I feel like we should go low key.


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## marlee

I live in a house under 800sf. Me, dh, and 18 mon. dd.
Here are the positives. (Today)
- It is a great excuse to others as why we can not accept or keep unwanted gifts
- Easy to keep nice and warm
- Relativey quick to clean
-Always close to dd
-In building we could afford high quality materials as there was a smaller area
-Keeps up clutter clearing
-Love to spend lots of time outside so never feel it is 'too small'

Challenges
-We don't have a place for everything
-No place to 'get away'
-If a few toys are on the floor it looks messy and cluttered

I love our house but we do plan to build a larger home on our property as we would like to expand our family by at least two more. Our new home won't be 'huge' as we like a smaller home and we won't need a guest room as we will have a guest house.


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## FreeRangeMama

Ooooh, count me in! We are a family of 5 (soon to be 6) living in just over 1000 sq ft. Unfortunately due to some bad workmanship from the previous owners we had to rip out all the drywall in the master bedroom and have been all sharing the smaller room. Squishy







That brings us to more like 800 sq ft and no room for all our clothes and toys.

I love our house and I really don't want to move. Even with the new baby. We discovered hardwood under the carpets and have really made some great changes over the past 5+ years. And our yard is really great.

For the holidays I got a tree that was rather bald on one side and pushed it right up against the wall. That way the side we see is beautiful and it takes up less space







I also moved most of the kids' toys into storage until we get the bedroom livable again.

Having less stuff and furniture that works for small areas is key for us. We have a low loft bed for the boys (like low bunk beds if you put a mattress on the floor). We have a kitchen nook instead of a dining room table and I can use the bench seats for storage. Plus, great shelves for the kids toys are very helpful.

The big challenge with be for dd's room. It is not much bigger than a closet. We currently use it as an office, but she is getting older and it would be nice for her to have her own space. Since she will mostly be sleeping with us for a long time I will just get her a toddler bed to save room and I found a great small shelf with doors that I am going to refinish and I added a closet bar so it is like a wardrobe. Perfect for tiny clothes. Plus I will use those little pouches you can attach to the wall to put toys in instead of shelving to save floor space. I am excited.

So, does anyone else get tired of hearing from other people about how SMALL your house is? It may not be big, but I LOVE it thank you. Bigger isn't always better


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## Jillie

We have 1344 sq ft for 5 of us with a basement that in gross storage only. It gets wet and unplesent down there. We feel a bit crowded but thats mostly caused by the lack of storage. Dh would also like an office space, desperatly. That is our bigest cluter problem. He is self employed so he needs some room to work, but we just dont have it now. We also don't have an attached garage, so that sucks. (it has a gravel floor to which really sucks!!) Oh, and I can really relate to the trouble with company. Its really hard.


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## Minerva

We've got about 1500sqft for three of us right now (in a really miserable condo community), and after a little experimenting, we've been finding out that we have too much space here. Even allowing for a good-sized play area for Abby, we could lose 1/3 of the house and never miss it. Once we finish killing the clutter monster, we won't even be using all of our storage space.

When we bought the place, we thought we'd stay for a few years and get something bigger when we had a second kid. It turns out that I'm all but infertile, so ... so much for that. On the other hand, there's a high probability that my father will be moving in with us next year, and he can't manage our stairs.

We're hoping to downsize and get something smaller (and easier to maintain) with a first floor bedroom for my father. We're thinking maybe a Sears or equivalent kit house since there's a lot of those in our area. Most of the ones I've seen are under 1200sqft -- sounds perfect.


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## KathinJapan

Hi we just built a house it is about 1,200 square feet. We live in Japan, so when people come over I get a lot of *wow, how big* or *nice and spacious* comments. LOL. It is an open plan on the first floor, with a vaulted ceiling bit near the stairs. There are 3 of us (soon to be 4) and I think it is plenty big. On Thanksgiving I had 14 people over, 9 adults and 5 children. We were in an apt. with about half the space so I am in heaven now. Like a pp we were able to use better materials with the smaller house. After moving we bought a sofa and coffee table. I think the open plan, and the lack of clutter make it seem more spacious, and the light and windows maybe. I still have stuff I need to declutter, too. I have taken some stuff to the charity shop and need to do more before baby comes. I hope to NEVER fill all the shelves or storage space.
Kathryn


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## conflictedmama

Decorating is a challenge, for sure. We got two small trees and I put them on tables -- one behind the couch and one upstairs in the landing area. I got totally stressed last night though b/c the downstairs tree made the livingroom all the smaller. Also, my dh,tho he tries, has no concept of how to arrange stuff. He always wants to shove everything against the walls, or thinks that things will fit where they clearly will not. E.g. he thought we could move the t.v. into a different corner, and put the entertainment center "someplace else". I was like, "Where?!?"

That's one thing I hate about our small house. One new thing and EVERYTHING gets out of whack. I said, "I want to move." Which prompted the okay how much money are you going make to make up for the extra mortgage payment. And my comeback is always: Our mortgage will stay the same b/c we'll make a profit on this house....We are like an old married couple. Wait a minute -- we ARE an old married couple!









But now this morning -- I'm back on track the trees look beautiful -- and you can smell the piney smell all through the house....







:


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## cdmaze

Us too. We got the xmas tree and everything been a disaster- we cant even enjoy the tree. Theres just no place for anything to go! It's so frustrating! Almost 900sq. feet is killing me.

But I am trying to love it- trying to overcome and make the best of it- I dont want to do the "I'd be happy if I had...." game that my parents have done all my life.


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## oldcrunchymom

We have a wicked skinny 6' tree. We used to have a shorter one but it was "fatter" and thus actually took up more room. This one fits in a space that's less than 3 ft. In 500sq ft, every foot counts!


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## *bejeweled*

:


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## SageR

My family is very, very fortunate! We live in a 1200 sq ft house we built 3 years ago - 2 bedrooms and a full bath up, greatroom, den, pantry, half bath, laundry closet down. No basement. Right now it's actually too big for the 4 of us - we cosleep and the boys play in the greatroom, so their bedroom is rarely used, and we rarely use the half bath. We have closets in each bedroom to help with seasonal storage.

I purge A LOT and often, so we have no clutter and no space use issues. Also our philosophy is buy better quality, but less, so we have a small amount of very open ended toys for the boys, pretty enough to display housewares, that kind of thing. No knick knacks or purely decorative items. Very basic furniture, solid color fabrics...we're just about to the point where there really is nothing left for me to give away, and thankfully our friends and family either have the same philosophy or are at least respectful of ours, so no one gifts us uneeded items anymore.

I love having a small house and wish it was smaller! I like the tiny mortgage, not having a lot of stuff, not having to spend lots of time cleaning, and especially because the way our home is designed, we spend most of our waking hours together as a family. We have high ceilings downstairs, lots of windows throughout for natural light all day long, and the most used material is wood - since we weren't paying for square footage we could put funds towards niceties like big windows, hardwoods floors, butcher block counter tops, and a wonderful deep soaking tub. So it is really very pretty and comfortable.

Most other people love our house too. They are always surprised when they enter at how much bigger it feels on the inside than it looks on the outside. We never have issues entertaining, although overnight guests will be hard when they boys start sleeping in their own room.


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## sabrinat

Sage,
You sound like you're in a great home for your family. You're my inspiration, I'm working on feeling that way about our home. When I look around it seems like it should feel spacious and we should have plenty of space. My ongoing project is to purge and make my home everything that we want it to be.


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## StrawberryFields

We are in a small house and I love it! Not sure of the exact square footage--it seems to vary on all our documents--but it is somewhere around 900. Previously, we lived in a 350 sq foot apartment, and a 1000 square foot apartment.

Our house has a living room, an eat-in kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom downstairs, and one bedroom and a large walk-through closet/hallway thing upstairs. We have a ton of room. Since we all co-sleep upstairs, the downstairs bedrooms are a playroom and an office. There is a rec room in the basement that we tore out but will be rebuilding soon.

We entertain all the time and just had 40 people over for ds' first birthday party. We have a wide, full size Christmas tree but are entertaining the idea of a tall slim for next year. Maybe I'll post some small house pics sometime if I get my stuff together.


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## mightymoo

I'm going to jump on here because I'd love some tips and tricks. Granted, we are in a 1700 sq ft house w/unfinished basement (well part is of the basement is a 1 car garage), but it is small to us. Partially because its very segmented - the downstairs is divided into 4 rooms, so the living room is small even though we have a spare room on that level and partially because we moved from a larger 2400 sq ft house.

I am not really one of those of you who love living in the smaller house, I am looking forward to getting a bigger house someday, though I don't like the accumulation of crap that comes with the larger spaces. We bought the smaller home with the intention of saving money and eventually when the market is right, rent out this house and buy a bigger one. I purged a lot of stuff in the cross country move, but moving in here (and actually leaving half our stuff in storage in my mom's attic) I realize we have a long way to go.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lckrause* 
We have a wicked skinny 6' tree. We used to have a shorter one but it was "fatter" and thus actually took up more room. This one fits in a space that's less than 3 ft. In 500sq ft, every foot counts!

We got a 'slim' tree too, it looked so skinny in the store, but its just perfect for the corner of our room. Any larger tree would overwhelm our little living room. My husband calls it 'efficient'.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mightymoo* 
I am not really one of those of you who love living in the smaller house, I am looking forward to getting a bigger house someday, though I don't like the accumulation of crap that comes with the larger spaces. We bought the smaller home with the intention of saving money and eventually when the market is right, rent out this house and buy a bigger one. I purged a lot of stuff in the cross country move, but moving in here (and actually leaving half our stuff in storage in my mom's attic) I realize we have a long way to go.

I thought I would comment. I think it's really a mindset. I've lived in bigger places and bigger didn't really make me happier, stuff doesn't make me happy. But having a comfortable loving home to share w/my family does. There are things that I need to work on in our home. Like the tons of crap we have...but I try (and am trying) not to focus so much on the actual building, kwim. There's alot to love about a smaller home...I hope you can grow to love living in your small place.


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## McFeelings

Checking in here. We've got a 1500 sqf home. It is just the two of us until May but we hope to grow to a family of 4-5. The thing I love about our home right now is that it doesn't take long to clean, the closets are plentiful and spacious, the vaulted ceiling, and the open layout of the kitchen/dining room and living area. All of these things keep it from feeling too cramped. I still haven't wrangled a good craft/sewing storage and practice area but am hoping that will come sooner rather than later. Oh, and we need about a million more book shelves!


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## mightymoo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
I thought I would comment. I think it's really a mindset. I've lived in bigger places and bigger didn't really make me happier, stuff doesn't make me happy. But having a comfortable loving home to share w/my family does. There are things that I need to work on in our home. Like the tons of crap we have...but I try (and am trying) not to focus so much on the actual building, kwim. There's alot to love about a smaller home...I hope you can grow to love living in your small place.

My issues with the smaller current home relate around things like having nowhere for my frequent visiting in laws and other friends to sleep once DS starts using his room (and if my BIL & fam want to come they have to stay at a hotel), not being able to host my family at holidays (easter & thanksgiving were 30+ people, we were squished in my mom's & aunt's homes and that's fine, but its physically impossible to do here). Even Christmas, which we are going to do xmas morning at home for the first time ever, and go to my mom's for dinner (again, probably 20 people) - but my mom, dad and brothers will probably come over to watch the kids open presents and even that will be a challenge to fit them. As a whole we are pretty happy with the house, we especially love the big yard which I found was hard to come by even in the larger homes, but its never going to be able to accomodate some of the things I want which are mostly connection with family and friends related, not possession related, so eventually we will probably get something a little bigger and/or better laid out for what we want to be able to do.

That's all fine, we made this choice because we wanted to save money (and I'm very glad we did it) and because we didn't want to buy at the top of our price range something that wasn't perfect for us. So our plan now is to live here for 5-10 years, then when we are ready take our time and find the perfect house for us without feeling rushed or having to compromise.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *McFeelings* 
I still haven't wrangled a good craft/sewing storage and practice area but am hoping that will come sooner rather than later.

I'm in the process of carving out a space for myself in our 1700 sq. ft home. I have commandered a store room at the top of our stairs that was full of stuff. I've been freecycling like crazy and today I started moving in!!! Woo Hoo! I never thought I'd have the space for a craft room (well technically a craft closet, but I'm thrilled!). I did a search on the web and there's some good ideas out there. Using closets, armoire's, eaves under stairs, garages...etc. I had been in the dining room, but as it's our lone eating area, not so good!


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## Berber

I've desided to declutter my house this year and I've started with my wardrobe. I'm happy to say that I've loaded threee huge garbage bags full of clothes, shoe's and accessories. It feels so good. Especially seeing how most everything has a place. I still have a ways to go but I feel good about this small feet.


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## thomlynn

There are three of us in a 1200 square foot house with a two car garage, which really won't fit two cars unless you don't want to get in on both sides of the car, but always has one car parked in it, and one crazy dog. Our lot is 100 feet wide and 75 feet deep, so I really would like a bigger lot but I love love love our house and we got a great deal on it so we're staying.

I would like less to clean so I wouldn't mind going smaller but we're hoping to have lots of kids so we really should just stay put and grow into this one.

I started reading this thread b/c I love little houses but I didn't think I could be a part of it, then I saw people with houses bigger than ours so I'm joining up. It's very encouraging to see larger families in smaller houses.

I love the flylady idea about storing things where you use them. We've taken most of the towels out of the linen closet and put them in the bathrooms. Washcloths, hand towels and beach towels stay in the closet since we use them for things other than the bathroom. I'm moving the sheets to under the mattress when dd gets up from her nap. Any other ideas???


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## KathinJapan

wet basements, my mom had hers sealed. It really, really made a huge difference. Now you can store stuff down there w/o it getting gross. Sadly my step-father has now stored EVERYTHING down there and you can hardly walk through...

kitchen storage, another idea from my mom. She put in extra shelves in her cupboards, the highest one is only large enough to hold the lasagne pan and other casserole dishes, it is a bit of a reach to get to, I need a step stool, but since there are not other things piled on top it is easy to take down. She has another one deep enough for only coffee cups. It made much more storage, or efficient storage I should say in the existing space. She still needs to do some major decluttering `tho.

Kathryn


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## MaryLang

Can I join? The five of us are living in a 1000 sqfter, with no accesible attic, and no basement, just a ranch slab. I am going crazy with toys and clothes, and finding enough high places to keep little fingers away from dangerous or important things.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MaryLang* 
Can I join? The five of us are living in a 1000 sqfter, with no accesible attic, and no basement, just a ranch slab. I am going crazy with toys and clothes, and finding enough high places to keep little fingers away from dangerous or important things.


That's me, crazy w/clothes and toys! I'm really trying to purge...I keep saying it so that I'll keep doing it.

My dh and I keep discussing the whole do we need a bigger house or just less stuff. Dh thinks we need a bigger house. I think our house is fine (especially the smaller mortgage). But here's the stats. We have 3 bdrm 2.5 baths and approx. 1700sft. We also have 4 children (3 boys and 1 girl). My dh swears dd needs her own room at some point. I don't think it really matters. I know there are tons of different gender sibs sharing rooms from birth to college and that it won't scar either kid.
I'm interested in opinions on how much space does a family really need.


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## thomlynn

I think you should do a major declutter then reassess your space. I know we end up feeling cramped sometimes but it's because we have to much stuff, the house is really messy or we're stressed in other areas.

DH and I have talked about the same issue with the rooms. I really want a big family, three or four kids, but we've only got two extra rooms. I agree with you that you can make it work but my DH is like yours and isn't so sure. I've thought about it a lot and maybe planning a little alone time in the room, for each kid not just the boy and girl combo might work as they get older. That's what I kinda planned, but I've only got one dd at the moment so I have no idea if that would work IRL. I've just got ideas at the moment no experience.

sabrinat -- what about space outside, are they safe playing?? do you have a big yard or are you nearby any parks?? I think that adds to you space with lots of kids b/c they've got more room to run.

Thats the one and only thing I don't like about our house, we don't have much room outside that's safe for playing. We were only allowed to fence in a small part of our already tiny yard b/c we've got a street on one side of us. It's not a busy street (only two families use it at the moment) but I'm not comfortable with kids playing outside of the fence b/c we've got a couple crazies around at the moment (the cops were out here the other night b/c during an argument these people started shooting their guns







: ) How can I feel comfortable with her playing outside when that stuff is going on.

OK back on topic, I say purge a bunch of stuff then see if it still feels too small. Good luck!!!


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## art4babies

subbing.


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## thomlynn

OK so I've been getting rid of tons of stuff the past few days and the house already feels more roomy and open. I'm loving it.

I love Christmas but I'm kinda glad the season is almost over so I can put the decorations away. I've decided I'm going to get rid of a few of the directions after this season. I hate that two weeks after I put my stuff up I'm overwhelmed by it all and want to take it down. That is not what Christmas is about, so I'm going to only keep the stuff that I really love and has a speical meaning to me.

DH has even agreed to go through the garage and get stuff out for the garage sale. I'm so ready to have some extra room in there. I feel like every time I open the car door I bang into something and I can't get around at all if the car is actually parked in the garage.


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## Mamma Christi

I'm not in a small house, but rather a 900sq/ft apartment. Hopefully this time next year it'll be a house though


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## sabrinat

I'm really proud of the fact that my children had a wonderful christmas and I managed to pay cash for all the gift (no credit cards used, woohoo!) and I managed to get things that won't contribute too much to making the space feel small or cluttered! Everyone seems happy and dh is off the week so we're going to work on some home improvement projects. I'm excited to get some stuff done around here in my ongoing process to make our home as wonderful as possible for us all!
Hope your holiday is and was wonderful in your small home too!


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## cdmaze

Wow- Sabrina- I was going to post nearly the same thing!

No charged gifts- no junk to have to manage in the kids room- an awesome xmas.


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## Cloverlove

Our house is 1200 sq.ft. plus a finished basement and nice backyard. I don't mind the size, it is more the layout (It's not the heat- it's the humidity







). The previous owners did a great job with the basement and upstairs bedrooms. They added lots of storage, another bathroom and skylights, which make the bedrooms seem much bigger. However, the main floor is very segmented and the tiny rooms are starting to make me crazy.

I love that it is easy to clean and the space forces me to declutter. The main drawback is that we traded space for accessibility so we still pay an outrageous mortage.








My dream is an open, 1600 sq.ft. house with a family room instead of a finished basement in an affordable city OR a small highrise condo in Vancouver or Sidney









As for entertaining- parties in the summer are no problem, but we are definitely cozy in the winter. It is funny though because most of our friends here happen to be our neighbors and they all have tiny houses as well. We just send the kids down the basement and it works out fine.


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## applejuice

I live in a house that is 2500 square feet. It takes days to clean and it is so tiring.

I miss my little 890 square foot home. So easy and cozy.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *applejuice* 
I live in a house that is 2500 square feet. It takes days to clean and it is so tiring.

I miss my little 890 square foot home. So easy and cozy.

Isn't it funny about wistfulness? When you have a small house you wish for a big house and when you have a big house you wish for a small one


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## 3_opihi

Subbing! There are six of us crammed into our little 3 bedroom 1200 sf. townhome. (My mom lives with us too) Honestly, it's not so bad, but we will need one more bedroom eventually. We don't have a lot of stuff, but we are crammed in here like sardines. I love it. I've always lived in little houses and I think a big place would freak me out.


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## Denvergirlie

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=531660

Have you all been reading this thread as well? Under 600 Sq feet


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## thomlynn

That is one of my favorite threads. I also love her blog. The link is in her sig. She is very inspiring.

Does anyone have anymore helpful storage tips??


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## 3_opihi

I'm not sure what kind of storage you're talking about, but I went and got those closet organizer things for all of my closets.. They are a HUGE asset..not only can we store twice the clothing, but they also work as shelves so I keep toys, rubbermaid bins full of stored items, paperwork ect in them.

I also use those hanging fabric shoe shelve things for storing the kids clothes and all of my yarn.

It's all about shelving. I tell ya.


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## thomlynn

Nothing specific I'm just always looking for tips.

Thanks for sharing about your closets. We use the shoe organizer too, keeps things off the floor.

One thing I like are the unfinished crates you can get at the craft store. We use them for bookshelves and they can be stacked lots of different ways to fit the space you have.

Do you think it would work to store extra blankets under the couch cushions?? (I bet you could even store beach towels if you were really desperate for closet space) We have mostly pretty quilts on a rack but I'm just thinking out loud here. I love the flylady tip about storing things where you use them. I know I mentioned earlier about moving my extra sheets under the mattress.

I'm also in the process of making a fabric bag for my down comforter out of dollar a yard flannel. I've heard you're supposed to let the fabric breath therefor the plastic bags are a bad idea. We'll see how that works out. My thinking behind it is that it won't be in a crumpled mess on the shelf and if it falls down I won't have to refold it. Plus I think it would look a lot nicer that just folded.


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## 3_opihi

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thomlynn* 
Do you think it would work to store extra blankets under the couch cushions?? (I bet you could even store beach towels if you were really desperate for closet space) We have mostly pretty quilts on a rack but I'm just thinking out loud here. I love the flylady tip about storing things where you use them. I know I mentioned earlier about moving my extra sheets under the mattress.


I just went and put my folded pile of living room blankets under my couch cushions!!! It works. Thanks for the great idea. I love this. I can hide them from my children who have a certain affinity for unfolding blankets and dragging them around the house.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *3_opihi* 
I'm not sure what kind of storage you're talking about, but I went and got those closet organizer things for all of my closets.. They are a HUGE asset..not only can we store twice the clothing, but they also work as shelves so I keep toys, rubbermaid bins full of stored items, paperwork ect in them.

What closet system did you get?


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## starry_mama

Hi, can I play?









We live in an apartment that is less than 500 spare feet. It's me, DH, an almost 3 year old, and a almost 1 year old. And our dog.

We're moving (this weekend!!!!!), to a duplex that is more like 1000 square feet, I think. But it has a staircase,which takes up alot of room. I'm so excited to have a *huge* place to spread out it!


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## 3happygirls

Don't have a small space, but I think the biggest thing she did in that small apartment was USE the space she had well!! Obsiously, no clutter. With a bigger house we have everywhere in the world to put clutter, tons of closets, full basement, full attic, etc....but why is all this crap out and visible????







: I sit here on the computer wishfully thinking about having someone like her come arrange my space/decorate/make my house beautiful. I think that's partly why I let it get cluttered. I really don't "like" anything I have....even though, I think I'm pretty content. I just need to make the space MINE. No idea how, though.


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## mightymoo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *3happygirls* 
I just need to make the space MINE. No idea how, though.

I have this problem too and I think part of it stems from the fact that I find few things really so beautiful or whatnot that I want to own them, that I want to commit to them so to speak. I have bought so many things I thought I liked in my life that later I didn't that I feel like I'm waiting to find the right piece, and as a result I have blank walls, etc.


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## thomlynn

Quote:


Originally Posted by *3_opihi* 
I just went and put my folded pile of living room blankets under my couch cushions!!! It works. Thanks for the great idea. I love this. I can hide them from my children who have a certain affinity for unfolding blankets and dragging them around the house.









I'm glad it worked!!! I need to walk around and see if I can think up anything else.


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## 3happygirls

Me too, me too!! Then I end up with a bunch of things that don't go together. For example, the lids she had hanging on her wall, or the trays in the kitchen. I may have one of those things and something else similar, but a diff. style/color....then I hesitate, b/c I know things look better in groupings. I TRIED with some plates/platters I had and thought, "get 'em up there, then go back and add to it". Well, that never happened, b/c of afore mentioned problem of not wanting to commit to something. Then I ended up with two silly little plates on a HUGE wall....I was always embarassed by them, but it took me forever to take them down. Now that wall is BLANK!!


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *3happygirls* 
I think that's partly why I let it get cluttered. I really don't "like" anything I have....even though, I think I'm pretty content. I just need to make the space MINE. No idea how, though.


That is one thing I did do right. I'm the queen of the thrift stores and bargains, but every piece I have I really do love. Very little of my possession are new, but they were all slowly acquired and well planned out. Sometimes I've brought things in that didn't quite work, but I think I'm at a point w/the furniture and decor that I'm pretty pleased. Like I love midcentury stuff, but wouldn't want to have an entire home like that...so I've settled on a sort of flea market chic meets modern design style.


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## conflictedmama

I also was totally inspired by that blog and the pics. I am going to re-double my efforts at decluttering.

So New Years Resolution #1...

to get stuff up on the walls -- and get rid of the rest. I have been painting off and on for over a year and still have pictures etc. leaning against the walls and taking up space in closets.

Now if I could just find those hanging hooks and the nails....


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## conflictedmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thomlynn* 
That is one of my favorite threads. I also love her blog. The link is in her sig. She is very inspiring.

Does anyone have anymore helpful storage tips??

I use a lot of over-door shoe hangers. We have one filled with barbies and barbie stuff and another filled with craft supplies, scissors, tape, etc. (I copied from another friend on this one...) I found that tupperware boxes don't really work as everything ends up mixed together...


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## heathenmom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *conflictedmama* 
I use a lot of over-door shoe hangers.

I love these things, but dh hates 'em. If I could figure out some way to secure the bottom edge to the door so it didn't swing freely and bang back into the door, I think he wouldn't gripe so much about them. Hmmm. Maybe double-sided sticky tape? Or thumbtacks?


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## Heather423

I live in a 1600sq ft house and I find some rooms cluttered and we have 2 rooms not even being used. The den (w/a fireplace) is empty of furniture except for a bench by the door for shoes, that room was recently gutted and has yet to be painted, but almost finished. We have a dining room as well that is not being used, and we cannot afford to furnish those rooms. The house is from 1885, so needless to say every room needs to be gutted and resheetrocked. Currently our nursery is gutted down to the studs and now open to the attic! But luckily we can close the door and not see it. I doubt it will be done by my March due date. Storage is nice, we have a one car garage, unfinished unfinishable fieldstone basement, two bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, so all and all it is a house we can definitely grow into. I would love to get rid of all the 70's panelling and aweful wallpaper, but we can only work at one room at a time. So far we have the kitchen and den almost completed and the nursery. Plus a guest bedroom/office and hallway with lead paint, we need to take care of soon. Right now it is only me, DH and the first on the way.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Heather423* 
I live in a 1600sq ft house and I find some rooms cluttered and we have 2 rooms not even being used. The den (w/a fireplace) is empty of furniture except for a bench by the door for shoes, that room was recently gutted and has yet to be painted, but almost finished. We have a dining room as well that is not being used, and we cannot afford to furnish those rooms. The house is from 1885, so needless to say every room needs to be gutted and resheetrocked. Currently our nursery is gutted down to the studs and now open to the attic! But luckily we can close the door and not see it. I doubt it will be done by my March due date. Storage is nice, we have a one car garage, unfinished unfinishable fieldstone basement, two bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, so all and all it is a house we can definitely grow into. I would love to get rid of all the 70's panelling and aweful wallpaper, but we can only work at one room at a time. So far we have the kitchen and den almost completed and the nursery. Plus a guest bedroom/office and hallway with lead paint, we need to take care of soon. Right now it is only me, DH and the first on the way.

Your house sounds great and like a fun opportunity to put your own stamp on it!


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## 3happygirls

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
That is one thing I did do right. I'm the queen of the thrift stores and bargains, but every piece I have I really do love. Very little of my possession are new, but they were all slowly acquired and well planned out. Sometimes I've brought things in that didn't quite work, but I think I'm at a point w/the furniture and decor that I'm pretty pleased. Like I love midcentury stuff, but wouldn't want to have an entire home like that...so I've settled on a sort of flea market chic meets modern design style.

Pics? My problem is I don't know what I like furniture-wise. I don't even know what "mid-century" means.







I have a real hodge-podge of furniture. Sure, I can go into a furniture store and see a whole set that comes complete with the type of decor you need to go with it, but I don't have that kind of dough!!! I have a HUGE vintage couch from my in-laws (circa 1971), that I'm sure someone could make look really cool. A couch from MY parents that was white with pink flowers







! I slipcovered that. Anyway....maybe I'll post pics of my house and someone would be kind enough to tell me what to do. I have a friend that's an "interior decorator" that says , "I think it looks fine" just to make me feel good. I need someone to rearrange stuff for me with WHAT I HAVE. I don't have the $$$ to go buy all new stuff. I really don't have the eye for the Goodwill either.


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## zipworth

Our house is only 900 square feet. It's a 1 1/2 storey cape cod, built in 1947. Plus we have a basement that is very damp, and several crawl spaces upstairs, and some itty bitty closets. We also have a nice big backyard, and front yard. There is me, my DH, 3 year old DS and 1 year old dd, a cat, a yellow lab, and two chickens. I run a home daycare, so I turned our dining room into a playroom, so now our dining room table is in our living room. Our biggest problem is definitely clutter, and all our furniture is hand-me down and waaaaay too big! For instance, I fantasized about having a lazyboy while I was pregnant with DD, with NO intention of fulfilling that fantasy, as we just do not have the space. My ILs went and bought me a huge blue velour one! It was really, really thoughtful, but it is way too big for my tiny livingroom







. Plus, my mom recovered my too big curb-find sofa for me, and she did a beautiful job, and it took her months to do it. So, I feel guilty about thinking about getting rid of these items. So much money and thought went into them. I have no problem purging other stuff.

I want some smaller scale furniture for sure!







:


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## mightymoo

An over the door shoe rack, why didn't I think of that! Of all the places our house feels really small, its the front door (and this is the door we come in through). The front door swings open with Zero clearance to the stairs (so when its open its touching hte stairs and the coat closet is behind the front door directly at the bottom of the stairs, so the front door has to be closed to open the coat closet and neither can be opened if anything is at the bottom of the stairs, which is further complicated by the fact that we have a gate on the other side, so needless to say its a tight space to get in and find your shoes, in the pile. And there is no light there or in the closet, so its very dark. But If I put a shoe organizer on the door of the closet, then our shoes would be more accessible and would free up the floor space of the closet for other things (or at least for more organized boots)

I'd also like to find a way to put my daughter's coat in a place where she can reach it and put it away, currently it gets hung up but that is too high for her to reach. If I put the shoe organizer low enough, the kids can put their shoes on it, and get one of those hanging cloth shoe organizers cubby things for hats and mittens, but what could I do with the kids coats?


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *3happygirls* 
Pics? My problem is I don't know what I like furniture-wise. I don't even know what "mid-century" means.







I have a real hodge-podge of furniture. Sure, I can go into a furniture store and see a whole set that comes complete with the type of decor you need to go with it, but I don't have that kind of dough!!! I have a HUGE vintage couch from my in-laws (circa 1971), that I'm sure someone could make look really cool. A couch from MY parents that was white with pink flowers







! I slipcovered that. Anyway....maybe I'll post pics of my house and someone would be kind enough to tell me what to do. I have a friend that's an "interior decorator" that says , "I think it looks fine" just to make me feel good. I need someone to rearrange stuff for me with WHAT I HAVE. I don't have the $$$ to go buy all new stuff. I really don't have the eye for the Goodwill either.


Now this is something I'm pretty good at. I do have good vision and creativity, just no $$$. But you can shop your house and come up with some great things. Also you have to think outside of the box too.
I'm not very good w/the digicamera computer thing...in fact being able to post w/quotes is pretty fancy for me. But I can give you ideas if you like.
I bet you sofa circa 1971 is awesome. Probably real kiln dried hardwood frame, eight way hand tied and probably better made than most stuff you could get today without spending alot of $$$. Even if the fabric is not to your liking you can cover it up or play it down.
Wall art. I love framing stuff my children draw. I pickup cheap frames at GW, target, World market/costplus and places like that. I you can also frame fabric or get paint chips (you know the strips from the paint store) and frame those in an abstract way. Very cool
A bench, stool or ottoman as a coffee table. Stacked objects (um...books, suitcases) as endtables.
If you mention something specific I can come up with some more ideas for you.


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## bethy

I'd like to join this thread too, if I may. I'm embarassed to share that our house is 1840 sq ft with 4 small bedrooms and two living spaces. For me I still have "small house" challenges though. There are 3 issues.

First, we are a family of 4 and I'd like to have a third child someday. I know our house will easily fit a family of 5 with small children. I'm just worried about how it will feel when those 3 kiddos are adult-sized. I'm sure it's all a matter of perception but 5 adults feels so big to me. DH and I are both Introverts so it's important to us to have some seperate spaces available in our house for retreat.

My second issue is DH who is a PACKRAT. ARGH!!!!! It drives me absolutley crazy. We do make regular trips to the Goodwill and he could be worse but I could seriously purge our house of 1/3 our possessions tomorrow and easily. He's always worried about "just in case we might need something." I can't stand too much clutter so at least we have enough closets and a garage in which to stash all our unnecessary stuff.

Third issue is really hard to admit: Our house is half the size and 20 years older than literally all of our friends and aquaintences. I know that I shouldn't care and that all that matters is that we like the house. In fact, we lived in a newer but smaller house till recently and it's "newness" made it not feel like home to me. It felt like a blank slate and an apartment. I never felt settled there. Also I really dislike very open floor plans and high ceilings.

And the thing is, these friends with McMansions and granite countertops and crown molding don't necessarily have larger mortgages. Quite the opposite. They've just played our booming housing market very very well. I wish we had been aggressive enough to do the same. Not so we could have a bigger house, but instead so we could have a smaller mortgage on this one.

Anyway, we live in a fantastic established community where neighbors really get to know each other. The public schools are outstanding and DH's commute is as fast as it could reasonably be. We are centrally located to all our friends. Also we have a large yard (though a lot of street noise) and we live on a cul-de-sac.

Two other reasons we wanted a bigger house than some of you here have is that we have very frequent overnight guests and so we have a dedicated guestroom. Also DH works from home a lot, so he needs a dedicated workspace that is free of kid noise and sticky fingers.







Finally I strongly dislike TV and DH loves it. He grew up in front of one.







Anyway we have a daylight basement where he can watch to his heart's content and I don't have to listen to the drone. Neither are the kids exposed to it. You gotta do what you can, I guess.


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## sabrinat

I really think the definition of "small home" is self defined. I think our house is probably big enough, dh thinks we live in a small house and compared to about 95% of my friends we do.
I'm just focusing on making the space work for our needs.
I can relate though. It's hard not to have house envy though at times. Not for the material things...but for the idea of it. Like I would love a huge craft room and dh would love a home office, but it's not something we'll ever have in our current digs.


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## 3happygirls

Gonna take pics today and will get them up ASAP. You can all weigh in on how to use the space better....to make it more homey.


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## sabrinat

bump...
this worthy thread was falling too far down the list


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## thomlynn

Thanks for bringing it back, we've kinda stalled. Any good small house topics for discussion or good ideas??? Come on I know you clever ladies have something worth mentioning!!!


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## sabrinat

Well...How about the topic of room revitalization. My friend and I were talking about how you can change the entire look of a room just by rearranging the furniture. I'm watching "Freestyle" right now and that's all they do. No money, all your own stuff just mixed up. I love home dec. shoes that you don't actually have to make or buy something. I know that I have tons of good stuff around here. I'm thinking of rearranging my bedroom. It's a box, literally, but the obvious placement of the bed is between the two windows. Ideas?
What are some fun, budget friendly things folks have done to spiff up a room using what you have? I'm a fan of paint.


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## thomlynn

I totally agree about paint. Paint can really change the feel of a room.

Rearranging rooms I am not so good at. I did do it today though. DD is starting to really get around now and we had created a "box" of furniture and she was inside, well she's tired of that so I redid it all. It looks terrible but it will keep her in the living room. We don't have doorways into the living room just openings, so the big couch went in front of the big opening into the kitchen and her basket of toys is blocking the hallway. The room looks much much bigger b/c everything is out against the walls but it looks pretty stupid. Oh well it's serving a purpose so I can live with it for awhile.

Anyone have any before and after pictures??

ETA -- We hung a quilt on the wall using an old rod and sewing some cheap fabric on the back of the quilt to make a sleeve. It looks so pretty and really brightened up the room.

ETA2 -- At one point we had a piano bench under the quilt and two baskets under the bench, it looked so pretty. I had some of my pretty dishes on the bench. We took it down when we childproofed.


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## thomlynn

http://www.homekeeping101.com/news/d...all-space.html

Just found this, it's pretty basic but good info.


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## heathenmom

deleted


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## sabrinat

Alright bumping for the week. New small house topic of discussion.
How do you entertain in your small house...or do you. In our situation we've lived in our home for 7 years. When we had 1 or 2 kids and the house still felt big, we did quite a bit of entertaining...now w/4 I haven't had more than a few family members over. My goal this year is to open up my home more. I am a great hostess (







if I say so myself) and I miss entertaining. How about you? How do you entertain.


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## Cate

Hi, I just found this thread, I haven't read through the whole thing yet, but I wanted to introduce myself.

I don't currently live in a small house. However, soon, we will be moving to a small one, which presents a whole sleugh of challenges. The house we're moving to is about 1/4 the size of our current home. There are 4 of us, DH, myself, and 2 kids.

I'm really excited about it... not so much about the size, but the location. We're out in the country now, but we'll be right in town when we move. We actually lived there when we first got married, but then moved out here, now we're moving back, but with two more people. DH is a horrible packrat and we were cramped the first time we lived there, but after 6 years in a big house, and two kids later... should be interesting.

I'm trying to convince DH to just 'let go', and let me (with his direction) thin out the possesions, and he's going along to a certain extent... but he's holding onto the idea of moving back into a house that's somewhere inbetween in size, and wants to rent storage space, so we can keep everything. <sigh>

Anyway, anyone have any experience sizing down dramatically? Any advice on helping DH let go? I'm really excited about the small space, but how do I help DH and the kids (and the cats (2 of them, who both lived there before as well)for that matter) ) adjust?


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## 3_opihi

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
Alright bumping for the week. New small house topic of discussion.
How do you entertain in your small house...or do you. In our situation we've lived in our home for 7 years. When we had 1 or 2 kids and the house still felt big, we did quite a bit of entertaining...now w/4 I haven't had more than a few family members over. My goal this year is to open up my home more. I am a great hostess (







if I say so myself) and I miss entertaining. How about you? How do you entertain.

Ooh, this is a big one for me. Because of the layout of our house, we really just can't entertain more than maybe a couple people at a time. If we have kids over it's just completely insane. It's a big sticking point for us and I think it's another reason we want to move. I love having people over!


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## oldcrunchymom

We really can't have a "party" in our house. There is just not enough room or enough seats. We've had a couple small (5-6 people) birthday parties, but that's it. Having a couple kids over isn't a problem as my kids each have their own room and they can play in there. We don't have a couch or any comfy chairs (just the four kitchen chairs), so any type of formal gathering is out.


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## mightymoo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Cate* 
I'm trying to convince DH to just 'let go', and let me (with his direction) thin out the possesions, and he's going along to a certain extent... but he's holding onto the idea of moving back into a house that's somewhere inbetween in size, and wants to rent storage space, so we can keep everything. <sigh>

I'm not sure how he became such a sentamentalist about his possesions... his parents are both quite practical about letting go.... I think it must be his gradfather's influence... the man straightens nails so that he can reuse them someday. (He has jars and jars full of them!) He (DH's grandfather) and my father get along great... I think it's a 'child of the depression' thing.

Anyway, anyone have any experience sizing down dramatically? Any advice on helping DH let go? I'm really excited about the small space, but how do I help DH and the kids (and the cats (2 of them, who both lived there before as well)for that matter) ) adjust?


I'm no expert, but I do like what they do on some of those organization shows. They pull everything out in the driveway and sort it into 'keep, trash or donate' and then the host tells the couple. Okay, you have X amount of space in your closet (lets say) so pick out what you are going to keep from the keep pile. It helps tremendously to really see how much space you have and rather than trying to figure out what to weed out, do it 'desert island' style - figure out what's most important to keep and keep going until you've filled your space up.

You might also point out to him that by the time you have a bigger house, he'll probably hav eacquired more things.


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## Berber

We love entertaining guests and we do so much more in the spring, summer and fall. We have an enclosed bricked in patio that works perfectly. When we bought new furnature for our home I saved the old sofa and chair and kitchen table and we store them in the garage. In the summer we pull it all out and create another 'room' out there complete with a fire pit and all. It is probably my favorite room in our whole home. It works perfectly for having guests over... I've received so many compliments on the space from our guests as well.

I definitly suggest going this route for those of you who have an option to add a "private" area to your yard. It is so lovey!


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## Stone Fence

1248 square feet + 1248 in unfinished basement. The basement is starting to get de-cluttered. The extra storage can become a catch all and fill up quick. We have good closet space but I aspire to owning less.


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## thomlynn

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Berber* 
We love entertaining guests and we do so much more in the spring, summer and fall. We have an enclosed bricked in patio that works perfectly. When we bought new furnature for our home I saved the old sofa and chair and kitchen table and we store them in the garage. In the summer we pull it all out and create another 'room' out there complete with a fire pit and all. It is probably my favorite room in our whole home. It works perfectly for having guests over... I've received so many compliments on the space from our guests as well.

I definitly suggest going this route for those of you who have an option to add a "private" area to your yard. It is so lovey!

This is our plan when we move. We want to build about the same size as what we have here, we're just going to use the space differently, and have a large outdoor area. Not only would it be great for entertaining but also just to get your family outside into the fresh air.


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## crunchy_mama

Joining here, although our place definitely isn't what I would consider tiny, in today's standards it is standards it is smallish. 1150 upstairs and down, but the basement only has 1 finished room, which is dh's sleep room(he works night) and computer room. Our house design is not the best, so we have a lot of wasted space.

re: entertaining. That only happens here in the summer when we can be outside. Our dining room is teeny tiny and now especially with kids it is very cramped when we have anyone over. I will be glad to get the family room finished in the basement so we will have more room.


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## sabrinat

New topic: How do you carve out personal space in a small home?

I like to craft and it was difficult to do so without the kids getting into my stuff. I converted a store room (closet) into a craft room. It's very small, but it's a space of my own. How have you found a way to have personal space to do the things you love or just be alone in your small home?


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## Cate

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
New topic: How do you carve out personal space in a small home?

I like to craft and it was difficult to do so without the kids getting into my stuff. I converted a store room (closet) into a craft room. It's very small, but it's a space of my own. How have you find a way to have personal space to do the things you love or just be alone in your small home?

This is something that really worries me about moving into the smaller home. I'm used to having my own space to keep my sewing/knitting away from the kids/cats. Unfortunately, not only is the house we're moving to small, but it has almost no closets. The only closet in the house was created by putting up a new wall a couple feet out from the 'real' wall, and turning the space in between into a closet, with a door in the new wall to one room, and a door in the old wall to the room on the other side.
I'm looking forward to hearing other people's solutions to this issue.


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## thomlynn

I don't really have anything so I'm very interested to hear other's ideas. We are planning on building a house someday and I was hoping to build a large room that would hold the washer and dryer, a homeschooling table, shelving and my sewing table. We'll see how that works out.


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## conflictedmama

My only advice is to de-clutter de-clutter de-clutter. We have closet issues too.
I try really hard to not hold on to clothes we don't need/love. We have a lot of bureaus. Very few things have to hung up I've found.

Ikea sells "wardrobes" and we got a cheap white one from KMart that is basically dh's closet. Kind of ugly but serves us well. My 2 girls share a closet -- and I put two bars in it, one up one down. They have way too many clothes, btw. DH keeps a bunch of his clothes in the coat closet downstairs. And of course, the radiator is his favorite place to throw them after a long day!







:

My biggest gripe is shoes -- they are always everywhere and now that we got a dog this is a huge problem...


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## oldcrunchymom

We have NO closets. So I use bookshelves for storage instead.

WRT to personal space, it's impossible for me to have my own space in our house (500 sq ft). So, I gave the kids the bedrooms instead and ALL their stuff is kept in their rooms. That way I don't have kid stuff in here (living room/kitchen) and if I don't want to see kid stuff I can just shut the doors to their rooms. The only things of theirs in this part of the house are their homeschooling books.


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## CandyApple

RE: Space for Crafting

The easiest way for me to stay "sane" crafting is to put all supplies needed for one project in a bag/tote. Then when I get a little alone time, I have everything I need in one spot to take to the table, our bedroom, where ever I can work w/out interuption. Then its easy to quickly put away for next time too. This helps me to focus on only a few projects at a time.

That being said, I do have a corner of our sun porch that has my sewing table and all general supplies in totes underneath. Its way too cold to work out there right now, but I can quickly sort thru and grab whats needed to organize a project box without freezing permanently.


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## My Three Boys

I'm definately subbing here!! Although, now I feel a bit funny about my house - I always thought ours was small. We have 1400 sq. ft for six of us, but the layout is really funny. Anyway, we moved from a 3500 sq. ft. house six years ago.

Right now our house is on the market because we want some more space. We have another house picked out, but dh and I are thinking we may just stay here and remodel the parts we're unhappy with in our current house. I'm starting to get excited about staying now.

My biggest issue with a small house is entertaining. I loved reading teh discussion on that! Another issue I have is finding a place for ME!!! Sometimes when I'm on the phone I just want to get away from the NOISE! What do you do?


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## mommycakes

Subbing. This is great.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *conflictedmama* 
Anyway, I wanted to pass on a great idea I got from Flylady (okay I'm out of the closet!) She says you should only hold on to 2 sets of sheets for each bed in the house and store the clean sets between the matresses.







Brilliant! She suggests this in order to clear out the "linen closet" and I wish I had one! But for us it clears out much needed drawer space in the bureau....

I forgot about flylady. This tip is great. Our small house is really short on storage. I will do this. Wow, this will free up two whole shelves and that means a lot here


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## FreeRangeMama

On the subject of craft stuff, I have been just keeping stuff in stackable containers, but I am trying something new, displaying my stuff like decorations/collections. I revamped my book shelf so that now I have different sections devoted to different hobbies. I currently am on the lookout for some funky jars/vases to keep different knitting needles, crochet hooks, etc. On another shelf I will keep similar jars of sewing notions and such. I can put the machine on the very top of the shelf once I find a new home for all the board games







It is looking pretty nice so far and that way all the stuff is where I actually USE it.


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## CandyApple

Quote:


Originally Posted by *FreeRangeMama* 
On the subject of craft stuff, I have been just keeping stuff in stackable containers, but I am trying something new, displaying my stuff like decorations/collections. I revamped my book shelf so that now I have different sections devoted to different hobbies. I currently am on the lookout for some funky jars/vases to keep different knitting needles, crochet hooks, etc. On another shelf I will keep similar jars of sewing notions and such.

I love this idea! Off to sort thru the vase collection and clear some space!


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## thomlynn

I keep my machine, a little container of sewing stuff and the little bit of fabric I have in the hall closet. Scrapbooking stuff is in a picnic basket on top of the book shelf and all other craft stuff is in another basket on the bookshelf. I like the baskets like the PP mentioned about the totes, you just do what you can then put it away quickly and it's easy to throw your basket on the shelf. I have to do everything on the kitchen table but dd isn't old enough yet to bother it. I'm just waiting!!


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## lisalulu

What a great thread! I live in a 720sqft house with dh, ds and our very big lab. We don't have a basement but we do have a detached garage. We just made the commitment to stay in our house for a few more years (we were planning on moving in 08). So we are now trying to declutter.

I think the entertaining issue is the biggest one I have with living in a small space. We had ds's 1st b-day here and with 8 guests it was crammed. We are contemplating seeing if we can tear down part of the wall that separates our kitchen and living room. Our kitchen is pretty big for such a small space and it would make entertaining easier.

As to the craft question. I have no room for my own space. It actually doesn't really bother me. I have been contemplating learning to sew. If I do, I think I would have to start using part of the garage because it just wouldn't work in the house!

Lisa


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## soybeansmama

We are a family of three, soon to be four in a 700sq ft house with 2 dogs, a cat, a large skink, and a rabbit. We have one room that is the playroom and we co-sleep in a big bed in one side of the living room. We pay $500 in rent here in california and since there is no way we would get anything else we could afford, we stay!!! Totally outgrowing it! I also teach Bradley classes on the other side of the living room. It is very cozy, but frusterating at times. I am glad I am not alone...


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## simple life

Subbing

I think we qualify! Ours is barely 500 sqft. We do have a garage though and a full attic (but it's unfinished). If it were our we'd put some dormers up there and make it living space, but it's a rental. We have NO storage. Can't wait to read the rest of this thread to see what you all have to say.

ETA: Currently it is just two of us, but in a month it'll be three. We have 6 cats, a dog, a guinea pig, a turtle, 2 finches and fish. It's quite tight. Mostly the issues I have are storage. No counter space in the kitchen. We also have no yard at all. We had to break up a concrete patio to have a garden!

Julie


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## simple life

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lisa72* 
Takes me about 7mins to vaccum the whole thing and I only have to unplug it once.

I can do the whole thing in about 5, closer to 10 when I get the attachments out and do corners, but 10 is pushing it. I put an extension cord on the vacuum so I don't have to unplug once (I keep it wrapped up with the vacuum cord). There are benefits to the small house!









Julie


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## sabrinat

So many of us have professed to love our small spaces. If cost weren't an issue, would you move if you could.

I have to be honest...we would probably go up in size so that we could have a 4th bedroom and another living area.
The reality is IF I could find a house that didn't raise our mortgage more than a few hundred/month we'd go for it. I wouldn't move if it meant suddenly increasing our expenses. Since we currently can't go up in space without going up significantly in cost without getting a fixer up (and dh ain't handy!)


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## oldcrunchymom

Yes, we are in 513 sq ft and ideally I would like another room so I could have a room of my own. Also, we don't have a tub in the bathroom and I would like one of those. I don't think I'd want anything much over 1000 sq ft though. I'm a lazy housekeeper and I really like being able to deep clean the house in like 2 hours.







Plus bigger houses have always felt un-homey to me.


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## janerose

Oh, I wanna join! We're a family of 4 (DH, myself, DD1 27 mo, DD2 who is due any day) plus 8 cats. We had 2 dogs when we moved here as well, but have since found a new home for them. Our house is 800 sq ft with a screen porch on the back & a deck on the front. No basement. An attic for storage, but it's only accessible by a ladder outside. We do have a 2 car detached garage that is currently *full* until spring comes & we can move our storage stuff into the attic for long term storage. On the plus side we're on a very private acre of land, back off the road in the woods, and my kids have a rockin' yard to play in during nice weather!

Our situation is a bit different though. This house belongs to my family & I lived here from birth until age 6 when my parents built a bigger home next door. DH & I also lived here for a couple years while we were engaged & first married. Since we're buying the home from my Mom our payments are VERY flexible, which is part of the reason we moved back. It allowed DH to finish college.









I wouldn't mind having another decent size room. At the moment we have a living room, eat in kitchen, 2 bedrooms, washroom/pantry, and a full bath. We've talked about converting the back porch (8'x24') to a playroom/entry/office space/extra 1/2 bath. Honestly, if we were to do that I think I'd be OK with the size for quite awhile. DD1's bedroom could become just a bedroom & would have plenty of space for her & DD2 to share. DH would have some office space back, which he desperatly misses. We'd have room for a few book shelves. And of course the extra toilet is always nice.









That's assuming we stay here though. DH graduated & is now looking at grad programs & jobs. There's a possibility we may relocate to a neighboring town in the next year or so. But if we do the place we get more likely than not won't be any bigger. Housing prices there are very high and we just couldn't afford a bigger place, even if DH's salary was twice as much as it is now.

Holly


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## 3bees~1flower

hi....haven'tread all the posts, but hope to...we are a family of 6 living in a 2 br, 900sf house...it's my fil's house that we don't even pay rent on, so can't complain too much...but i really do like my little home...and it's amazing how much bigger a small house can get when you utilize all the space...when i was pg with dd (baby #4), we finsihed the basement...moved our bed down there...we now spend the majority of our time in the basement that is even smaller than the upstairs, but just love the coziness of having our tv right where the wood stove is...so it's our family/bed wroom. i also have a soap kitchen in our basement that dh built last spring/summer for my little biz. when dd gre out of her cradle that sat right next to me by our our bed, she had to have her own space as she was too easily woken while the other kids watched tv...so we turned our only (little) storage closet into a little br for dd...i LOVE her room...it's as wide as her crib and has just enough room for a glider rocker....just perfect! the boys are upstairs...older two share a room and ds3 has his own room. before dd came the boys were all in the one br.

we don't let the size of our house stop us from what we love most....entertaining....we do it all the time!!

now....two years ago this march, we purchased a 5.6 acre acreage that dh is (someday) going to build a timber frame home on...i don't want huge, but i would like the kids to have a little more space to run around...with there being 4 kiddos underfoot, it can get pretty wild with all the rough housing....and as they get older, i want them to be able to have their own space where they can go have time to themselves, if they need it.

what i love about our small house is the ease of cleaning and picking up...my whole upstairs can go from disater to very well picked up in under an hour...and i can vaccum the whole upstairs at one outlet.

am looking forward to reading the whole thread and learning all your tircks and tips to living in a small home.


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## FreeRangeMama

I would move for a better layout rather than for space. Right now we have one really large master bedroom, a regular sized bedroom, and a "bedroom" that is not even big enough for a bed







I would like to have 3 regular rooms so that I could eventually put 2 kids in one room and 2 kids in another then have a master bedroom/office for dh and I. Of course that won't be necessary for a long time yet (they all will be with us mostly for a while to come), but I would like to just have a house and keep it forever rather than trading up and up and up. I prefer to have a smaller house and less stuff. Simple and sustainable living is a value I wish to pass on to my kids


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## stirringleaf

so my house must be like 400 sq ft, cuz it sounds wayyyyyy smaller thatn you guys' houses. i have one bedroom that has just enough room for a double bed tucked over on one end of it. there are not closets, just a wooden wardrobe. then i have a livingroom that is about 12 by 15 feet? and a kitchen which is the largest room in the house, and a little mud room in the back that has just enough room for my washer and dryer ( but the hookup doesnt work)

ther is a small metal shed in the back i can put a few things in . we do have a nice big yard.

but i think my entire house is about the size of a 2 car garage.







maybe a little bigger. seriously. just me and ds lilve here. the bedroom is essentially his, but i do keep my clothes in there , on one of those cheap metal target rolling rack thingies, and in the wardrobe. his bed is a bunkbed, so i have 3 laundry baskets on the top bunk right now, to store extra clothes in. i put the skinny mattress from the top bunk onto the double-sizede bottom bunk, and alongside that wall, on the actual bunk frame itself, is a cubby-style shelf holding alot of his toys. the futon from the bottom bunk is on the futon couch in the living room, which is hardly ever folded up into a couchm, becasue its my bed!

anyway just wanted to post on here. i like my small house!


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## simple life

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
So many of us have professed to love our small spaces. If cost weren't an issue, would you move if you could.



Well, we talk about this a lot actually because we love the simple frame/design of our house. It's a rental, so we talk of what we'd do if we owned it. First we'd move it (incredibly simple well built house) to some land, right now we have no yard at all and actually have a driveway that goes all around our house - not our driveway, but goes to houses behind and beside us. We would change the garage into living space and add dormers and insulation to the attic so that we could use that space. We'd still be at about 1100 sqft, but it would be the perfect size, maybe even a little too big. I would probably also add about 5 feet to the kitchen, out the back. I definitely have no desire for a huge house. We could never afford to heat/cool it, and you lose so much closeness as a family in a big house.

Julie


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## Mama_Michelle

I love my little house too. It is 925 sq ft for me, DH, 2 DDs, a lab dog and a cat!! We had considered moving before DD2 was born but we decided not to because I love my house too much! It is cramped because the kitchen, living room and 'master' bedroom are all pretty big rooms. It seemed perfect when it was just DH and I. There is a second bedroom that barely fits a toddler bed and changing table (but no worries about bed space when you cosleep!). There is also a small sunroom which sometime around DD1's second birthday became a playroom. No closets except in our bedroom.


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## sabrinat

Today is a day that I'm feeling like our house is tooooooo small. I'm doing laundry (we absolutely have too many clothes) and since we have no extra room the laundry is piled about 6 feet high waiting to be folded. I don't have time to fold it all today since I have a meeting in about an hour. It's frustrating. DH and I are trying to clear out our garage of "stuff" to use for laundry. I'd say I'd get rid of the clothes...but the reality is that I have a super hard time doing it and stressing about doing it will just feel me with anxiety!
I've followed that simplicity thread and while I thought her place looked great and spartan, It's not for me. I have to be honest. I really do like my stuff. I use my stuff. I like having lots of tupperware and more than one pot. It really is just the clothes and the toys...I need to have a garage sale! Too bad I work weekends!


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## mightymoo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
Today is a day that I'm feeling like our house is tooooooo small. I'm doing laundry (we absolutely have too many clothes) and since we have no extra room the laundry is piled about 6 feet high waiting to be folded. I don't have time to fold it all today since I have a meeting in about an hour. It's frustrating. DH and I are trying to clear out our garage of "stuff" to use for laundry. I'd say I'd get rid of the clothes...but the reality is that I have a super hard time doing it and stressing about doing it will just feel me with anxiety!
I've followed that simplicity thread and while I thought her place looked great and spartan, It's not for me. I have to be honest. I really do like my stuff. I use my stuff. I like having lots of tupperware and more than one pot. It really is just the clothes and the toys...I need to have a garage sale! Too bad I work weekends!









It really helped me to realize that we dirty the laundry at the same rate whether we have less or more clothes. So you do the same number of loads regardless - but the difference is, with less clothes, it can't pile as high - so I feel its less stressful that way.


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## ginnyjuice

My house is almost 1000 sq. ft.--the basement is included in this number. It's a castle for my neck of the woods , actually(downtown Phila)! It was definitely one of the bigger houses we looked at in the same price range.

Right now it's me, husband, and dog, but we are adding one more person in May.

The layout is actually pretty good--the first floor is all open, so we are able to entertain more easily than if it were broken up into separate rooms. Our living room furniture crushed a lot of our space, but it's comfortable so we don't mind too much. We have a table that converts to a smaller size very easily (the leaf simply folds into the table--no disassembly and storage needed) in the dining room and we keep folding chairs for extra seating.

The kitchen is an issue, but I think the space is managed well. I use a lot of hanging baskets for produce and snacks.

My only complaint is our only bathroom--it is only accessible through the 2nd bedroom (which is to become the nursery)

We have a small yard, surrounded by planting boxes and with a little deck--a lot jammed back there for the size, really. It opens into a nice alleyway that we and the neighbors keep clean and pleasant.

We're mostly concerned about where to store all the baby gear that is going to flood our place. Really, all I need is a few things--but people are alreayd buying us a bunch of stuff. This happened when we got married too. People just don't realize that we only want what we need!

I'd love to post pictures of our setup if I can remember!


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## StrawberryFields

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
So many of us have professed to love our small spaces. If cost weren't an issue, would you move if you could.


We wouldn't. Cost really wasn't the reason we chose our small house. I mean, it was to a point because we had a budget and had to find a house that fit in our budget, but we could have picked something larger if we wanted. The only thing that we would change is add a shed dormer to the upstairs--it's a 1 1/2 story.


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## sabrinat

bumping

Advantage of small house. Easy to heat. We've been having a bit of a cold snap and even with our high ceiling, I've been able to toss a log in the fire and keep us toasty warm.


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## dflanag2

Where to start?

First I want to tell you all about the book that really turned me on to small houses: _Creating the Not So Big House_ by Sarah Susanka. The book looks at smaller homes from an architectural point of view and explains the reasons why your house feels so warm and cozy compared to the big drafty houses they keep building these days... by reading it you might get some ideas for how to improve the beauty and efficiency of your space, but I warn you, a lot of it will probably give you the urge to do some remodeling projects.









I read this book before DH and I married and bought our home, so when I was looking for a house, I was looking for something Not So Big. (The added bonus is the ability to pay the mortgage on one income!) My house is 1600 sq feet w/4 bedrooms, 2.5 small baths, has a 1 car garage and a half finished basement. It is less than half the size of the typical McMansions in our area.

After living in the house for 2 years and figuring out all the things we liked and didn't like about it, we remodeled the entire main level (which consists of living room, dining room, kitchen, foyer/bath/pantry.) We added the pantry, also a phone/mail center, and I took the opportunity to 1) open the space so that I can keep an eye on the playing kidlets while cooking/etc. and 2) precisely configure the kitchen so as to increase the storage as much as possible. I also added three windows on the south side, and I swear, it looks like a totally different house with all the additional light, much bigger despite the fact we didn't add ANY extra square footage.

In order to make this big remodel worth it, we are committed to living in the house for at least 20 years. As a result, we are looking to invest in very long term upgrades and furniture. In addition, every piece of furniture has to earn it's keep. Everything has storage space, even the bench in the foyer has storage under the seat and hooks for guests' coats/bags. The coffee table has drawers and is big enough to double as a train table (the only toy DS has played with in months). We added cabinets around the fireplace (right now they hold toys), and put a closet system in the pantry (elfa when it was on sale--again making a long-term investment) which I LOVE because every once in a while we reconfigure it a little better and fit more stuff in there. Even the bathroom vanity has the drawer underneath the cabinet where the kickboard is. I can get so much stuff in that drawer! Making these big changes has a more significant price tag, but it is worth it to me to pay $99 for a new vanity to get the extra storage that I will use for the next 2 decades.

CRAFTS: We kept the old kitchen cabinets and countertops, and we put them in the laundry room/unfinished part of basement. They aren't installed, but make a perfectly useful counter/storage area. I can store a bunch of craft stuff there (for me, it's mostly photos and scrapbook stuff), and the idea is to eventually finish the room as the laundry/craft room.

STUFF MANAGEMENT: The main use for the countertops right now is that they are the drop off place for any New Stuff coming into the house. I gradually work on finding a specific place for each item, and I am RUTHLESS about not keeping stuff that we don't want or need. One of my projects right now is getting a variety of china/dishes together that I don't have room for/don't want so that I can sell them all at once to Replacements.com where someone else who wants them can have the oppportunity to buy them! I consider purging to be a constant project. I give things away to people who want/need them, sell stuff at consignment sales, donate to goodwill, and we did hold a yard sale, although I am hoping that we won't get that much stuff built up again.

ENTERTAINING: We have hosted successful events up to about... 18 people or so including kids. (We have big families). This has become much more pleasant since opening up the main level. My mom has a set of bamboo trays that we regularly borrow so that people can eat a meal without sitting at a table. We pull out all the chairs as well as folding chairs and maybe the folding table.

The long-term plan is to purchase a extending dining room table that fits through the opening b/tw the living and dining room; hopefully we can seat 12-14 people depending on whether we use benches or chairs. Also, we put a bar counter on the wall between dining room and kitchen w/barstools for additional seating, buffet serving, and for keeping the cook company while not being in the way









This works for us b/c the get-togethers are of the type where people are mainly sitting around talking and eating. In warmer months we also utilize the outside for larger get-togethers.

DECORATING: Well, we have started to hang things on the walls, and its been about a year since we remodeled. Again, I look thru the stuff we have to see what would be an approximate fit. I don't worry about things being exactly perfect (except measurements, those are pretty much in stone). But just group things together and see what works pretty well. Otherwise we don't decorate other than easy houseplants seeing as DS is 2.5 and likes to play football in the living room. A couple green things here and there really adds to a room even if the leaves are a little brown here and there (I'm not sure what color my thumbs are but they sure ain't green)

I feel so good about our house because I love the recycling aspect of improving the space. (I have a ton of additional remodeling plans, poor DH hears about them all the time!) I got the sense when we bought the house that no one had really ever thought of it as a Home, and I have really enjoyed making it into one, even giving birth to DD in my own bathroom, what better karma could a house wish for?

OFF TOPIC(?): I am trying to carry the recycling theme forward as much as possible. When I get the urge to buy something, I try to think, "What do I have already in the house that could be used for this purpose?" Then buy the minimum new items required to complete the task. Just a few weeks ago I put together 6 little baby gifts for pregnant friends: I reused cute baby gift bags (of which I have dozens) and gave each mom a few newborn disposable dipes I had leftover, a couple big underpads leftover from my homebirth kit (you never know when one might come in handy!) a little newborn hat, a few pregnancy tea teabag packets, a bunch of herbs for a perineal compress, and a backissue copy of Mothering Magazine.







It got rid of a bunch of stuff I had lying around that was no longer useful to me as we are finished having babies, and I hope it was useful to them...

I have pictures of my remodel, and could probably put together some 'before' pictures but I am a bit Internet-illiterate and don't know how to share them with you all. Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading, sorry for such a long post! It felt so great to write!

-dflanag2


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## sabrinat

Dflanag2
Loved your post.
Curious, I see you're in north. VA. knowing what a hot expensive market that you're in did that also influence your housing choice?


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## dflanag2

sabrinat-

We were lucky to buy before things got really 'hot', and we were lucky that DH owned his previous place and was able to sell for a profit. We were also limited as to where we could buy because DH rides his bike 7-8 miles to work in downtown Wash DC, and I fell in love with Arlington and I cannot think of another place I would rather live. We actually live about a mile from his previous place. We are within a mile of Metro, shopping, multiple parks, bike trails, etc. A grocery store is 3 blocks away.

But even if we could afford a McMansion we wouldn't have wanted to buy one. If we had unlimited resources, I would still want a house about the size of the one we have now, maybe with some green design/energy saving features.

We looked at houses with more square footage, but weren't interested in them because the layouts weren't very efficient and the locations weren't as good. I wanted a small space that was well laid out and efficient, not only inside but as we relate to the community around us. It goes back to our values of wanting to avoid waste and conserve resources. When you have a smaller house, you need less furniture to furnish it, less heat to warm it up, and that less cleaning factor is nice, too.

Also, it just seems like the more space you have, the more stuff you get to fill it up. The more stuff you have, the more time you have to spend managing it/taking care of it. Then you have less time for the fun stuff, whatever subject that may be.

I still have a number of boxes of Stuff that I have to go through that I have been hauling around for way too long. It's a neverending process, but at least now, I can think of several places in the house where there are half-empty shelves.

-dflanag2


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## 2babybees

Our family of four plus dog and two cats has 1400 square feet. We also have one home office in that space. It is like a mansion to us after living in a 792 square foot home for years. I never want to live in a house bigger than the one we have. Ever. Whenever the kids have moved out I want something 1000 square feet or less to live out my days. I love the simplicity of less space. After doing a major decluttering I can't imagine how hollow a house any larger than ours would feel. We have an amazing open floor plan that makes the downstairs feel huge even though it isn't by most peoples standards. The kids rooms are small but they only use them to sleep in mostly. Our room is larger but usually we seem to have two little ones and all the pets with us most nights so I enjoy the bigger master bedroom.

Sometimes I wish we had a guest room but it just forces us to be creative. Or at least make sure we really want to have the visitors that are coming because they are right there sort of thing.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dflanag2* 
e.I have pictures of my remodel, and could probably put together some 'before' pictures but I am a bit Internet-illiterate and don't know how to share them with you all. Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading, sorry for such a long post! It felt so great to write!

-dflanag2

I'd love to see pix. Did you guys live in during the remodel?
I reserved the book you suggested from the library. I've actually looked at it before at the bookstore, but never "read" it, just looked at the pretty fotos. Now I'm going to read it.
I have an ambivalent relationship w/our house sometimes. I love the area, the price...but it's very basic and we perceive it to be too small. The reality is that we live in about 3 rooms, we have too much crap and that the home has alot of nice features and potential if we just do stuff. Dh is hesitant to spend money on the things that would make it more livable becuz he wants us to move to a bigger place. I'd rather take nice trips, save for retirement and the kids education than move up to a bigger mortgage. I'm working on it though. I keep reading the threads and in the last few months I've done some major decluttering...still have a long way to go, but I'll get there!


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## sabrinat

what happened to all the small house people


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## UmmBnB

We have about 1300 sq feet. I'd be perfectly happy with the house staying exactly this size but the kids are going to eventually need their own bedrooms. The two basement rooms don't have safe egress so we can't really use them as bedrooms. We're going to add on a small master suite in about 3 years. We have a very nice sized yard so even with the addition we'll keep lots of outdoor space.

In some ways it feels like the basement is unnecessary space but on the other hand I do love having a separate toy room!!! The other room serves as office/studio for dh's band. I get so much more work done when I work from home now that I have a dedicated office! The laundry area is also down there and there's room for me to set up a sewing space once dd is old enough to leave my projects alone. One of the greatest things about the basement is that it was dug out after the house was already built (built in 1948. So behind all the walls is a "fruit shelf". We are cutting in storage cabinets in a few areas to utilize this awesome space.

We might also make the current useless tiny attached garage and expand the living room. Dh is a contractor so we can do all the work for materials only. He has plenty of trusted subs for the plumbing and electrical and we often do trades with them as it is.

<<<<< So many of us have professed to love our small spaces. If cost weren't an issue, would you move if you could. >>>>

We just bought this place in June and it's intended to be an investment property. The neighborhood we bought in is sandwiched between a super pricey older neighborhood (early 1900's) and a super pricey brand new urban development. We are about 7 mins from downtown so its highly desirable. The houses are flipping like crazy. I doubt that when and if we sell we'll look for more sq footage, but a better layout would be nice. That said, we may get all the work done and decide we just want to stay.


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## sabrinat

bumping...
This was a good thread


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## kijip

We (2 big people and 1 little person) have lived in everything from a 450 sf studio (where cubic space was valuable- loft bed etc) to a 8-- sf house to a 1500 sf apartment. Now we are in a 900-1000 sf apartment, 2 bedrooms. We are buying a townhouse that will have slightly less than that once the garage and den area on the ground floor are excluded. So less living space, but more storage. We love smaller spaces as they positively impact our day to day life- less junk lying around and more opportunities to be together. We have considered cottage living (going to a 1 bedroom house again for all three of us) but as the kid grows bigger and we consider a second kid, I just don't see it. I am too accustomed to my child having their own bedroom with kid centered stuff in it at this time.


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## kijip

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UmmBnB* 
<<<<< So many of us have professed to love our small spaces. If cost weren't an issue, would you move if you could. >>>>

No. We are buying and we are intentionally buying small. In our price range we could find a 3-4 bedroom house with 1500-2250 sf (we have looked at a few) but in the end decided on a smaller townhouse, for a variety of reasons. Even though the townhouses we are looking at are the same price for less space due to location, newness, being built green etc.


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## lindberg99

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UmmBnB* 
We have about 1300 sq feet. I'd be perfectly happy with the house staying exactly this size but the kids are going to eventually need their own bedrooms. The two basement rooms don't have safe egress so we can't really use them as bedrooms.

Do the basement bedrooms have any windows in them? If so, you can probably get them made into egress windows.


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## sabrinat

Lately, I've been in the "I really like our little place" mode. My mom is visiting and helping me do a few thing around it. And as I look around, it not a bad little adobe. The kids love it, it's a safe neighborhood, we live with in 5 miles of 4 parks, convienent to shopping and the schools are excellent. Sometime I have to admit I get envious of bigger spaces...but as my mom has pointed out some things that make me appreciate what we have...a lovely home.


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## KathinJapan

it is nice to get a fresh perspective. my folks came to Japan and stayed a month, the house did not seem to small. we did not go out much b/c of baby and toddler.
Kathryn


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## sabrinat

Bumping this...
We're a family of 6 and live in 1700 sq. ft. At times it's seemed small, but I'm determined to stay (love the location and the mortgage







) and create it into the home we can all love
Since we last talked I've been working really hard on making our small home a lovely place. I'm on vacation right now and doing some much needed purging.
We've had the interior painted and it looks awesome. We've gotten some new appliances and best of all hardwoods in the entire downstairs! Bye Bye gross carpet! We're getting a new front door too. My next big project is to do some landscaping and plantings.
What have ya'll been up to?


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## mightymoo

Our current project is our basement, I've done a lot of decluttering around the house, but generally I banish a lot to the basement, so this is hte hard part. Our house is also about 1700 sq ft, it's a dutch gambrel, so a basic rectangular shape, the basement is 1/4 one car garage which we can't put our car into anyway because we own a riding lawn mower and no where else to put that, so the car and the mower can't fit. So we have storage shelves in the garage. Then the other 1/4 of that half of the basement is the laundry area - the furnance and well are there. The other 1/2 is a big open unfinished space. My goal is to get all our storage into the laundry & garage half of the basement, so that the other 1/2 is completely clear so we can finish it as a playroom / family room. It's a walk out basement, so ideally we want to be able to walk out to the backyard and fence that area in.

So, we are working on getting rid of a ton of stuff!


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## Juliacat

Subscribing. Dh, 23-month-old dd, our cat, and I live in a 680 square foot house. All of the rooms are decent-sized except that the living room is smaller than some people's closets. (And the closets...but we won't go there.







) It would be nice to have a bigger living room and one extra room, but we like our house a lot and the mortgage payment is very low, so we figure on staying here for another decade or so.

Decluttering can be a full time job though!


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## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
Lately, I've been in the "I really like our little place" mode. My mom is visiting and helping me do a few thing around it. And as I look around, it not a bad little adobe. The kids love it, it's a safe neighborhood, we live with in 5 miles of 4 parks, convienent to shopping and the schools are excellent. Sometime I have to admit I get envious of bigger spaces...but as my mom has pointed out some things that make me appreciate what we have...a lovely home.

Yeah, I kind of hear you on that.


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## ani'smama

Our house is 900 square feet with an unfinished basement which houses dh's woodshop.

There are 3 bedrooms, but one bedroom has our antique dining room furniture that dh inherited from his grandparents. Dd's share a room, which I like, but they would rather have separate spaces.

I agree about having people over, it's cramped. But, we usually try to entertain mostly when we can be outside on our fairly spacious patio.

We are looking for a new house - I like small spaces and don't want a big house, I just want something that better suits our needs.


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## Cloverlove

I live in a Cape Cod, so there are 2 big bedrooms upstairs and another, smaller bedroom on the main floor. I have been lucky to have the little room as my office/guest room because ds and dd have been sharing a room. The upstairs room is huge and I wasn't totally comfortable with ds alone on the 1st floor. However, ds is going to be 10 soon and I think it might be time for him to have his own room. *sob*

The problem is I have no idea as to what to do with all the stuff in this room- there is a futon, a desk, a trunk and a good-sized dog crate. I don't really want to sell it all off but I'm kind-of stumped.

One positive change we made was giving up our dishwasher. It was the portable kind and it took up a TON of space in our tiny kitchen. We eat in the dining room, but I really wanted a table and a couple of chairs in the kitchen for when the kids are doing homework and I'm making dinner or when we have guests over, etc. Anyway, we bought this table and chair set and it is perfect. So yay!


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## KariM

We're a family of four (soon to be five) with a large dog (95 lb black lab) living in a 1300 sq ft home.

It's a bit cramped and we're really working on decluttering. I think when we get rid of the STUFF, it'll be a great space. It was perfect for when we were a family of three. It's DD's toys that really seemed to start the imbalance.

I need to clear out the office and convert that into a playspace and I think it might solve our problem.









We do have an upstairs, but it's primarily just sleeping space and bathroom. All our living happens downstairs. Unfortunately our basement isn't really useable space - very old, partially dirt floor - just use it for storage and laundry.


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## wombatclay

We're selling our ~1600 sq/ft home (a 1912 crafstman that I honestly love) to downsize to a ~900 sq/ft "cabin". We are making the move since our current home is just to big for a family of 4 and a cat...plus the financial savings, the ability to stay home with the girls, and the chance to have some land a bit further outside the city while the girls are little.


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## Twinklefae

I don't know the square footage, but we just moved into a formally 3 bedroom mini-home (ie. trailer). It's plently big enough, but short on closets! I'm really struggling with this as a lifetime packrat. Although I've been slowly uncluttering since getting pregnant.


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## sabrinat

Love hearing everyone's stories.
It's funny because I'm cleaning our "small house" I'm thinking...whoa, it's too much to clean


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## sabrinat

What are your small house holiday decorating plans?


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## Stone Fence

Thanks to Sabrina for bumping up this thread. I have to go back and re-read everything. We may be moving. It's my chance to start over with less stuff and possibly downsize our mortgage.

If we don't move I'd like to declutter enough to have space for the tree without moving furniture. We get a real tree.


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## janerose

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
What are your small house holiday decorating plans?

Well, I'm a real minimal holiday decorator anyway. We probably won't do anything for Halloween or Thanksgiving. The girls are still too young to really do pumpkins.

For Christmas we're doing a tree (something we havn't done for almost 3 years) now that DD1 is old enough to enjoy it. Some garland along the room divider between our living room/kitchen. Some cardboard cut outs that I hang on our doors. Ummm...yeah...that's about it!


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## momaste

We're pretty small here, too, at 920 sq. ft., but it feels pretty comfy for our family. It's crowded just because we have too much stuff, but as we pare down and simplify to just the things we use and love, it's really plenty of space for us. My husband grew up in this house, and DS has the room that was DH's when he was a kid.









I'm hosting Thanksgiving for 12 this year and don't think space will be a huge issue. My feeling is, I host for a huge crowd once or twice a year; the rest of the time, it's just us and maybe another family, and that fits fine in our home as it is. I don't need to pay the _huge_ difference that a mortgage on extra space would be just to entertain a few times a year.

Our good friends host Christmas for 20-25 every year, and they extend the table into the living room so everyone sits at one really long table (with folding tables making up the extra space at the end.) They're in the same sized house as us and it's fine - cozy and fun every year.


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## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
What are your small house holiday decorating plans?

Our kid is only 2 so we've still got a couple of years of not celebrating the holidays.







:

We had 4 people over for dinner the other night and it was ridiculously crowded. This house is totally not meant to hold 7 people! Luckily, they were good friends so they didn't mind eating dinner in 2 separate rooms and eating dessert standing up.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momaste* 
I'm hosting Thanksgiving for 12 this year and don't think space will be a huge issue. My feeling is, I host for a huge crowd once or twice a year; the rest of the time, it's just us and maybe another family, and that fits fine in our home as it is. I don't need to pay the _huge_ difference that a mortgage on extra space would be just to entertain a few times a year.


I totally agree. I do thanksgiving and we end up with 12-15, it might be a challenge, but everyone enjoys being together and the good food. It doesn't make sense to me to take on the burden of a bigger mortgage right now. I guess too small is really a state of mind.


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## Juliacat

If we had 12 people in our house, I guess we could put two in each bedroom, two in the bathroom, two in the living room, two in the dining room and two in the kitchen. Then they might fit.


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## Montana Mom

This year we moved out of an old 500 sqft house with one closet. It was honestly too small for our growing family. There are (almost







) six of us. We are now in probably a 900 sqft apartment and it seems HUGE! Tons of closets AND a laundry room!







:

I have to say, we are incredibly comfortable and fortunate.


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## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Montana Mom* 
This year moved out of an old 500 sqft house with one closet. It was honestly too small for our growing family.

YOU ROCK!!!!! I love talking to people who live(d) in a house even smaller than mine. And with a bigger family too! YAY!

900 s.f. would seem gigantic to me, too.


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## Montana Mom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
What are your small house holiday decorating plans?

I have clutter-phobia







so for us its a few lights outside and a little bit of garland. Last year we had a live tree, but I definately don't want to do that again so this year we will have a Jesse tree.


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## wombatclay

decorating- we cut "ghosts" out of craft paper and tissues and hung them from string from the light in the living room, and cut pumpkins out of craft paper and used tape to stick them on doors. My 2.5yo insisted that our house "needs halloween on it" so that was the goal!







The ghosts actually turned out really cute and they don't use up floor space or add a lot of visual "bulk".


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## CariOfOz

Our house isn't teeny, but it's considerably smaller than the place we just moved out of. SO far We're adapting pretty well... the kitchen is actually bigger than the last place, but the pantry is teeny







We've gone from 2 full bathrooms down to one but we're coping with that







. Will post piccies once we're all in, as I have some good ideas for space saving (if they work out anyway







) Now on to my whinge below:








: I love my small house, I really do. But I'm surrounded by boxes and things that need to go in the storage shed (which is currently taken up by the owners trash and broken appliances and is SUPPOSED to be hauled off by now) and it's getting me down big time. The place feels like such a MESS.. and the living room is weird... it's a good sized square, but about a third of the width of it in one corner is chopped away for an entryway (that doesn't have a closet even so whats the point?) and the opposite corner has a woodstove so I'm having an awful time arranging it so it feels 'right'







:


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## Babyvan

Hi all! new to this thread. We moved 2 years ago from a 1700 sf house to a 800 sf 100 year old country cabin. It used to be a one room house (pre electricity and running water). Later two small bedrooms and a porch were added, then the porch was closed off to form a bath and laundry area. The front door is out of commission so we enter through the back door directly into the messiest part of the house: laundry/mudroom/kitchen. I hate that part.

We have 4 children (14, 12, 8, 3). The three boys share the small room with a triple decker bunk bed my husband made and built in dressers. It's cozy but works for now. But we do need to get out oldest into a room of his own so plan on adding on next spring/summer.

Our daughter is in our room but there's barely room for her so we will build her a room as well.

Our living space is too small for us all to even sit in at the same time. Our kitchen is great, no complaints there, it's actually one of the bigger kitchens I've had. There are NO closets, so storage, not place to hang coats, or put games, etc. Since we live in the country and our power goes off often, we also have to store lanterns, etc so that takes up room.

It's difficult only having one bathroom for 6 people, especially when some take a loooooong time to do their business and one child has a disability that makes waiting impossible.

I don't mind living here as much as I thought I would. We do plan on adding on some next summer. We are looking in to building with cob. We are trying to stay off grid as much as we can.

What I dislike the most about this place is that there is NO insulation, which is about to be fixed soon but it's been a drag because there is so much heat loss and the walls condense and things mold if you aren't careful. We are going to insulate and replace the windows. That will help a lot.

I love that we are forced to live simply so we don't buy a lot. I am always looking for creative storage ideas for the stuff we do have. We have an outbuilding that we keep dh's work stuff and camping stuff, etc but we need to clean that out and pitch stuff. I also love that we have land so the kids can run free. We have goats, chickens, rabbits, and guinea hens. We want to get some peacocks and turkeys.


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## CariOfOz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
What are your small house holiday decorating plans?

nak so pardon lack of caps etc








just reading thru some more of the thread & found this!







: i love christmas decorating and i think in our news cozier diggs it will be much easier to get that homey holiday feel. once i sort out the evil lounge room arrangement i'll work out where to put the tree (fake..reakl ones don't do well in the tropics







) We'll have to find a new twig tree as mine seems to have been left behind in the move somewhere







: i'm a garland nut so lots of those draped everywhere


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## GenB

Quote:


Originally Posted by *conflictedmama* 
S

Anyway, I wanted to pass on a great idea I got from Flylady (okay I'm out of the closet!) She says you should only hold on to 2 sets of sheets for each bed in the house and store the clean sets between the matresses.







Brilliant! She suggests this in order to clear out the "linen closet" and I wish I had one! But for us it clears out much needed drawer space in the bureau...

.

I am SOOOO glad you shared that tip! Sheets are driving me crazy! Mine get jumbled in my linen drawer. Our house is 80 years old. The rooms are small and we have NOOOOOO closet space at all. Everything is in chests or amoires (sp???). Clutter piles up very fast and I must say, I have become ruthless in weeding it out. Thanks to this website, I am also very thoughtful about what I buy. We just need so much less stuff than I thought we needed when I was young!

I also love that I can clean it in about 2 hours.


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## sabrinat

CariofOz,
It sounds like your decorations will be lovely. I'd love to see pictures when it gets closer to the holidays.


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## BuggyBee

subbing!


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## sabrinat

Hey what have all the small house folks been up to? I've been purging big time and getting ready for christmas. I have lots of plans for the new year...a bit of painting and some new slipcovers and window treatments that I plan to make just as soon as I find the perfect fabric.


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## art4babies

We actually bought a fairly large house (about 1900 sq ft+) but are planning on buying some land and putting a small modular home on it. I saw something about these Scandinavian (I think - ?) modular homes, but I can't find any information on the net on them - ?! I saw a bit on them on HGTV, and I think they are called "Nomad Homes." I did a fruitless search, so if anyone has any information on them (or anything similar in the way of uber-modern modular "green" homes) please chime in!


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## MPsSweetie

Oooh, I LOVE small houses!

We live in a 1280 sq ft house, which is big for us. We have a huge living room and kitchen at the front. Actually the kitchen and dining area are one room, with the kitchen towards the back, kind of u-shaped and small. But since it is open to the dining area it seems huge. Then we have three bedrooms, one smallish room for Asheby, Amethysts room is big and our room is big also. Ours is set up weird though so we will be working on it come warmer weather. Then we have one full bath and one 3/4 bath off the master. We have 6 closets and a large set of cupboards at the end of the hall for storage. Our laundry room also doubles as storage for extra kitchen supplies and cleaning stuff. We have a stackable washer and dryer, front loading. In our living room we have a huge red couch, 3 pieces, then we left the center open for playing. Right now most of Ashebys toys are in there. We also have a large yard, but it needs a lot of work, again come summer. I cannot wait for summer!!

We have lived here for over two years now. Oh and we LOVE having a tiny mortgage. $325, can't beat that.


----------



## art4babies

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MPsSweetie* 
Oh and we LOVE having a tiny mortgage. $325, can't beat that.

::choke:: that is about 10% of our mortgage. Where do you LIVE?


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## MPsSweetie

Lincoln County, New Mexico

Billy the Kid country







(I have always hated it when people said that)

Seriously though, its in the middle of nowhere!


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## tresleo

My dh and I, five kids and an elderly uncle live in our 1600 sq ft row house - in my neighborhood, its tiny. I think its quite big, but could be laid out better.

We are looking for land so we can build a house it on and live there. So we can have a nice garden, and some animals. We plan to camp on the land as we're building.


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## mommajb

Here is my intro...

We have a story and half cape cod. The orginal house is about 1500 sq ft and a monster 600 sq ft family room addition. Over the years it has been modified so that it had 4 bedrooms, a kitchen and the family room. One of the bedroom was the living room, is a den, used as a master bedroom w/o a closet.

We have five children (and we homeschool) and everyone is pressuring us to house hunt. We like our house. I have to keep things simple and clutter free but it is affordable and cleanable. I get pressure from everybody on this topic but I feel like it is part of ou 'smaller footprint'.


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## art4babies

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommajb* 
HI get pressure from everybody on this topic but I feel like it is part of ou 'smaller footprint'.

Good for you. This is one reason we are considering downsizing - with our basement I find that 3000 sq ft. is way too much for me to take care of, and although we do all the green stuff we can, it would just feel so much more responsible to be stewards of a good piece of land with a very small "green" home.


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## BunnySlippers

subbing- will measure later. I think our house is roughly 600 sq ft lol. I love it for the most part.


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## MonP'titBoudain

We have a 1200 sq foot house. Which is more than enough space for the three of us to live in but it gets a little cramped because dh & I both work from the house. And dh is a "collector" (read: complete and utter pack-rat!!!). But, we can't/won't/don't want to move because it's super cheap to live in our little house and even cheaper to heat/cool it. And, I can clean the whole house top to bottom in an hour. And I mean really clean, not just the daily tidy and spot clean... that takes 15 minutes!

The only major drawback is that we love to have people over and it gets pretty crowded with just a couple extra people at our table.







I wish we had the space to have large groups of people over on a regular basis. But I don't want to clean for it....


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## sanguine_speed

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MonP'titBoudain* 
The only major drawback is that we love to have people over and it gets pretty crowded with just a couple extra people at our table.







I wish we had the space to have large groups of people over on a regular basis. But I don't want to clean for it....









Us too! I want space for PEOPLE. Lots of friends over.


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## amis2girls

I can't believe I haven't posted here.









We are five people in a 2-bed, 1,000-sq-foot house.


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## KathinJapan

We have room for guests, but ours is open plan. I love to entertain so we designed it this way. Where we live our house is considered large.
It is 1,200 or 1,300 square feet. I am not sure of the actual conversion.
LOVE IT, I can clean easily and the space feels calm and fresh. Very little wall space on the first floor, with lots of windows, and open plan.
kathryn


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## MonP'titBoudain

I'd love to have an open floor plan! With lot's of windows and natural light! My dream space (with absolutely NO clutter and neutral walls and just the minimal furniture). Aaaaah. Think I'll got to bed dreaming about that!


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## SumnerRain

I have an 1800 sf house, but it FEELS so tiny because of so much wasted space. It's 4 half levels (imagine a Z shape) with the middle being the main floor (living room, kitchen, sunken living room). For the 5, soon to be 6 of us. My front room is like a formal living room, but is completely WASTED SPACE! No one uses it, but because it's the room you walk into it would look silly being a practical room like a much needed dining room, or an office.

My kitchen is large, but without a pantry I am forced to use half my cupboards for food storage. I also have our large table in the kitchen (no dining room, remember?) I love our family room, but the main levels have no bathrooms.

My oldest two children live in the basement bedroom, but there is a "room" down there that is another wasted area because on one wall I have a washer and dryer, and a bathroom door, on the other wall we have the bedroom door and the staircase, and on the other "wall" are bi-fold doors to our furnace & water heater, so really it's an 8x10 room with only one wall... so its kind of a dumping ground for laundry storage, a fish tank, and toys.

My upstairs has a master bedroom and bath that work well, a nice sized guest bathroom, and two TEENY tiny bedrooms. One we use for my youngest son and it's only big enough for his toys, toddler bed, & dresser. Then the other room is the office, since we have no other place to keep the computer, kids' TV, and our files. We are going to keep the crib in there once #4 leaves our room (usually around 6-8 months), but I have NO CLUE where I will keep her clothes.

Our back yard is teeny tiny, and we have a small shed out there for the yard tools. Our garage is a 2 car garage, yet it only holds a honda civic and a VW bug that is wasting space. It also has a small freezer, and a few shelves. Everything else we keep in the crawl space. Storage is not the issue (except in the kitchen) where as "usable space" is a MAJOR problem and I just don't know where I can put things to make my "dead space" more usable.

I should also mention we also have 3 cats and two dogs, one is 85 lbs, the other is over 100 lbs.


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## sabrinat

Does anyone remember the old HGTV show "This small space" I loved that show. I wish it still came on. It showed real people really living large in smaller spaces. It made a huge impact on my world view. I realized that you really could live well in no matter what space you were in.
I remember one segment had a family of 5 living in 800sq ft and it was so well planned and they utilized every bit of space. The big thing was they really loved to entertain, so they incorporated the yard as part of their extended living area.


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## wombatclay

There's a show on now called "Small Space, Big Style". It sounds like the same basic idea... real people in real spaces living real lvies. Of course, many of them seem to be living a much more "expensive" life than we can afford, and a lot of them don't have children (900 sq feet for an adult couple is one thing, but add two kiddos and it's a whole different small space).







But I do enjoy the show!


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
There's a show on now called "Small Space, Big Style". It sounds like the same basic idea... real people in real spaces living real lvies. Of course, many of them seem to be living a much more "expensive" life than we can afford, and a lot of them don't have children (900 sq feet for an adult couple is one thing, but add two kiddos and it's a whole different small space).







But I do enjoy the show!

I've seen that a few times. For some reason I don't like it as well. Everything seems to have a more modern big money remodel slant IMHO. This small space seemed more budget friendly.


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## indeospero

Just found this thread and haven't read through it all yet. We are 3 (almost 4!) and living in an apartment of about 700 sq. ft. Most of the time it feels plenty spacious, and I would never think of moving just for more space. We do have an old cellar for storage on non-valuables, but just one closet. The living room is a little tricky because it has very little wall space, so furniture placement is hard. We have many, many books, but I think we could get them all properly shelved if I could get my husband (a carpenter!







) to build us some taller bookcases. The ones we have are mostly not ceiling height, which isn't taking best advantage of the limited wall space.

The one thing I do fantasize about is having a separate room that could be a dining room/library combo, with bookcases built in on all the walls, and a big table in the center that could seat dinner guests and also be a big workspace for us and the children (school, art projects, games, etc.). I love to have people over for dinner, but it would just be amazing if we didn't have to eat in the kitchen... just because it's almost impossible to get dinner tabled *and* the kitchen tidied enough to eat in, at the same time.

Does anyone live in a yurt? We are thinking about (well, I am campaigning for!) buying a nice piece of land and living in a yurt for a while until we could afford to build a more permanent house. I like the idea of living in an open, round space.

Subbing!


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## mommajb

Wow, some of you have small homes. I have lived in 600 sq ft with two children and it is close - but makes them easy to keep track of. Ours was built in the early 1950's and lacks things like basement, closets, mudroom, laundry room, etc. Imagine having a room for laundry or coats and wet boots.

Entertaining for a few hours or a meal isn't bad if you don't mind hearing the kids and/or sitting in the kitchen. Overnight guests fill me with dread. I don't feel like we can graciously accomodate most adults and more kids in my house at bedtime just isn't a good idea.







We have the bedrooms, then the kitchen and one other room. We use this room for everything and while we have a futon in here it is not private and we have to all go to bed with the lights out in order for our guests to go to bed.

My kids have large enough rooms for their stuff if you don't mind being under the eaves. This means that our one room is pretty clutter free at the end of the day.


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## ginnyjuice

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Montana Mom* 
I have clutter-phobia







so for us its a few lights outside and a little bit of garland. Last year we had a live tree, but I definately don't want to do that again so this year we will have a Jesse tree.

I have no space for seasonal stuff, so I basically decorate outside and try to find something utilitarian for the interior. I have one re-usable wreath, that is more wintry than Christmas, so it just ends up staying up until the spring.

I have windowboxes outside, so I planted a couple of small trees in them that will go into planters in the backyard after the season. I tossed in a few pinecones and decorated with a bit of ribbon and they look lovely.

We had a rosemary tabletop tree (they were selling them everywhere this year!) and I used the herbs for cooking and will continue to do so for the life of the tree.

We're probably moving to a similarly sized house next year, with a better layout, so we will probably be able to do a tree, but we'll get the kind you plant.

I actually wish I lived in the Portland, OR area--for many reasons--but also because they have this great tree "rental" service:
http://www.livingchristmastrees.org/


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## MilkTrance

I love my small (860 sq. ft.) house. It has character, it has charm. It has its negatives, to be sure, but it is so cozy, and it was a lot cheaper to reno than a big house would've been!

My proudest achievement in design is our kitchen (well, DH did most of the design, but I supervised!)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=669710168
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...4&id=669710168

As you can see, it is an eat-in kitchen. Our dining solution is that we have a leaf for our table. When there are many guests (in this house, that would be six at the table!), we put the table diagonal across the room.

For non-formal entertaining (our usual since having a baby), we just have food and drinks out and people can eat wherever they want. Our living room has fir flooring so I'm not afraid of carpet spills.

2008 is going to be de-clutter time! We have an unfinished basement which is FULL of JUNK. It is really sad. I want to clean it all out.


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## wombatclay

MilkTrance- love the kitchen! We'll be "building from scratch" since the house we're moving into next week has no kitchen (former resident had a microwave, a sink, and a fridge) and we've been working on a small house friendly design. How did you design yours? Any books/websites you'd suggest? We're doing the work ourselves...


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## sabrinat

Milkface! Great use of space and design. I love coming to this thread. Such inspiration .


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## thomlynn

I want some opinions about kid's rooms and personal space. Do you think there is an age where they "need" their own room. Is that just part of our culture?? Do we really "need" personal space?? Can our personal space be outside?? My friends think we "need" to be able to walk around naked in our room if we want to and my poor children will never be able to do that.









I just have one at the moment and another on the way and I know this won't be a huge deal while they are little but we want a large family and I'm curious about the issue. I imagine having certian times of the day where one kid gets the room, maybe like an hour or so. And having a special place to store personal things, like a journal, that would lock or something. I don't know. Can you teach kids the value of other's personal space without having tons of it??

I would love to live on a larger piece of land in a small house and have the outside become part of our living area. I don't want a large house but I do want a large family, is it possible??


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## aliah79

I just saw this thread and haven't read through it all though I look forward to it









We rent a duplex and have about 800sq ft - 2bd/1ba - me, dh, 2ds, and a cat.

We are currently trying to figure out how to make this space work for us instead of upsizing - so we're decluttering and organizing while dh has this week off. We definitely need more storage space and we're trying to figure out some solutions there.

I'd love to see pics and more ideas for storage solutions







Off to read more!


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## FreeRangeMama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thomlynn* 
I want some opinions about kid's rooms and personal space. Do you think there is an age where they "need" their own room. Is that just part of our culture?? Do we really "need" personal space?? Can our personal space be outside?? My friends think we "need" to be able to walk around naked in our room if we want to and my poor children will never be able to do that.









I really think it depends on the child. My eldest just moved into his own room, though it is more like a giant closet than an actual bedroom. He really needed his own space because he just can't handle his younger siblings getting into his stuff. He doesn't need a big room, just a space to call his own. We have 4 kids and a 3 bedroom house, so some kids have just got to share. When my youngest gets to be older it may be a problem, we may need to reshuffle (if we are still here) but I don't believe MOST kids really need there own room as long as they have their own space and special places to keep their stuff.


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## FreeRangeMama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
MilkTrance- love the kitchen! We'll be "building from scratch" since the house we're moving into next week has no kitchen (former resident had a microwave, a sink, and a fridge) and we've been working on a small house friendly design. How did you design yours? Any books/websites you'd suggest? We're doing the work ourselves...

We are in the process of redoing our kitchen as well. We planned it using this website as we are doing the assembly ourselves

http://www.millspride.com/

Even if you don't use their products you could get ideas for what the basic layout will look like.


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## thomlynn

Quote:


Originally Posted by *FreeRangeMama* 
I really think it depends on the child. My eldest just moved into his own room, though it is more like a giant closet than an actual bedroom. He really needed his own space because he just can't handle his younger siblings getting into his stuff. He doesn't need a big room, just a space to call his own. We have 4 kids and a 3 bedroom house, so some kids have just got to share. When my youngest gets to be older it may be a problem, we may need to reshuffle (if we are still here) but I don't believe MOST kids really need there own room as long as they have their own space and special places to keep their stuff.

I have a similar opinion, which makes me think of two more questions.

How do you create a personal space if you can't do a room or even a small closet??

How do you teach children about other's personal space?? At what age should they be expected to respect their sibling's private things??


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## FreeRangeMama

Tents and forts work well. Also, just setting up things for other kids to do away from the bedroom where one child wants to be. Creativity is key. We got a low loft bed so that one child could have a tent over the top and another could have curtains around the bottom. Using any indent or cubby hole for a child-friendly space can go a long way to easing the congestion we feel sometimes.

I think respecting other people's stuff comes down to personality as much as age. My eldest would have gotten that idea at 2 while my current 4 year old doesn't care who's it is if he *really* wants it though he is pretty good about it most of the time. I would give him a few more years as he has difficulty controlling his impulses









I don't force my kids to share (though I do encourage it if the situation call for it). I think respecting THEIR stuff helps them to learn to respect other people's stuff. Lots of talking and redirection helps as well.


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## thomlynn

Quote:


Originally Posted by *FreeRangeMama* 
I don't force my kids to share (though I do encourage it if the situation call for it). I think respecting THEIR stuff helps them to learn to respect other people's stuff. Lots of talking and redirection helps as well.

Do you have things that are more family items and things that belong to a certain child?? I'm thinking of items like books and toys??


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## wombatclay

Quote:

I want some opinions about kid's rooms and personal space. Do you think there is an age where they "need" their own room. Is that just part of our culture?? Do we really "need" personal space?? Can our personal space be outside?? My friends think we "need" to be able to walk around naked in our room if we want to and my poor children will never be able to do that.
That's a really good question and one I wonder about myself. I think a lot depends on the individual personalities of the people in the family and in the basic philosophical approach that grounds the family.

For example, what is your family's stand on relationships for young adults? In my parent's philosophy, intimate (emotionally or physically) relationships are not appropriate for young adults so my brother and I were not allowed to spend time with friends of the opposite gender "in private" (ie, we couldn't be alone with that friend and yes, my parents ignored the possibility of certain types of relationships). As a result, the fact that my brother and I didn't have individual rooms wasn't an issue in that regard. However, in dh's family an intimate relationship wasn't inappropriate for a young adult and as a result each child moved into "their own room" when the parents felt they were mature enough for the responsibility of maintaining their own space and entertaining their own guests. Two perfectly fine family philosophies, but they require different divisions of space. (I do keep in mind that as a result my brother and I experimented with various things in other people's homes while dh did his experimentation in his own home.)

Nudity is another example... your friend wonders about the need to be naked if desired. But that assumes a family philosophy that forbids group nudity. If your family is comfortable with group nudity then that element of privacy is a moot point, but if your family requires a certain level of "dress" for interaction within the family itself then it may be necessary to find a way to provide individual privacy.

Outside personal space- the solution that worked for our neighbors growing up (their home was a 500 sq foot former barn with no interior walls) was to build "sheds" for each child as they got older. Essentially each shed was a private room, built and designed by the child. I loved this concept and plan to adopt something similar when the time comes... our new home is small and there isn't space to create private rooms, but we plan on building a shed for my ritual and crafting needs (my loom is too big for the hosue!







), a shed for dh's wood working needs and his musical instruments, and eventually a shed for each girl where they can go when they need some private time.

But privacy/personal space is such a complicated question...I hope this solution will work for us but I guess I just sort of have to see how it plays out!


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## mommajb

Our house was 3 bedrooms and when our 5th child was born this fall we added a partition w/double pocket doors between the living room and foyer. The newly created "den" serves as a master bedroom/baby room but will make a fine den/guest room or living room or dining room later. We did this to solve the problems we were having with bedrooms.

My 11 yo ds and 9 yo dd were sharing and it was only okay (but could've lasted indefinitely, the main problem was that she had moved into his space). My 4 and 2 yo dd had the other upstairs room. They had moved out of our room into their sister's room and she couldn't cope having them in her stuff. I decided they weren't ready to be so unsupervised and moved them into the downstairs bedroom and created another for dh, baby, and myself. The oldest two currently have their own rooms but that won't last forever. My little girls are not yet good at respecting others personal items and space, and my oldest daughter was having trouble entertaining girlfriends in what was felt to be my son's room. Eventually the 4 yo will move upstairs and the two youngest will share downstairs. Who knows after that.

I suppose this is a long winded way of saying we repurpose rooms as needed, I don't worry about children of opposite genders sharing a room, and I do think it is important to respect the need for keeping a destructo-baby (as we call the 2 yo) out of other people's belongings. (We keep toys and other children's belongings in their rooms as they have more space than is available in the kitchen and the other room that doesn't have a name yet.)


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## FreeRangeMama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thomlynn* 
Do you have things that are more family items and things that belong to a certain child?? I'm thinking of items like books and toys??

We do both individual toys and family toys. Individual toys are the responsibility of the owner, if they don't want siblings touching their stuff they must keep it put away. Family toys are in the common areas (living room mostly) though the younger kids' room also is like a playroom so some stuff is in there. Books are for everyone (though each child gets to pick out books that interest them when we shop for new-to-us books) and they are kept on the bookshelf in the living room. If someone received a book as a gift they would probably keep in with their other belongings while it was still new and important to them.

Usually we only run into problems when something is brand new to them. They just want to enjoy it to themselves for a bit before sharing it. They have that right, it is THEIRS not OURS (and dh and I often feel the same way about something new). After they have had it for a bit they feel like enjoying it with someone else. As long as they are not taunting and teasing their sibs with it I fully support this desire. They always share when they are ready to do so and it hasn't been an issue. I like the pride in ownership this has created as they always take care of their personal belongings.

The other thing that makes this work for us is that we really don't keep a lot of stuff. We really have very few toys. We also purge the plastic/mass marketed toys frequently (good quality wood toys just get passed along to siblings or stored for later if they lose appeal). All family gifts are bought/made with longterm play value in mind. Less stuff is essential for small spaces!

Of course this is what works for us right now. With another family situation (or us a year from now) it may not work. Same with the idea of what we will do as they get older. It takes creativity and a willingness to change as necessary to make small homes work I think. We have rearranged so many times to get to our current set-up and it works great. I am sure that will need to change as our family changes.


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## wombatclay

Actually, I think one of the nice things about small spaces is that there is more freedom to "re-purpose" space.







I sometimes feel like with larger homes rooms get "locked in" to a purpose and people don't even think about changing that purpose...even when their lifestyle doesn't need/use that sort of room.

Friends of ours have a huge house and one of the rooms is a home office. But neither of them works from home or has a job where a home office would be helpful. So the room just fills up with clutter. But at the same time they complain that there is no room in the house for their kiddo's toys/space for the kiddos to play.

In a smaller space, like a loft space, everything is potentially fluid and can change to adapt to new/changing needs. It sort of has to!


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## Traci mom23boys

Quote:

The one thing I do fantasize about is having a separate room that could be a dining room/library combo, with bookcases built in on all the walls, and a big table in the center that could seat dinner guests and also be a big workspace for us and the children (school, art projects, games, etc.). I love to have people over for dinner, but it would just be amazing if we didn't have to eat in the kitchen... just because it's almost impossible to get dinner tabled *and* the kitchen tidied enough to eat in, at the same time.

I have pictures of my dining room/library combo here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Our home is 1500 sq ft with one teeny,tiny bathroom. There are 5 of us and various friends and girlfriends here a lot. Sometimes I feel good about it and other days I don't. I came to this thread today for some inspiration.

Thank you!


----------



## thomlynn

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Traci mom23boys* 
I have pictures of my dining room/library combo here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Thank you!

Those bookshelves are beautiful.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Traci mom23boys* 
I have pictures of my dining room/library combo here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Our home is 1500 sq ft with one teeny,tiny bathroom. There are 5 of us and various friends and girlfriends here a lot. Sometimes I feel good about it and other days I don't. I came to this thread today for some inspiration.

Thank you!


Traci, your home is lovely. I have wanted so much to put a table in our largish, but oddly configured kitchen. I think I'm going to look for something. Thanks for the inspiration.


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## Meg_s

Just subbing!!
I actually feel like our place is pretty big, at 1100 square feet, but that is relative to what is around us. I live in Germany and this is a very big apartment compared to other places close by. I know my sister just came to visit from Canada and was very unimpressed at how tiny our place was.

We're going to move and get a house soon, and financially it is likely that it will be this size or smaller. I'd love to have a beautiful plot of land with a beautiful little house on it, and a simple uncluttered lifestyle altogether, with a focus on out of door activities.

I do admit to dreaming about having a lot of room. Because I am an introvert. I love my private space.. and in order to have space that is not also dh's and the kids we'd need more.


----------



## radish

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thomlynn* 
I want some opinions about kid's rooms and personal space. Do you think there is an age where they "need" their own room. Is that just part of our culture?? Do we really "need" personal space??

I would love to live on a larger piece of land in a small house and have the outside become part of our living area. I don't want a large house but I do want a large family, is it possible??

I just posted on the small house thread in TAO. I wonder the same thing, worry is more like it!

Other countries (and generations before us) have/had small spaces, 1 bathroom, tiny bedrooms, etc. kids shared bedrooms, houses were (are) tiny. why do i have it in my head that we all NEED space?? personal space, space for stuff, etc etc.


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## tresleo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Traci mom23boys* 
I have pictures of my dining room/library combo here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Our home is 1500 sq ft with one teeny,tiny bathroom. There are 5 of us and various friends and girlfriends here a lot. Sometimes I feel good about it and other days I don't. I came to this thread today for some inspiration.

Thank you!


Your home is beautiful and homey! Thanks for sharing the pictures.


----------



## indeospero

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Traci mom23boys* 
I have pictures of my dining room/library combo here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Our home is 1500 sq ft with one teeny,tiny bathroom. There are 5 of us and various friends and girlfriends here a lot. Sometimes I feel good about it and other days I don't. I came to this thread today for some inspiration.

Thank you!

That's so cool! Thank you for sharing your pictures.







I've never known anyone to have a library/dining room combo, so I'm glad to hear my fantasy works in real life!









Really enjoying this thread.


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## vm9799

i am brand new to posting on mdc (mostly a lurker), but this thread struck me as we also live in a "small-ish" house......for our area. there's 4 of us (me, dh, 10 year old daughter, and 8 year old son) and our house is about 1800 sf (not including our full basement). it's a 1.5 story cape cod, wtih 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. we LOVE it though! i should clarify our layout.....we have fewer, large rooms, and our main floor is about 1150 sf. on it we have a very large living room, a decent sized dining room, a very small kitchen, 2 decent sized bedrooms (our kids rooms) and a small bathroom. our master bedroom and my design studio (i have my own business) is upstairs (our 1/2 story) and it's about 650 sf. we also have a full sized unfinished basement that is about 1150 sf.

here's some pics.....not super recent, but we're in the middle of a remodel upstairs so i'll have newer pics up soon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesig...7601062319791/

it's been so much fun reading about all your wonderful small houses!

: )
vicki


----------



## Traci mom23boys

Thanks for all the nice compliments!

In Gratitude,
~Traci


----------



## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vm9799* 
i am brand new to posting on mdc (mostly a lurker), but this thread struck me as we also live in a "small-ish" house......for our area. there's 4 of us (me, dh, 10 year old daughter, and 8 year old son) and our house is about 1800 sf (not including our full basement). it's a 1.5 story cape cod, wtih 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. we LOVE it though! i should clarify our layout.....we have fewer, large rooms, and our main floor is about 1150 sf. on it we have a very large living room, a decent sized dining room, a very small kitchen, 2 decent sized bedrooms (our kids rooms) and a small bathroom. our master bedroom and my design studio (i have my own business) is upstairs (our 1/2 story) and it's about 650 sf. we also have a full sized unfinished basement that is about 1150 sf.

here's some pics.....not super recent, but we're in the middle of a remodel upstairs so i'll have newer pics up soon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesig...7601062319791/

it's been so much fun reading about all your wonderful small houses!

: )
vicki

Welcome out of lurkdom








Your home is so sweet! Although...with that big basement it might not be so small, huh?


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## thomlynn

I guess small is relative. Yeah that does sound big to ME but the pictures make it look like a little cottage compaired to the houses on each side.

The pictures were great by the way. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## mommajb

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vm9799* 
i am brand new to posting on mdc (mostly a lurker), but this thread struck me as we also live in a "small-ish" house......for our area. there's 4 of us (me, dh, 10 year old daughter, and 8 year old son) and our house is about 1800 sf (not including our full basement). it's a 1.5 story cape cod, wtih 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. we LOVE it though! i should clarify our layout.....we have fewer, large rooms, and our main floor is about 1150 sf. on it we have a very large living room, a decent sized dining room, a very small kitchen, 2 decent sized bedrooms (our kids rooms) and a small bathroom. our master bedroom and my design studio (i have my own business) is upstairs (our 1/2 story) and it's about 650 sf. we also have a full sized unfinished basement that is about 1150 sf.

vicki

We have a 1.5 story cape cod also (no basement) but our .5 is over the main level but under the eaves at the outside walls. My mom likes to say that the square footage isn't so bad it's the cubic footage that will get you. There is a full bathroom upstairs - not only is it 5' x 5' but the tub is under the eaves which means it is for sitting only (no standing up for showers). As an added bonus you can wash your hands while you sit on the toilet and you might as well since you are banging your knees on the sink. What I can't do is face the tub while standing as the distance from the toilet to sink is not as wide as my hips. We had to remove the toilet paper hanger from the wall as it was over the seat (where your rear should be). The previous owners didn't actually use the upstairs as it was just the two of them. At least my kiddos are skinny enough that they aren't complaining yet.


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## vm9799

awww.....thanks so much for the warm welcome!

i know that our house is much larger than some of the ones described in this thread, but for our area we have a quite small home. the 2 houses on either side of us are 2.5-3 story homes so we call ours the "little cottage". one of these days we might actually try and finish off our basement and make it actual "living" space.....but for now it's mostly storage and my hubby's workshop.

Quote:

My mom likes to say that the square footage isn't so bad it's the cubic footage that will get you.
tell me about it!!! lol! our upstairs has about a 3 ft. "kneewall" and then it's cathedral ceiling for about 14 ft. makes for some interesting "headroom" issues! lol! we are still remodeling up there, but once we're finished i'm going to be posting photos to my flickr account and i'll share. i'm really happy with how it's all turning out.

anyway......i just wanted to say thanks for the welcome and all the kind words on my photos/house!

: )
vicki


----------



## BunnySlippers

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mamatohaleybug* 
I don't currently have a small house but I did for 10 years and hope to again someday.







So, I'll participate as much as I can.

Theres something you don't hear everyday


----------



## BunnySlippers

Does anyone else love having a small house, but find they appologise for its size when ever people come over?
I mentally kick myself everytime I do. I like my house, everyone else has liked my house. Why do I feel sorry it is smaller than every other house out there?

Im on page three in this thread for catching up, but I just had a good idea that I want to write down before I forget. Or at least see how it looks written down, cause it may not be a good idea once out.

The back wall of my room is a closet(the length of the wall). Which is good, but it is not a well laid out closet.
The side-edges of the inside are soo deep there is no light, I feel so closed in by this closet. It is good in that I can put tub totes stacked in the corners and I can barely see them when I open the door but again, I hate dark corners, and it is not a really efficient storage. I like efficiency. Assuming I come into some money(right







), or feel like tackling this myself:

I would like to knock the whole thing out. Put a row of cubboards across the top (because one shelf and a few feet of space over it isn't very efficient. Then have, hmmm, maybe two narrow built in wardrobes underneath at the sides against the wall and leave space(for dresser(if I even need one with my TWO new wardrobes







) or tv. Or build shelves in between for my books and stuff.
I think this will open up my room and give me more options for household storage and will look quite nice.
I realise you all can not picture this as I can since I have actually seen my room. But it would look great and work well.
I would also like to take up the carpet and put in bamboo flooring and a rug (and steal dd's bed because it is so beautiful and smaller- which she would like because she is not allowed to jump on her bed)

I do not have any closet in my washroom. Anything that does not fit under the sink, or in the spacesaver over the toilet goes into my closet, which so far has not happened, as dd and I do not require much.

I do have a basement. A small and narrow space. There is a walled off room for the dry and washer and wee second bathroom- which is unused so I have storage stuff in it









I hung a shower rod across the top of my laundry 'room' for hanging clothes on hangers. It works awesome! I am glad to have figured this out because I have a heat vent in the roof there that blows heat for no apparent purpose. This way I can give the vent a purpose at least some of the time and my clothes dry a bit faster.

I am thinking of maybe sectioning the room down there. Currently it is all playroom, but I find the kids prefer to be on the main floor. The main floor is kitchen and living space- one open room. No tv, but I do have my computer up here. I am considering moving my computer downstairs, or giving it less room her if I can find a smaller computer station on freecycle or in the paper.
hmm, something to think about.
There purpose of two rooms in the basement would be to have a smaller tv/quiet room, and perhaps a room for my computer, books, schoolwork, but I could probably have that with out a permament wall.

The main floor is so warm when the sun shines. I have the thermostat set at 62 and it reads 66(oh, its actually down from my last reading) because of the sun coming in the front window in the morning-early afternoon. The house is so small the light reaches right across. It has such a bright and pleasent feeling. The room cools down as the sun travels across the roof, and will warm up a wee bit again as it shines in the back window, but it will not be as warm as the morning light. So then I turn my heat up a notch around 3-4pm, then down again for bed.
I am thinking of putting an island in the kitchen(again if I come into some imaginary money), and then having a smaller table for just dd and I to use. I really like the small desk idea of a previous posters. The floor does need new tiles though, as the old ones were not laid well, they are peeling up.
I do need book shelves in here. I have one small and short one that I am borrowing. I would like to get a much taller one that will hold all my beloved books, adn some baskets of stuff like toys, art stuff (which is currently in a plastic 3-drawer thing on wheels), whatevers...
The floor is already laminate, but could use a rug, and a reading corner perhaps. A chaise lounge or maye even a couch(a very small one) would be nice for relaxing in. We only have our kitchen chairs to sit on.

Dd has her own bedroom. She does not use it. I have considered making her room the computer/library/schooling. However, I think she enjoys knowing she has a room just for her. Also someday, she may want to stay in it.

Its funny I am so concerned with storage though, because small as this house is, and despite its lack of closets and cubboards, we have a lot of empty space. We don't want or need much stuff I guess








As a selling feature though, it will be neccessary I am sure.

As far as outside, I can't wait for spring. I have so many ideas and my hands can't wait to get to work. I am gpin to freecycle the humongous metal shed out there in the middle of the yard. It is practically empty and it takes up so much yard space.
I am turning part of the driveway into a deck to gain more outside living space and fencing it off across the front so that I can open the side door and the kids can come and go as they please. There will still be parking for three cars/trucks/suvs out front, and parking on the street should I ever need it. So much driveway, Why?
I will build a smaller more efficient and pleasing to look at shed, and situate it better. Im excited for gardening and to watch the trees I planted last year grow. I am looking forward to putting in a small chicken coop and rabbit run.
ok spring, I m ready!


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## BunnySlippers

Oh I see cubboards over closet has already been done. Drat, thought Iw as being an origional







. Still a fantastic idea. Looks good in that blog too. Now I know for sure it will work


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## UrbanSimplicity

That's for me, dh, 22m dd and another due in June. And a cat and a bunny.

The hardest is running my jewelry design (and production---that's the part that takes space!) business from here. In our last place I had my own office, dh had a little music studio--and that space was only 1000 sq ft total.

But it's a relative here in nyc, I feel rich due to our backyard which is a rarity here and is probably 12 times the size of my apartment!

You guys would seriously PASS OUT if you know what we paid here. SERIOUSLY. Full discloser---the space was really 700 sq ft but we chopped off the front to make a little storefront (for dh's business). But it's still a residential rental.

Anyway, the flylady did help me when dd was born. I have my routines and that makes all the difference. And we just dont have that much "stuff" compared to other people.

Ideally, I'd like to end up in a smallish house someday, hopefully upstate, tucked away in the woods but not too far from a nice progressive community. Maybe 1500 sq ft, depending on the size of our family.


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## KathinJapan

I love all the pictures, I will try and post some of our place someday.

I do think there is a cultural bias towards needing personal space. I have said before at 1,200 ft. our house is considered large here, there are just 4 of us, and no furry friends (sadly due to allergies, but fingers crossed for the future) we have 3 rooms upstairs. Right now we all sleep in the same room and one room has the TV and the other will be for the girls. Storage is pretty good, all of our clothes fit in the walk in closet in the one bedroom. There are clothes elsewhere, but that is b/c miss 4 year old likes to move things around. I never want to have more clothes than will fit in my closet.

The bedroom does not have a dresser or nightstand. No room with the bed and mattress on the floor.









I have been looking at trundle beds, so with a curtain there could be a small private space underneath.
The room with the TV could also be a bedroom in the future.

No real point in my post here, just I do think this space will work for us for a long time, it has to as that loan won`t be paid off for a long time.









Kathryn


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## Meg_s

Quote:


Originally Posted by *brooklyn lisa* 
\
You guys would seriously PASS OUT if you know what we paid here. SERIOUSLY. .......

Ideally, I'd like to end up in a smallish house someday, hopefully upstate, tucked away in the woods but not too far from a nice progressive community. Maybe 1500 sq ft, depending on the size of our family.

I can imagine. I had some friends in the are







Your "one day" sounds exactly like ours, should we move back to NY!


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## tree_hugger

I love this thread! Thankyou to everyone who has shared pictures of their homes.

Our house is on the small side - 1100 square feet for five family members and DH's home office.

Our layout is a little strange - there are four bedrooms (one for DS1 and DS2, one for DS3 / storage room, one for DH and I and one for DH's office), bathroom, separate toilet, loungeroom, kitchen, dining room and laundry room. It is kind of pokey in that way, but I actually dislike open plan houses, so it works for us.

We do have an attached garage and storage space, but there is a damp / mold problem down there, so we don't really use it at all. We also have a deck and a largish backyard, which makes it so much more pleasant with three active boys!

I do love this house, evne though it is a rental with ugly white walls and icky carpet. Our last house was about 3000 square feet and way too big. I couldn't keep up with the housekeeping and I would literally loose the children if they were on a different level to me. This house is much more cozy.


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## Angierae

I have been reading this thread, so impressed at what your families do with your space! SO...I had DH help me measure ours, b/c I thought it was smallish. Turns out we have 700 sq ft of living space! 900 if you count the basement, which isn't really finished, but we do use as a playroom/laundry room.

Maybe when I get cleaned up from the holidays I'll take some pictures. I was wondering why this palce felt so small sometimes. There are almost 5 of us living here and a large dog. We love it! Glad I am not the only one!


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## sabrinat

KathinJapan,
I couldn't agree more. The idea of needing tons of space is so weird to me. I remember living in a house that was probably 1200 sqft until I was 10 and there was 6 of us. It never felt small. Now my family of 6 lives in 1700 sf and because of where I live, home of the mcmansions...I feel all this societal pressure to move to bigger, bigger, bigger. So far I've resisted. We literally live only in the downstairs. The kids never play in there rooms and half the time they don't sleep in there either. Everyone wants to be in the living room or the MB. When I think about that...we probably have more space than we need.


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## KathinJapan

I do wish we had more land, i grew up on half an acre, but we were always playing with the neighbors, and there were no fences, so it felt really big.
now our garden space is tiny, and we have not done anything with it... but we couldn`t find a larger plot of land that we liked/could afford/location blah, blah blah...
There is a neighborhood park that is OK in size, but mostly just open space... might be nicer when the girls are older.
my J. DH is really happy with less space than I am.
People in the states are amazed at how much we are paying for what is viewed as not much space/land.
I am from Ohio, so I guess it would be different in NY.
Kathryn


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## CariOfOz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
Now my family of 6 lives in 1700 sf and because of where I live, home of the mcmansions...I feel all this societal pressure to move to bigger, bigger, bigger.

Ain't THAT the truth! I didn't resist... we moved into a quite spacious 4br,2bath home with not only a living/dining room (big enough!) but a family room as well... and that was for me, dh, 2 little boys when we moved in (although I was pg









Well they put that house on the market (for 425THOUSAND







:





















and I found the CUTEST little cottage in a nice older suburb nearby. THe house is a bit smaller (has a big living room, big dining/family room that also houses the computers, 3 small/avg sized bedrooms and one bath) But we LOVE it! It has a wonderful covered patio at the back, great yard for the kids with a play house and it has a screened in 'cattery' for the kitty. Who needs a huge house to clean with all that!?!?

btw, bunnyslippers, your cupboards up high, small wardrobes on the sides/empty space in the middle idea sounds nice







You could also build a 'window' seat (ok a faux one since there's no window hehehe) with storage for blankies/offseason clothes etc in the middle. If you really fell into cash you could have a trompe l'oeil artist put a window with a fabulous view there for you


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## wombatclay

Quote:

If you really fell into cash you could have a trompe l'oeil artist put a window with a fabulous view there for you
One of our local photo shops will make a "window sized" high quality print of any photo for about 80 dollars. Put it behind a frame and you're good to go.


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## CariOfOz

Oh man How COOL is that idea WombatClay! And muuuuch cheaper than trompe l'oeil. Neat idea


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## BunnySlippers

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CariOfOz* 

btw, bunnyslippers, your cupboards up high, small wardrobes on the sides/empty space in the middle idea sounds nice







You could also build a 'window' seat (ok a faux one since there's no window hehehe) with storage for blankies/offseason clothes etc in the middle. If you really fell into cash you could have a trompe l'oeil artist put a window with a fabulous view there for you










Oh a seat! what a fantastic idea. I would love one.

Very cool about the picture idea too.
I have a very neat picture I took of a pride of lions sunning themselves on a rock formation and its beautiful. Just today I was looking at it and wondering if I could get it enlarged.
I will start asking around the photo shops.


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## wombatclay

We have a lot of college students living in very small (and not very nice) spaces... the photo shop started offering these "pictures of home" packages. They suggest taking a picture from your "regular" home and then framing it in your "college" home. It was a promo that took off and they've done it for years now. But I think any kinkos or copy shop could enlarge an image for you...


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## radish

Quote:


Originally Posted by *brooklyn lisa* 
That's for me, dh, 22m dd and another due in June. And a cat and a bunny.

The hardest is running my jewelry design (and production---that's the part that takes space!) business from here. In our last place I had my own office, dh had a little music studio--and that space was only 1000 sq ft total.

But it's a relative here in nyc, I feel rich due to our backyard which is a rarity here and is probably 12 times the size of my apartment!

You guys would seriously PASS OUT if you know what we paid here. SERIOUSLY. Full discloser---the space was really 700 sq ft but we chopped off the front to make a little storefront (for dh's business). But it's still a residential rental.

Anyway, the flylady did help me when dd was born. I have my routines and that makes all the difference. And we just dont have that much "stuff" compared to other people.

Ideally, I'd like to end up in a smallish house someday, hopefully upstate, tucked away in the woods but not too far from a nice progressive community. Maybe 1500 sq ft, depending on the size of our family.

we lived in san franciso, so i can imagine!!
any pix to share??


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## thomlynn

For those that don't have a seperate living and family room what do you do with toys?? We visited a friend yesterday and she has an upstairs room that was ment to be a media room. They use it as a living room, a tv, two couches, tons of bookshelves and a large area the kids could trash just for toys. They leave all the toys in this room, and can't take any in their own room.

I really liked the idea and it left her downstairs family room looking so nice. Here people walk right into our living room and it's toy central. DD is still little so she doesn't want to go and play in her room by herself. She brings everything out into the living room. I would love a really small family room that people would walk into and at the back of the house a big room that looked more lived in.


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## wombatclay

toys- This isn't the best picture but

__
https://flic.kr/p/2135828899

DH made this for dd1 this holiday (it's, ummmm, not entirely done







). The front is a play kitchen with oven and stove top and there are shelves inside the oven. The back is a 4 shelf bookcase for her books. The side you can see in the picture has knobs for play clothes (there are fabric bags that hang from the knobs to hold play clothes). The far side is painted with chalkboard paint (as is the oven door inside and out, eventually the knob side will be too) and it has a fold out puppet stage. Stuffed animals "live" on dd1's bed but books and toys live in this play center.


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## Jess A

There are five of us in about 1100 sq. ft. We do have a basement and an outdoor shed.

Here are photos of how everything is organized.

Disclaimer: I took them before my post-Christmas clean up, so things are more cluttered than normal.


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## Miss Information

I'm subbing...I'll come back to this later. We are a family of 5 in 1100 square feet. It's a bit tight, but constantly a work in progress for decluttering. I'll post pics sometime after we get the Christmas stuff down. I will have to come back to this post and read all 12 pages.


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## sabrinat

This thread has really helped and inspired me. I've worked super hard to declutter our home...it's still a work in progress, but I'm seeing an improvement every day. I just had the kids fill 2 boxes of "excess" toys to donate. When I explained that they would be sharing with kids that didn't have these toys they got really into it. I was really surprised what they were willing to give up.


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## Violet2

Hello, hello! So happy to find this thread and am still reading through.

We are 3 with 2 dogs in 1100 square feet (although we have a basement).

The house would be perfect IF the upstairs dormer had a bathroom, but since it doesn't, with a newborn, we're on the first floor all essentially living in 800 square feet.

We actually ran out of floor space and the one dog has to go upstairs to sleep at night--there's no room for his bed!

We're going to buy a gas fireplace for the basement to hopefully make it more of a year round living space. We have space we can't really use because there's either no bathroom or it's too cold or (for the upstairs) too hot (in the summer). It's really annoying to have space and not be able to use it.

So far, for organization, I've really focused on furniture with storage. We replaced our TV cabinet, which was a garbage rescue that we refinished but was not made for DVDs or CDs, for a bookcase. I also bought a CD organizer so we won't have CDs in their cases anymore--this will be a great space saver and organizer...if I ever finish putting it together.

We're in the process of building new end tables with storage capacity. The ones we have now are just tables with zero storage.

Once we're done with those, we'll be building mission style bookcases. One big one for the living room and my plan is to use baskets on the bottom shelf for toy storage.

Our footrest is a bench with storage inside--so storage space is a big theme around here. It really helps.

Except I'm a packrat. Well, not really. I have family heirlooms and folkart that I don't have room to display. My stuff isn't stuff you want to throw out or donate, so we're stuck with it until we have a bigger house. Needless to say our attic storage is bursting with stuff.

V


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## chinaKat

I have 1200 sq ft -- a cape with two br downstairs and one (unheated) br upstairs. There is also a living room, kitchen, and dining room downstairs, and an unfinished room upstairs (very small, would like it to be a bath some day but right now it's a makeshift office/craft room). There are 1.5 baths downstairs.

Is this really considered a *small* home? Aside from one of the downstairs bedrooms, all the rooms feel plenty big to me. I never ever feel cramped. It's a bit of a drag not having a bath uptairs next to my bedroom, and it would be lovely to have a huge finished office... but I am finding it tough to believe that my house is "small"!


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## ***Heather***

Wow, how did this thread disappear for so long? I'm glad it's back!

I just measured my home and we have 575sqft. 2 bed, 1 bath apartment for 2 adults, 2 cats. I used to hate it, but I've put a lot of love into it over the past 4.5 years. It's made a world of difference. We can (kind of) do whatever we want.









We have an open living room and dining room with a galley kitchen coming off the DR at a right angle. Nice little hallway leading over to the bedrooms and bathroom so it feels a bit separate. 5 closets all together. 1 is large enough to have a medium sized freezer!

This year my goals are to:

get rid of clutter!
take advantage of vertical space
actually think about where I store stuff vs where I use it
add more pretty/homey stuff (especially to walls!)
move our computer/office stuff from the second bedroom into the DR so that the little bedroom can be used as a bedroom for KIDS!








I am quite happy with our DR/LR so far. I painted it a soft sunny yellow/wheat colour and have a couple largish pieces of furniture in it. It works because I've left a lot of bare, open spots (read, long sight lines







) so it feels roomy.


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## starling&diesel

We are two humans and two dogs and a cat (who thinks he's a dog) in about 1000 square feet. We are ttc right now, and plan to stay here if we are able to have a child (long story). If not, we'd downsize, because this place feels massive to us.

We are looking to buy a house with some land, but most of the houses in this area are closer to 4000 square feet.
I don't know what I'd do with that much room!

We are also considering building, and looking at plans that are around 1000 square feet, even though our potential builder thinks we're nuts.

This is our current favourite:

http://www.bcmountainhomes.com/catal...dex&cPath=3_60


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## kissum

Does anyone else feel like they have a ton more room now that the holiday decor is down? Whew!

I just needed to share that with someone.


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## radish

so we put an offer on the 1,008sf house! looking good so far. it does have a non-permit bonus room/bath downstairs. and one day we'd like to convert the garage or something.

remind/encourage me that we can do it! LOL









DH/me/DDs (4 and 1y/o). we'll probably have another child in the next few years. we want a dog and a cat too.









the house is great though! here is a pic:
http://mlsimages.movoto.com/102/030/70124130_0.jpg
great outdoor spaces, tons of deer, almond/apple/plum/cherry trees. sunny space for a garden too!


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## radish

that pic makes it look really huge??? i guess b/c the garage is downstairs and the wrap around deck..

oh, i forgot the cons:
no dishwasher
laundry downstairs in







: garage
fug bathrooms


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## oyinmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *conflictedmama* 
Anyway, I wanted to pass on a great idea I got from Flylady (okay I'm out of the closet!) She says you should only hold on to 2 sets of sheets for each bed in the house and store the clean sets between the matresses.







Brilliant! She suggests this in order to clear out the "linen closet" and I wish I had one! But for us it clears out much needed drawer space in the bureau...

ooh, i love this tip with the sheets! i wish i could be that pared down. but we have house guests WAY too often - at least once a month, often for up to a week at a time, sigh - and have to keep stock for the the air mattresses and couch. hmm. maybe we could roll up the spare sheets with the deflated airbed?? store an extra quilt under the couch cushions? LOL...

we are two folks working at home in a 1200 sf house. 3br, 1.5 baths. we don't think it's small, but it's definitely full. there's a basement that's entirely given over to one of the businesses, the other one takes up 2 of the bedrooms. we're constantly working to keep the living room from becoming a loading dock w/packages going out and supplies coming in. and we've got one on the way, so we're working to pull work and art stuff out of one of the bedrooms, with the hope that by the time there are lots of baby things and toys in the mix, there will be a place to put them all. luckily there's a shed outside for overflow biz storage, and an attic for overflow personal storage. (luggage, out of season clothes, things we'll probably eventually sell at a yard sale, etc)

the yard is the thing: it is just a great bonus considering we're in a city, and makes us feel like we live in a palace. it's not that big - like a 10th of an acre - but really greened out, unfenced from the neighbors which lends openness, and the back edge faces the wilderness edge of a park... two blocks down it's organized park/playground/sportsfield space, but 8 months out of the year you can't even see there's a street right behind us, all you see is this wild treefilled green full of ivy, mysterious wild flowers, untamed trees, and a little trickle of running water filled with moss. lots of foxes, ravens, rabbits and hawks; and a million birds and squirrels and butterflies. ok, lots of mosquitos, too, but i don't care. i *heart* my yard!







... there's a shed where we keep the pushmower and our bikes, a compost bin, a picnic table our neighbor MADE US, and two trees where i clip a hammock for summertime reading. sigh.

i love this thread for the pics of all the organizational ideas and useful ways to use space. in particular, i think our dining room could benefit from being rethought; we're always experiencing paperclutter on the table and this makes me think we need to create office/storage space in there for household bills, mail processing, etc.


----------



## CariOfOz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
toys- This isn't the best picture but

__
https://flic.kr/p/2135828899

DH made this for dd1 this holiday (it's, ummmm, not entirely done







). The front is a play kitchen with oven and stove top and there are shelves inside the oven. The back is a 4 shelf bookcase for her books. The side you can see in the picture has knobs for play clothes (there are fabric bags that hang from the knobs to hold play clothes). The far side is painted with chalkboard paint (as is the oven door inside and out, eventually the knob side will be too) and it has a fold out puppet stage. Stuffed animals "live" on dd1's bed but books and toys live in this play center.

OMG Must.copy.this!







I could SO build that! (if your dh doesn't mind me stealing his plans







The boys have an abundance of books, and costumes so it would be uber handy.


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## wombatclay

Cari- feel free! DH is tweaking it and might sell the plans on etsy but I say go for it.







I'll see if dh has his original plans (may have been lost in the move) and if he does I'll pm you.


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## CariOfOz

WOOT thanks! If he doesn't though, measurements should be good enough! I'm pretty handy with things like that so If I had measurements me and a sheet of plywood will get down & dirty









How goes the moving btw??


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## gottothinkpositive

:


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## AngieB

When I first read the title of the thread I didn't think my house fit in to it. We are a family of 6 in a 1370 sq.ft. and I've never thought of it as a small house. I have friends with much smaller houses, but then as I read the thread I figure I can add a few things.

We designed and built the house ourselves and knew we only had so much money to work with, so we put a lot of time making sure that every square foot was usable space.


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## FreeRangeMama

We are actually considering the idea of turning out attic into a bedroom. It would require building dormers and a staircase (the area is completely unusable as it is) but it would definitely help us create a livable bedroom for the boys. We are a family of 6 in just over 1000sqft.

Has anyone actually undertaken a project like this?

I dream of 3 real bedrooms instead of our current 2 bedrooms and an oversized closet we use as a bedroom situation! 2 bathrooms sounds like a dream


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## candipooh

Hi there, I just found this thrend. I am in a house that is about 960 sf. We are a family of 5 with one big dog.
It is a three bedroom and 1 and 1/2 bathroom.
One bedromm is our office/homeschool room so all three daughter's share a room. The older they get the harder it is. It is a TINY room. Oldest will be 9 in a few weeks.

We have a tiny one car garage that has never had a car in it, lol. It is stuffed. In an effort to keep things out of the house we stuff it in there. All our camping stuff, all my craft stuff, all dp's tools, a huge shelf for pantry type food, a freezer. It is scary! Oh and our dryer is in there. The washer is in the 1/2 bathroom.







That is one of the things I would like to do....get them together. I want to move the washer to the garage and then build a shower in the bathroom.

We are slowly fixing up the house. We started with the office/homeschool room. It looks great. The computer desk was taking up WAY too much room. So inside the closet we built a computer desk. We took off the closet doors and the shelf. It is big enough for two computers. I will take pictures after I tidy it.

We need to work on the master bedroom next but it is SLOW going.


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## kijip

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thomlynn* 
I want some opinions about kid's rooms and personal space. Do you think there is an age where they "need" their own room. Is that just part of our culture?? Do we really "need" personal space?? Can our personal space be outside?? My friends think we "need" to be able to walk around naked in our room if we want to and my poor children will never be able to do that.









I think it depends on the child and the family. For us, it is a sleeping space issue. We had our son in our room or open to our room until he was 2 and 3/4. Then he had is own room for a year in a 2 bedroom apartment. In 2007, we had the choice of where to live when we bought our first home. Our choices were a small 1 bedroom cottage and a larger, but still small townhome (we have 1 shared wall to the next house over). We chose the town home because while we saw some benefits to going back to 1 bedroom, we saw more issues with it. In my family, everyone is happier if my son starts the night in his own bedroom. It facilitates our marriage better







and it gives our son own space, which he seems to like. However, having not always had my own bed as a child (shared with my sibling), I see no need for my son to have his own room at this age - if he had a brother or sister then he would be sharing. Even if we had a 3 or 4 bedroom house (we technically do have 3, but 1 is on the ground floor, two floors below the other 2 bedrooms so not child suitable! It is very small and used for a den. Basically it is a two bedroom) he would still be sharing. We will have this house for a long time, so if he has a sibling they won't be in separate rooms till his preteen years if at all (we may move in 6 years or so). Even cross gender, which for some seems to be a problem but I just don't see it. We would keep the new baby in our room for 1-2 ish years and then set them up on the lower bunk of a bunk bed.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thomlynn* 
I want some opinions about kid's rooms and personal space. Do you think there is an age where they "need" their own room. Is that just part of our culture?? Do we really "need" personal space?? Can our personal space be outside?? My friends think we "need" to be able to walk around naked in our room if we want to and my poor children will never be able to do that.










We face this issue. We have 4 kids and 3 bedrooms. We have 1 daughter...Some people would put the girl by herself and the 3 boys together, but the thing is my dd and ds #3 are extremely close and it makes the most sense for them to share and the other 2 to share for now. Most of the time some of them end up in our room anyway.
I don't think it's necessary that the room be the only personal space a child could have...I mean you and your dh/partner share a room right, so why should a child have a different need? I think as long as there's spaces in the home that a person can go to be alone that should be enough.


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## FreeRangeMama

Quote:

We face this issue. We have 4 kids and 3 bedrooms. We have 1 daughter...Some people would put the girl by herself and the 3 boys together, but the thing is my dd and ds #3 are extremely close and it makes the most sense for them to share and the other 2 to share for now. Most of the time some of them end up in our room anyway.
We have dd1 share with ds1 as well. It makes sense for us to have ds1 by himself right now as he wants his own space while the other 2 want to be with a sibling. They are only 19 months apart and seem to like each other's company at night. Dd ends up in our room most nights though.

We may do a boy/girl split when dd2 is older, but she will be with us for quite a while yet!


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## radish

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
I don't think it's necessary that the room be the only personal space a child could have...I mean you and your dh/partner share a room right, so why should a child have a different need? I think as long as there's spaces in the home that a person can go to be alone that should be enough.

excellent point!


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## Jess A

Quote:

I want some opinions about kid's rooms and personal space. Do you think there is an age where they "need" their own room. Is that just part of our culture?? Do we really "need" personal space?? Can our personal space be outside?? My friends think we "need" to be able to walk around naked in our room if we want to and my poor children will never be able to do that.
We have our two oldest in the same room. When my youngest is old enough, he'll move up there as well.

I grew up with my own room and crave my own space. Yet we don't have a choice here, and the kids don't mind (minus some "he's making noise" "she breathes too loud" sometimes at night). Neither one of them has any modesty yet, so they don't care about that. They each have a shelf for their special things, and we teach them the importance of respecting each other's shelves and things (and they do pretty well).

We figure we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Some of my friends are horrified that DS and DD share a room . . . but there is space in our house where the kids can go to be alone/get dressed/etc. At this point, they usually want to be where I am anyway and rarely spend any time in their room at all.

I don't think kids need their own room, but I do think they need, and deserve, the ability to get away from their siblings and have some privacy/space to themselves for awhile. But it doesn't have to be their room.


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## oyinmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
We face this issue. We have 4 kids and 3 bedrooms. We have 1 daughter...Some people would put the girl by herself and the 3 boys together, but the thing is my dd and ds #3 are extremely close and it makes the most sense for them to share and the other 2 to share for now. Most of the time some of them end up in our room anyway.
I don't think it's necessary that the room be the only personal space a child could have...I mean you and your dh/partner share a room right, so why should a child have a different need? I think as long as there's spaces in the home that a person can go to be alone that should be enough.

great points! growing up, there were 4 of us in two sets: me and a sister who shared a large room, two 'little ones' a boy and girl, who shared a smaller room w/bunk beds. if i wanted to be alone, my special retreat was on top of a pile of laundry in the laundry room in the basement, where i would curl up like a nest and read. it never occurred to me to want or feel like i needed my own room.

our bun is still baking, but it's really helpful to read all the various space configurations people have.


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## oyinmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *FreeRangeMama* 
We are actually considering the idea of turning out attic into a bedroom. It would require building dormers and a staircase (the area is completely unusable as it is) but it would definitely help us create a livable bedroom for the boys. We are a family of 6 in just over 1000sqft.

Has anyone actually undertaken a project like this?

we have been dreaming of creating an attic loft since we got here two years ago!! a cousin of ours in london did this and it looks amazing; in my preliminary googling i have found lots of contractors who specialize in finishing basements, none who speak of finishing attics. i know they must be out there!


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## CariOfOz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *FreeRangeMama* 
We have dd1 share with ds1 as well. It makes sense for us to have ds1 by himself right now as he wants his own space while the other 2 want to be with a sibling. They are only 19 months apart and seem to like each other's company at night. Dd ends up in our room most nights though.

We may do a boy/girl split when dd2 is older, but she will be with us for quite a while yet!

We have all boys, so the gender split isn't an issue for us thankfully! Our nearly 6yo and 3.5yo share a room (and a twin bed, they hated it when we put a double in lol) and wouldn't have it any other way. They actually wail pitifully if we separate them at night ... and we go in to tuck them in late at night, and they are sprawled all over each other







The little dude sleeps in the 3rd bedroom (mr 3.5 has a twin bed in there, but it rarely gets used.. except for jumping on









Geez... just rearranged the living room and it feels HUGE now!!!!!


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## kijip

Here are some pics of my small house.







Just the bathroom/laundry (yes, that is the same room!) and the kitchen/dining area. I will post the living room and other spaces later. We have about 950 sf of living space, that we are actually in. The remaining 450 or so is garage/entry hall/tiny at present unused den.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Honestly, I shied away from this thread because to me the house is freaking huge







. We brought our son home to a 450 sf studio.







I see other houses in this range here, we are committed to living without a too much clutter and some spaces are pretty small in our house, so I decided to start posting here. Looking for inspiration on what to do with a few areas. Maybe I will post pics of those spaces and ask for input on how to best use the space. Thanks for humoring me!


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## sweetcheeks

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kissum* 
Does anyone else feel like they have a ton more room now that the holiday decor is down? Whew!

I just needed to share that with someone.









I hear ya, mama! We have a huge (to us) 6.5 ft tree and it really took up a lot of space in the LR. And it blocked a TON of light coming in from my windows. When we took it down, we were quite surprised by the difference it made.

I love this thread. We live in an 850 sq. ft. 2+1 bedroom, 1 bath home. We *love* our home. We've put alot of work and love into this place to make it "ours" in the 2.5 yrs since we bought and have absolutely NO intention of moving for quite a few years, even with a 3rd little one due in May. Living in such a small place has made us realize we don't need a lot to be happy.

Once I get the rest of my decluttering/purging done (it's a never-ending process in a small home, eh?!







), I'll try to get pics up. I love looking at pics of everyone's cozy homes!


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## starling&diesel

What do you think is essential when designing a small house?

Mudroom? Laundry room? Three tiny bedrooms or two bigger ones? A porch?
Under stairs storage? What couldn't you live without, or what do you wish you had thought of before building? Or what do you wish the builder had thought of in the house you didn't build?


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## radish

well, we're not in our small house yet but some of the things i have had heard are:
-space for dining room table, not just a small kitchen table
-outdoor space is important too, aside from hard winter months families seem to spend a lot of time outside

other important things for us:
-garage
-separate office space, DH works from home
-room to expand if we ever decide
-outdoor space for us

things i wish we had:
-2 car garage
-mudroom
-laundry room!


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## CariOfOz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *starling&diesel* 
What do you think is essential when designing a small house?

Mudroom? Laundry room? Three tiny bedrooms or two bigger ones? A porch?
Under stairs storage? What couldn't you live without, or what do you wish you had thought of before building? Or what do you wish the builder had thought of in the house you didn't build?

-Definitely a covered deck/patio.. it can be a total sanity saver on rainy days... can take the kids out and let them play loudly without driving you nuts inside!

-Depending on how many people live in the house, a powder room separate from the main bath would be handy for the morning rush. OR Have them build the bathroom aussie style.. the bath/shower & sink are in a room together and the toilet is in a smaller room, usually adjacent but not attached.

-Storage of things built in to the places you will use them. Linen cabinet IN the bathroom (or ample storage under the sink etc) and *organized* closets.. not just big open spaces, but shelves/drawer units built in.. then you can do away with the dressers









-separate laundry IN the house (our old one was in the garage.. could barely get a car in because it took up length that the car needed) with a door as well as room for a laundry hamper)

-something *I* would do is put built in bookshelves w/ cabinets at the bottom, in the living/dining room. I think having them built in makes it less visually cluttering in a small space.


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## bigeyes

*definitely built in storage.* I love our little house, but we are having to make modifications to add storage ourselves. There are no linen closets at all, and the kitchen looks much smaller now that my stuff is in there. We already put up a shed for the laundry and storage, but we are going to need another one I fear. I don't like the clutter that comes from moving from a large house with a garage to a small house without a garage.

We will be getting rid of more of our junk and adding more storage as we can. I remember living in old victorian houses that were turned into apartments, and the amount of built in storage was _amazing._ Why can't modern builders do that?


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## Stone Fence

If I had to do it over again I would make the mudroom bigger.

We'd really like a porch and/or deck (when we win the lottery







).

I have lots of closet space but I would love a built in bookcase/cupboard-to-hide-the-TV-and-a-place-to-stash-toys in the livingroom.

I'm really liking my small house right now. I have some improvements I want to make(hardwood in the living room, paint, actually decorate DS's room).


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## AngieB

When we built our little house we spent a lot of time thinking about how we use each room. For example, in the master bathroom we wanted enough room for all the towels and blankets so we built two tall cabinets to store them in. In the kitchen I planned out where I wanted to put things before we built the cabinets. We also made scale drawings of our furniture and then tried then on the house plans to make sure they fit. Because in our county we are charged fees for each square foot of the house we did not want any wasted space. There are no hallways in our house. The bedrooms open straight into the living space. There is a small hall between the kitchen and garage and we designed it with a built in desk so the hall is also a office area. Another thing we did to save square footage is put the laundry area in the back of the garage. We didn't want to pay for a room just to hold a washer and dryer. We have lots of natural light and big windows which I think helps make it feel bigger. There is a 6 foot window in the dinning area and then a sliding glass door and the front door is all glass also.

We did some things that I feel are upgrades compared to other houses because it felt important to use. Such as both bathrooms have 2 sinks so more than one person can be in there brushing teeth or what ever at a time.
The girls bedroom is a bit bigger than most kid bedrooms because we knew they would always be sharing it.

We also planned ahead for an addition just in case. We plumbed in a bathroom in the garage and made it so that one day the garage could be turned into more living space. I'm really glad we did this because a few months after moving into the house I got pregnant with suprise #4.


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## ***Heather***

Designing a small house:

Plenty of built in storage!

Architectural details! Lets you get away with less furniture/decor while still looking interesting and beautiful.

Plenty of little cubbyhole corners to get away from people. I really like the idea of a staircase with a bookshelf/window seat on the landing. Perfect little place for a person to cuddle up and read. Or, a little playhouse/fort under the basement stairs.

A separate play area for kids while adults have a place to talk and visit in peace.

Outdoor area! Deck, porch, veranda, whatever. (But don't use it for extra storage and jam all kinds of clutter into it! Too many people I know do this to their porches.)

Plenty of natural light. A home feels open and larger with big windows. Feels less closed off.


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## starling&diesel

:

So appreciated ... thank you!


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## starling&diesel

Heather ... You're in Canada?
Have you built? If so, do you mind me asking if you bought your plans, and if so, where?


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## KathinJapan

we live in Japan, so there are some cultural points.
our bathrooms/bath/toilets are as someone called them aussie style.
We have a toilet right off the entrance, and another upstairs.
The bath/shower is off the laundry area, which is off the kitchen.

The entrance area has a large closet for coats and shoes. Shoes are not worn in the house, so all stored by the door. Makes it easy to find your shoes in the morning.

Our bedroom has a large closet for all our clothes, and linens. There is hanging and drawers. Bedroom has only beds. In the future I want a nightstand, but not a dresser.

We have a lot of built in storage, bookshelf near the kitchen for cookbooks, cabinets in the living area for toys, shelves for toys, space for craft stuff.

There are no basements here b/c of the earthquakes. We do have some space under the stairs.

I love my bay type window in front of the kitchen sink, nice for herbs and sprouts, and other plants.

we have lots of windows (and little wall space...) and a ceiling light and window.

my mom has a nice *light* in her windowless bathroom. I guess it is called a sun tunnel.
http://www.veluxusa.com/inspiration/...ls/default.htm

think about what you have, where you will use it, where you want to store it.

oh yeah, recycling was a biggie for us. here we have to separate the trash, so lots of different bins needed. Garages are not common here, we have a carport.

Kathryn


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## ***Heather***

Quote:


Originally Posted by *starling&diesel* 
Heather ... You're in Canada?
Have you built? If so, do you mind me asking if you bought your plans, and if so, where?

I'm still in the planning stage.







I haven't built yet and have NO idea what to do. Everything seems so expensive! I'm almost, kind of, leaning towards this

small house plan with a full basement... but my plans change weekly.







:


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## starling&diesel

Quote:


Originally Posted by ****Heather**** 
I'm still in the planning stage.







I haven't built yet and have NO idea what to do. Everything seems so expensive! I'm almost, kind of, leaning towards this

small house plan with a full basement... but my plans change weekly.







:

I've seen that one and bookmarked it myself! This is the one we have our eye on:
http://www.bcmountainhomes.com/catal...dex&cPath=3_60

But we'd like to work a third bedroom or office into the plan without needing more square-footage.


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## CrunchyDoula

You can count us in! There are three of us living in a 965 sq ft apartment, with hopefully another on the way soon!

There are two bedrooms and 1 and a quarter bath. There are 3 coat closets, 1 linen closet, a closet in dd's room and a spacious walk-in in the master bedroom. We have a garage, which we are situated about (I love this part!). We have a nice little foyer and a stairwell that leads to our dining room and kitchen on the right. As of now our space is very organized and clean. We have a place for everything and plenty more opportunities for storage if need be.

Right now I am focusing my attention on getting our daughter a new bed. I am planning on making an upholstered headboard and allowing enough space underneat to tuck a trundle bed. That way once we have another child I can make a duplicate bed since they will be sharing a room. Then I will make a customized bookshelf to put in between the beds and a play corner to allow storage for toys and a place for creativity.

For a long time I have really wanted a bigger place, but to be honest I hate cleaning this place and I would hate even more having a bigger place to clean. I am in a good routine to keep this place clean and tidy and a bigger place would just be so much harder. I have always wanted a homey cottage like house. With loads of character and built ins. Thats my dream...hopefully it will happen one day


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## radish

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kijip* 
Here are some pics of my small house.







Just the bathroom/laundry (yes, that is the same room!) and the kitchen/dining area. I will post the living room and other spaces later. We have about 950 sf of living space, that we are actually in. The remaining 450 or so is garage/entry hall/tiny at present unused den.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


LOL! i think its great that YOU think 950sqft is huge








great pix!


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## [email protected]

I just wanted to pop in and say hi! We have a family of four living in 980 sq ft. We have 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. This space works for us now, but I am sure that we will have issues when the kids are bigger since they are opposite gender and will want privacy when they get older. Actually this space would be fine for us if the layout were different.

I am really going to work on decluttering and try to make a serious dent in the stuff we have. I don't know where it all comes from! It is a big source of arguments in the house, dh feels that the kids need to get rid of stuff they get upset etc. The problem is that dh isn't home much so his stuff isn't out, whereas the kids are here all day and they pull stuff out to use so it is more visible.

Sigh. It never ends, no matter how much I get rid of and how much I stop from coming in there is always so much to purge - I don't get it. It much multiply at night.

Anyway I am glad to find some kindred spirits to counteract all the advice from family that we need a bigger house.


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## mommajb

I should post some photos and our house is bigger than some here (so is our family) but the last post got me thinking. We thought we could have the kids share rooms according to gender at any time. We had to rethink that due to age differences. First our older two shared (boy then girl). Wehen the older two began needing more privact and space this summer we tried putting the three girls together and it didn't really work to have a 9, 4, and 2 yo share. Now, the older two have their own rooms in the attic, we have a nursery (think Mary Poppins) for the younger three (4, 2, and baby boy) and we converted the living room into a bedroom where dh and I sleep with the baby. (Just his 'stuff' is in the nursery with the girls and all the toys). Best laid plans... but we continue to make the house work for us rather than expoanding so here is where I come for support. Like a few other posters our house is small given the norms here.


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## jul511riv

645 sq feet/60 sq meters. 4 people.


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## BunnySlippers

When sq footaage is calculated do you measure each room and then add it all up?
Are hallways included?
Or do you measure one level and times it by how many levels you have?

I would like to try and find the true sq ft I have.

The main floor is roughly 365 sq ft. It is one open space broken up only by the stairs and a closet that is not built into a wall but juts out into the living space.


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## CariOfOz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BunnySlippers* 
When sq footaage is calculated do you measure each room and then add it all up?
Are hallways included?

Sq footage 'formula'







THere you go, that explains it a lot better than I could I think!


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## Michaels-Mommy

We have a 1200 sq ft home. I love most of it. I don't like haveing only two bedrooms, I'd rather have 3 very small ones in stead of 2 med ones. We have a almost 2 year old boy and a 10 week little girl so it's not a problem yet. I also run a daycare out of our house too.


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## KathinJapan

very late addition here.
My FAVORITE thing is our large island in the kitchen. It is just a plain counter space (no sink or cooktop) I use it for soooo many things. obviously kitchen prep, but also to spread out food when we have guests, which is often. I do make your own pizzas a lot, and have all the toppings spread out. It is next to our bath area so when baby was smaller it was the space we got her dressed, I measure and cut fabric on there, spread out scrapbooking stuff... etc.. I do clean it off daily, so it never looks cluttered.
We keep a cooler at one end, sort of a frugal learning tower thing. It is long enough for 2 children to stand on it and reach the counter/island.
Kathryn


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## famousmockngbrd

Quote:


Originally Posted by ****Heather**** 
Outdoor area! Deck, porch, veranda, whatever. (But don't use it for extra storage and jam all kinds of clutter into it! Too many people I know do this to their porches.)

We do this. Actually, DH does it. I see it as a potential living space, he sees it as a garage without walls.

Quote:


Originally Posted by ****Heather****
Plenty of natural light. A home feels open and larger with big windows. Feels less closed off.

ITA. IMO this the *the* most important thing. I also think it's important to have a relatively large common area, whether it's the kitchen, the living room, whatever. I don't like it when ALL the rooms are small.

Our house is an embarrassingly large 1200 sf. It has 3 bedrooms and one bath. The kids share a room and the 3rd bedroom is currently a playroom. I like it because it has a big, north facing picture window so it gets nice light. (Secretly I'd like to turn it into an art studio one day.) It has a fairly large closet so we recently took the doors off it and put shelves in there for the kid's toys. It really helped a lot, it's a lot less cramped in there. My favorite thing about our house is our big back yard. I also like the way it's laid out. It has a little hall you walk into when you enter the house, so you don't just step right into the living room. To me that is a much nicer way to come into the house. We have a laundy nook. I wouldn't call it a room.

I want to turn our attic into a loft, too. If anyone has done this, I'd love to hear about it. It would be great for the kids. I also would really like to expand the kitchen/laundry area. Someday, when I have an extra 20K lying around, ha ha. But I like our house, I like where it is, etc. It's plain but it has a very liveable layout. I'm feeling friendly towards it right now because I just did a huge purge of junk and rearranged some furniture to make it work better. We still probably have twice the stuff we need/want/could ever possibly use.


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## gmvh

I've been reading this thread for awhile but have yet to chime in as our house seems big compared to some of you! We're four in what I think is about a 1200 square foot house. It was crazy huge when we moved in with no children as we had previously been two in 450 square feet.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KathinJapan* 
very late addition here.
My FAVORITE thing is our large island in the kitchen. It is just a plain counter space (no sink or cooktop) I use it for soooo many things.

We have one too and I love it though I don't think I'm as good about getting it cleared everyday.

My goal is to get pictures taken today and posted. We've been renovating since we moved in four years ago but it's been slow going. Something about adding twins to the mix...

I've been reading with interest the discussion related to different gender children sharing a room. My two are just over three (and b/g) and currently share a room. The room is 9x13, so longer than it is wide. They have a small walk-in closet but depending on how it's configured, you could pretty easily dress in there. This is years off for us, but if you do think that your children need privacy, has anyone considered dividing a room with a screen to afford visual privacy but not complete privacy? I'm trying to imagine how I would accomplish that in their room. Perhaps with creative lofting of beds? Our third bedroom is a combination sewing room/play room and though we've just set it up since Christmas, I'm loving the space.

Time to go clean out their outgrown clothes!


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## abharrington

oh i love love love







the small house thread. we are 3 in 1000 sq ft, with 3 bedrooms and 1 full bathroom. it is a ranch, but it does sit on a full basement.







so i have more storage than i know what to do with. right now we have a master and dds bedroom and the 3rd is a combo guest room and office. we plan to stay here for a while and i am always considering what to do when the next dc come along. maybe take the guest room/office (whihc is the biggest bedroom and closet) and make it the nursery and dd's room into the guest room. (this would force dh to clean all of his "office" junk out...we have no need for a true home office...he just likes to spread out...hehehe). all of our family is out of town but they visit often (at least once a month) so we truly use our dedicated guest room.

so...my problem is the basement. we have enough furniture down there to almost furnish another whole house. it is the odds and ends of dh and mys college apartments and various piees we have replaced in our home now. i am having a hard time getting rid of it...any suggestions? i don't _really_ think we would ever use any of it again. sigh...i know that means it needs to go. why is it so hard?


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## oyinmama

abharrington: maybe you could craigslist or freecycle the extra furniture?? donate it to a homeless or battered womens' shelter, a youth center, a local frat house? or, as they do on 'clean house,' have a yard sale and schedule a charity donation shop pickup for the end of the day, so that everything that doesn't get sold goes onto the truck... not back into the house.

just brainstorming...


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## sabrinat

Just wondering how my small house mama's are doing.


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## cornflower_3

*


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## saraann

I love this thread!
We just moved into a 1100 sq ft 2bd 1ba house. We also have an unfinished basement and a yard with a storage shed. For the last 3 years we lived in a 863 Sq ft townhouse with a tiny storage shed. Our new place feels HUGE!
It's me, dh, dd, two dogs and a cat.
I think living small forces you to declutter...constantly because if you don't you will drown in it. It also forces you to maximize the space and use rooms for multiple purposes. We remodled our old townhome to make it more efficient and use all of the space. When we moved in it had a tiny kitchen (not a single drawer in the whole kitchen) and a tiny dining area which would only fit a tiny table. We ripped it out and built a nice kitchen with plenty of cabinets and counter space and a bar to sit and eat at. It was really nice. 863 sq ft felt too small though because there was no room to entertain. If we had a yard it would have been much better.
We have plans to remodel our new home. It's fun to be able to be so creative with the space.


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## MFuglei

I'm really enjoying this thread -- everyone here is really inspiring.

We've been living in an 1,100 sq foot house for 3 years now -- DH, DS, and DD. . . I think it's plenty of space and would like to add a 3rd to our family. Dh is concerned about the space we've got and wants a bigger house before we expand our family. It's not likely that will happen. . . so I want to get all of us accustomed to and comfortable with the space we have (which, if you consider the size of our backyard and basement, is more than enough).


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## FreeRangeMama

We are in the middle of redoing the kitchen. For the last 7 years I have had one small counter (which was covered in some weird, non-food safe tile) and very limited cabinets. I know have SO MUCH MORE SPACE!!!! I am very excited, but we are so far from done and the rest of our space is cramped in the meantime.

We were supposed to do it over the holidays when dh had some time off and I wasn't so busy with homeschool stuff but we were all so sick that we couldn't do it. Now we only have Saturdays. It is going to be a LONG project


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## radish

freerangemama
got any pix to share? i LOVE kitchen redos









we're getting ready to move into our new small house. we close escrow wednesday!!!

*any rec's for portable dishwashers?*

we have a small space for an 18" or we can get a full size and have it bounce around the kitchen LOL


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## FreeRangeMama

Quote:

freerangemama
got any pix to share? i LOVE kitchen redos
I have step-by-step photos








I am just waiting until it is all done (if that ever happens) to put them all together. I love renos too! I have such a long list of stuff I want to do!

Congrats on the new house. It is so exciting to get all moved in!


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## sabrinat

We live in a very vanilla builders spec house in a very cookie cutter development. I'm looking for ways to add architectural details. I've painted, but wonder about other ways to beef it up. My dh doesn't have time for builds so I'd have to do it (not!) or hire it out. Suggestions.


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## naturelover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
Other countries (and generations before us) have/had small spaces, 1 bathroom, tiny bedrooms, etc. kids shared bedrooms, houses were (are) tiny. why do i have it in my head that we all NEED space?? personal space, space for stuff, etc etc.

That is true...homes generations ago were built small and families managed just fine! Like our home! It was built in 1952. It's 1250sq ft bungalow w/ 3 small bds and 1 tiny ba but it has a pretty big yard. Families in the 50's didn't really need a big house because they spent most of their time outdoors and when they were indoors, they were always spending time in close proximity to each other and that's what we love! We love spending time together as a family, the boys love sharing a room and we spend a lot of time outdoors! This home fits our lifestyle perfectly. Homes nowadays are being built huge with tiny backyard...I don't think that is promoting a very healthy lifestyle...families probably tend to spend more time apart and less time outdoors...

Also in my opinion, if I had a bigger house, I would have more junk and more clutter, which would equal more stress.

We







our old, small home!


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## mommajb

Quote:


Originally Posted by *naturelover* 
That is true...homes generations ago were built small and families managed just fine! Like our home! It was built in 1952. It's 1250sq ft bungalow w/ 3 small bds and 1 tiny ba but it has a pretty big yard. Families in the 50's didn't really need a big house because they spent most of their time outdoors and when they were indoors, they were always spending time in close proximity to each other and that's what we love! We love spending time together as a family, the boys love sharing a room and we spend a lot of time outdoors! This home fits our lifestyle perfectly. Homes nowadays are being built huge with tiny backyard...I don't think that is promoting a very healthy lifestyle...families probably tend to spend more time apart and less time outdoors...

Also in my opinion, if I had a bigger house, I would have more junk and more clutter, which would equal more stress.

We







our old, small home!

I think you have got that right. I realize our house is not all that small, just your average 1950 cape cod style. It also means our neighborhood is full of similar houses inhabited by people we know, not strangers. This is _usually_ a good thing.


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## loitering

I rent a small home, but I can't tell how small! I don't own a tape measure longer than 3 feet







When I read the ad for the place, I remember my landlord mentioning something like 800 sq feet but I can't figure out how the place is that small! We have three bedrooms (two pretty small), a spacious-by-my-standards living room, and one room smaller than the living room divided into kitchen and eating area.

I really do love it, but of course I don't like the lack of storage. My office, which should be like my sanctuary, holds ALL the extra stuff that doesn't have a home, like folding chairs, sleeping bags, Halloween stuff, etc.


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## MFuglei

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommajb* 
I think you have got that right. I realize our house is not all that small, just your average 1950 cape cod style. It also means our neighborhood is full of similar houses inhabited by people we know, not strangers. This is _usually_ a good thing.

What is beginning to fascinate me is that 1200 sq foot homes are beginning to be considered small. When we were house hunting, our friends were astounded that we'd consider a home less than 2000 sq feet.

We have 6 friends who purchased homes in the past 3 years. All of them bought homes that are 2000 sq feet or larger. One of them bought a 2 story home that's 3,500 sq feet with about 1000 ft of basement space (yet unfinished). . . for 2 people with a single child!

Our big step this week -- we got rid of our microwave. I've been campaigning to do it for awhile, but DH finally relented (we rarely used it, I don't know what his hangup was). I've doubled my counterspace! I actually really enjoy my kitchen at the moment.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *naturelover* 
That is true...homes generations ago were built small and families managed just fine! Like our home! It was built in 1952. It's 1250sq ft bungalow w/ 3 small bds and 1 tiny ba but it has a pretty big yard. Families in the 50's didn't really need a big house because they spent most of their time outdoors and when they were indoors, they were always spending time in close proximity to each other and that's what we love! We love spending time together as a family, the boys love sharing a room and we spend a lot of time outdoors! This home fits our lifestyle perfectly. Homes nowadays are being built huge with tiny backyard...I don't think that is promoting a very healthy lifestyle...families probably tend to spend more time apart and less time outdoors...





So true. I remember when I was younger we lived in a house that was MAYBE 1200 sf and I never thought it was small. There were 4 kids and we did 2 in each room. We spent tons of time out of doors. I think there's a whole mindset in the states that lends itself toward consumption and consumerism. I would be content to remain in our current home forever w/a few modifications...screening in the porch being the main one. But I get asked constantly about our plans to move...what will I do when dd is older etc...It can make it a challenge to march to the beat of your own drummer when you live where everyone is constantly buying or trying to get bigger and better.


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## red_trillium

we live in a relatively small house. there are 4 soon to be 5 of us. we moved last year from our little 2br 800 some sf apt, so it seemed really big to us at first! we've got a decent sized yard, although it's long and narrow, which i don't really like, but there is a nice garden area and a storage shed, so that is really nice. i plan on making more outdoor living "spaces" this spring out there.

inside we've got 3br and 1 bath, which works really well right now. not sure what we'll do when the little one moves out of our bed! not sure about the boy/girl room sharing thing either. for a while ds had his room, but it was like a play room. we gave him the big room when we moved(he has a lot of really big play things!) and dd got the tiny 8x9ft room. we fixed it up really cute though and it's a really nice space for her.

for getting the big room, ds has to share his floor space and let dd in to play(we don't really have to make him, he's more than happy for company







). i'm stuck on where to put the new little one though. if it's a girl, i don't think sharing a room with a 9 or 10 yo big brother would work. lol dd's room is too small to even think about another bed or even a bigger one. even then, she will be 5.5 years older than this one. switching rooms will most likely end up the war of the worlds... so we'll have to get a bit creative there!

we're in planning stages for redoing our kitchen. it's a very large space, which is nice(14x14) but the lay out is just awful. and the washer and dryer are smack in the middle of my stove and fridge!(not built in and huge!) i really want to put in a nice big island and move some things around. we're just trying to plan and save as much as we can for it and do it a bit at a time.

i don't think we'll stay here forever. we really want to move out of town in the next 5+?? years, but for now our little house is working quite well for us. i have noticed it's getting crowded and i'm still trying to purge and declutter, but i think that will be an ongoing thing forever, reguardless of house size!

if we move, the only thing i would want more of is one more decent sized bedroom, and more outdoor space. the rest of our space fits us just fine. i honestly don't know what i'd do with myself in anything too much larger than this! i really like being close to my family when we are home together.


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## anstar

I'm a lover/hater of our "small" house. It's 625 up and 625 in the basement, which we've "mostly" finished. I laugh at it being small, though, because my SIL once rented a house when she was newly married that wasn't more than 300sq. ft. THAT, my friends, was rediculous!

One thing I love about our house is there are no hallways to waste space. Each bedroom connects to a main room. We also have 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. Two of the bedrooms we use as offices for our home based businesses, and the boys share the other bedroom. I'm not sure what we'll do with the new baby - it depends on weather it's a boy or a girl. I'm thinking bunkbeds eventually, but they're all a little young for that, yet.

Most furniture is too big for our house, and I now have a strict "one in, one out" policy for furniture. Most of what I have is old collectables - like my great grandmother's armoire and my MIL's old sewing cabinet.

Speaking of collectables, I should mention that my husband has lived in this house his whole life. His parents owned it before he bought it from them, and married him and moved in four years ago. Which means, of course, that he still has *everything* from his childhood, since he's never moved! he has all kinds of old toys, sports cards, comics, etc. I just wish he would sell them all (heck, he might even be able to stay home for a year or two on what he makes selling it all!), but he's constantly disappointed that none of them are worth thousands of dollars, and therefore won't sell any even though they're worth $30. ARGH! Think of the closet space I could reclaim!!!


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## earthgirl

OK, jumping in w/out reading a lot of the post. We are in a 1000 square foot home, and will be moving (fingers crossed) into something smaller next month. I never thought I'd say this in a million years, but I'm actually looking forward to having such a small kitchen. I feel like I spend way too much time cleaning and I hope a smaller space helps in that department.


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## marisa

We're a family of 6 in 1100 sqft and I wish we could go smaller, but more open. I love lofty ceilings, and my house has those low 1950's ceilings.

But we run a home business with a lot of equipment and it is essential to have this much room. I fantasize about living in a 700 - 800 sq ft one room loft.


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## radish

we're moving in next thursday!

oooh a screened porch sounds perfect for us! as long as it ends up looking like this: LOL

__
https://flic.kr/p/147879599

having a small space is interesting so far. when i mention it to certain people they light up and say they have a small house too. then we gab and gab about the benefits of being in a small space.

ive sold a ton of our furniture on craigslist this month so we're down to the basics. it feels so good!


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## ReadingMama

I'm learning to love our small house by redecorating it a little at a time. Our actual house is around 980 square feet, but we have an attached sunroom that adds another 175 square feet or so. The sunroom is great for the warmer months, but it's not insulated and the window AC unit can't keep it warm enough to use much in the colder months.

We have enough space for our family of 3 (and two dogs), but not really for company to come over to eat. If the sunroom was usable year-round as a dining room, it'd be just right.

Clutter is my biggest struggle--every flat surface gets piled with stuff. And my mom keeps buying me decorations for holidays, even though she knows I'm into decluttering and simplifying. She buys nice stuff, but I don't need anything else cluttering up the flat surfaces of our house!


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## radish

so, where is everyone located?
oh, and are you in a city or rural?


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## naturelover

MFuglei said:


> What is beginning to fascinate me is that 1200 sq foot homes are beginning to be considered small. When we were house hunting, our friends were astounded that we'd consider a home less than 2000 sq feet.
> 
> 
> 
> You are absolutely right! When friends found out we bought a 1250 sq ft house with NO master bathroom, they thought we were nuts...unfortunetely that is all we could afford at the time but we also thought it was a cute, cozy house. A lot of the bigger homes just feel too cold and big. One thing I do like about bigger homes however are their cathedral ceilings.
Click to expand...


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## naturelover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
so, where is everyone located?
oh, and are you in a city or rural?

I'm in the suburbs outside of San Francisco.


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## Einley

We live in a small-ish house. It is around 1200 sf and there are five of us. No master bath. It was built in 1926 and is a bungalow. I love the history of it. We moved from an almost 4000 sf house. I love it and if I could convince my husband to go smaller I would. He misses the bigger house but I have no clue why. Maybe because he didn't have to clean it


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## Einley

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
...It can make it a challenge to march to the beat of your own drummer when you live where everyone is constantly buying or trying to get bigger and better.









Oh I can totally relate!


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## MFuglei

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
so, where is everyone located?
oh, and are you in a city or rural?

I'm in Old Littleton, CO. Our neighborhood was built out in the early 1960s, so it's primarily 1,000 sq foot ranch homes.


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## earthgirl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
so, where is everyone located?
oh, and are you in a city or rural?

I'm in Jamaica Plain, which is a neighborhood in Boston.


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## gmvh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *red_trillium* 
we're in planning stages for redoing our kitchen. it's a very large space, which is nice(14x14) but the lay out is just awful. and the washer and dryer are smack in the middle of my stove and fridge!(not built in and huge!)

Will you need to keep the washer and dryer in the kitchen? If so and depending on your budget, you might want to consider under the counter models so you could have folding space or just plain counter space on top. They'd be more expensive but, given your lay out, perhaps very worth it! I know our Bosch pair will fit (we don't have the models that are easily available at big box home stores but you can get them at independent appliance stores) as would a Miele pair ($$$!) and I think Asko machines would fit. Good luck - I'd love to have our wash somewhere other than our basement!


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## red_trillium

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gmvh* 
Will you need to keep the washer and dryer in the kitchen? If so and depending on your budget, you might want to consider under the counter models so you could have folding space or just plain counter space on top. They'd be more expensive but, given your lay out, perhaps very worth it! I know our Bosch pair will fit (we don't have the models that are easily available at big box home stores but you can get them at independent appliance stores) as would a Miele pair ($$$!) and I think Asko machines would fit. Good luck - I'd love to have our wash somewhere other than our basement!

thanks for the idea! sadly, there is no other place to fit a washer/dryer. i was totally going to splurge on a washer/dryer combo that would fit under a cabinet.... but these were a brand new gift from dh's grandparents last year when we moved in. "front loaders don't work!" was the answer i got when i suggested it to them when they asked what kind i wanted.







so anyway, i think i'm stuck with them.

it is very convient having them right there and easily accessible though! now really convient would be to have them upstairs in the bathroom! i do like being able to throw all our kitchen rags and things right in there. it's also very easy to take the clothes right outside to hang up in the warm weather.


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## dflanag2

Here in Arlington, VA we have a ton of smaller Colonial style homes that were built in the 40's and 50's, and a local builder decided to remodel one as an Idea House and put it on the market fully furnished (by Ikea). The house is 1800 square feet total with 2 (possibly 3) bedrooms and 3.5 baths (so many, I know!) and fully furnished by a design team at a local university.

You can see pictures here: http://www.yeonasandellis.com/WilsonGalleryPhotos.html

The Washington Post wrote an article about it here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...020101688.html

I'm not so into the contemporary style nor the curtains dragging on the floor everywhere, and I think the couch in the living room is too big and not the way I would have gone towards furnishing that room of the house, but I really dug the idea and the size of the house. I visited the open house today.

Maybe this is the start of a new trend towards recycling smaller older homes?

Maybe not, as the same company is planning to build 4 mammoth size houses on the lots surrounding this house that they 'saved'?

Anyway, hope that you enjoy looking!

-dflanag2


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## Stone Fence

Thanks, that was a nice look around. Not my style, but I can apreciate the uncluttered look.


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## sabrinat

The idea house is very nice, but like the pp said...not my style.


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## FreeRangeMama

Nice house! You could fit 2 of my houses in it







It is always great when people see the value in redoing older homes instead of just building new. And I am kind of an Ikea junky







:


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## earthgirl

That house seemed huge to me!







I know it's not, though, compared to what gets built now.


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## radish

flickr'd pix of our mini renovation:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reginal...7602149975815/


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## Einley

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
flickr'd pix of our mini renovation:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reginal...7602149975815/

That is so cool! I just love that you used a paint named "bagel" for the kitchen- I thought that was so cute


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## MFuglei

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
flickr'd pix of our mini renovation:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reginal...7602149975815/

Our kitchens are close to the same setup!! We're thinking of doing something extremely similar for a color scheme -- thank you for sharing this, it's nice to see what ours will look like!


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## Karri_B

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
so, where is everyone located?
oh, and are you in a city or rural?

I am in Central MN, in the city. We have a 1300SF townhome w/ three bedrooms and 1-1.5 baths. we have three kids and plan on a few more. Our neighbors all think we are nuts!







I keep telling them if we have more, we'll just stack 'em (bunk beds).


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## Baby Makes 4

Hi!

I think I belong here. We just bought a new house and are downsizing by about 600sq feet.

The house itself is 2200 square feet but we are renting out the entire basement suite so we will be living in approximately 1100 sq feet.

3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, not much storage.

Dh works out of town and is only home with us Saturday-Monday, I have a 2 year old and a 12 year old who homeschools.

I have been perusing websites looking for creative storage techniques and purging our house like crazy.

We will also be putting our washer and dryer in the kitchen. We want to buy full sized front loaders and stack them.


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## radish

thanks mamas! we move in on thursday and have a lot to do. in fact, i should really be packing right now!

forgot to add that we're in california. northern CA, between sacramento and lake tahoe. small town of 8,000 people, but we live on a small/woodsy street with 3 other houses.


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## naturelover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
thanks mamas! we move in on thursday and have a lot to do. in fact, i should really be packing right now!

forgot to add that we're in california. northern CA, between sacramento and lake tahoe. small town of 8,000 people, but we live on a small/woodsy street with 3 other houses.

Are you moving somewhere near placerville or in el dorado county? We were hoping to move there recently but we just couldn't sell our house








We currently live 30 mins outside Oakland but the market is so bad and we were competing with brand new homes so we didn't stand a chance of selling our old house....but we still dream about moving out there one day! We love being surrounded with trees, the country, just the whole small town feel of that area...and it's beautiful down there! Enjoy your new home!!


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## radish

yup - placerville! we lucked out and sold our house in sacramento. we do love it here. hopefully the market will pick and you guys can come up here









there are a lot of crunchy families here!


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## sabrinat

I've been reading the book "It's all too much" by Peter Walsh. I like it because it talks about embracing the space you live in, letting go of stuff and not always looking for the future but living now. He says that people are in the habit of buying stuff for the next house and fail to live in the moment. I think it's relevant because when you live in the small space you can become easily overwhelmed by stuff and all.


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## naturelover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
there are a lot of crunchy families here!

I KNOW!! That is another reason why I want to head over there! Right now I'm surrounded by materialistic, mainstream moms who think bigger is better so we don't really see eye to eye







But our goal is to move to the El Dorado area within the next 3-5 years so we may be neighbors one day!!


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## radish

lemme guess, east bay or north bay?


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## naturelover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
lemme guess, east bay or north bay?

East bay!


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## radish

LOL, that was my first guess. north bay gets a bit crunchier (and $$$)


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## wombatclay

earthgirl- I lived in JP for 5 years... I wish we could have stayed but life pulled us back to NY. We were on Woodlawn St (closer to the dead end than to the main road), just across from the T. Someday we'll move back I hope.

We live in the Finger Lakes region of NY (so sort of Central, sort of Upstate... about 5-6 hours from NYC, an hour or so to PA, and about 3 hours to Canada). We have roughly an acre and a quarter but it backs into the Finger Lakes Trails so in essence we have something like 600 acres of protected forest and hiking trails as our backyard.

We bought our current tiny house (the paperwork said 950 sq ft but we pulled out the lasers and it's actually closer to 760... they were including silly things like the stairwell in the "total") last month and are living in hotels while we get heat/hot water hooked up. I have some pictures of the current "mess" up on flickr but they're pretty jumbled right now...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/briarhouse/

kitchens- we also had the washer dryer in the middle of the itty bitty kitchen. Our solution (still in progress as you'll see in the pictures) is to bump out a wall so that the washer/dryer becomes part of a slightly bigger bathroom. This means the bathroom becomes a sort of "L" shape with the short part of the L acting as a laundry center/closet (the house had no closets at all) and the kitchen gains wall space for cabinets without really losing much space (the washer/dryer already used the floor space).

Could you maybe stack the washer/dryer and then use hanging curtains or a shoji screen type deal to seperate it visually if you can't wall it into another room?


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## radish

great pix!! cant wait to see the after pix







when do you plan to move in?
nak


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## earthgirl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
earthgirl- I lived in JP for 5 years... I wish we could have stayed but life pulled us back to NY. We were on Woodlawn St (closer to the dead end than to the main road), just across from the T. Someday we'll move back I hope.


Get out! That's my street, but only for 2 more weeks.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 

We bought our current tiny house (the paperwork said 950 sq ft but we pulled out the lasers and it's actually closer to 760... they were including silly things like the stairwell in the "total") last month and are living in hotels while we get heat/hot water hooked up. I have some pictures of the current "mess" up on flickr but they're pretty jumbled right now...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/briarhouse/

Cool place. It looks incredibly peaceful.


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## wombatclay

Earthgirl- That's too funny! We lived at 20 Woodlawn St, Apt 1 (ground floor) till we moved back to NYabout 6 years ago.

Radish- ummm. We actually DID move in and toughed out the no heat, no hot water, no kitchen (with a 2yo and a babe) for about a week. We've been crashing with family and friends since then in the hopes that DH can get things fixed up a bit... the messier pictures were taken last week and not much has changed since then except there is now a working toilet in the bathroom! And, well, we've run out of family, friends, and money to stay in hotels (where we are now, enjoying free wi-fi) so we're moving in permanently tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully the stove will get hooked up tonight and between the toilet, bottled water, instant oatmeal packs, and a mad amount of coffee we'll all stay warm and wild as we pound out a slightly more "livable" space.

We'll see how it goes.


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## [email protected]

I popped in here and saw all the posts from those of you JP people and had to laugh! I never lived on Woodlawn St., but I have been to parties there!!! And we actually looked at a condo there as well. Do/did any of you go and hang out at Forest Hills Cemetery? I love going there with the kids on a nice day - so many beautiful and interesting headstones as well as the sculpture walk.

A bit of on-topic info. I am in the middle of a big declutter/reorganization of our space. Our living room is pretty small and you have to walk right through the middle of it to get into the house. Basically we have our TV, a sofa and chair. No room for anything else - not even a coffee table. I'd love to make the space work better but am at a loss for what to do without replacing the furniture (which would be nice, but not happening right now).


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## CariOfOz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
Radish- ummm. We actually DID move in and toughed out the no heat, no hot water, no kitchen (with a 2yo and a babe) for about a week. We've been crashing with family and friends since then in the hopes that DH can get things fixed up a bit... the messier pictures were taken last week and not much has changed since then except there is now a working toilet in the bathroom!

We'll see how it goes.









I'm crossing fingers for you! Just had to tell you that I have always been in love with that ikea kitchen!







Can't wait to see pics when you start getting things set up as you want them, I'm sure it's going to be the cutest place!


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## radish

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
:

Radish- ummm. We actually DID move in and toughed out the no heat, no hot water, no kitchen (with a 2yo and a babe) for about a week. We've been crashing with family and friends since then in the hopes that DH can get things fixed up a bit... the messier pictures were taken last week and not much has changed since then except there is now a working toilet in the bathroom! And, well, we've run out of family, friends, and money to stay in hotels (where we are now, enjoying free wi-fi) so we're moving in permanently tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully the stove will get hooked up tonight and between the toilet, bottled water, instant oatmeal packs, and a mad amount of coffee we'll all stay warm and wild as we pound out a slightly more "livable" space.

We'll see how it goes.









LOL, i can relate. we moved in without a shower and no heat downstairs. day #3 without a bath LMBO.

feels great though. we love our new space
















good luck getting settled in!


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## transformed

Quote:


Originally Posted by *babybugmama* 
I guess we're it...wanna start a thread for the three of us?

what are the blessings and curses of a small house?

Less to clean...NO storage!

I just found this and thought "if you build it.....they will come."









I love my sm house, except its hard to sneak around if someones sleeping,


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## radish

we've been on our small house for a month now - fast huh?!

We love it. Just love it. Well except for the fact that we dont have a dishwasher. The space fits us perfectly. Easy to clean too!

The kids love it too. We got a new cat and are looking to add a canine pal to our home as well.

Here are some more pix:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reginal...7602149975815/


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## sabrinat

Looks great and doesn't seem small at all, seems just right


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## JennaW

Can I join this thread? DH and I live in a 660 sq ft house but we have a big back yard! We are expecting our first baby in July. The baby will not have their own room because there really is no extra room. Technically our house is a two bedroom but we use the front bedroom as a living room.

We love small living! Like others have said, easy to clean. It helps that we have a nice shed to help store some stuff but we still have to be careful about what we keep around. I have found for us that storing seasonal clothing has been great.


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## earthgirl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JennaW* 
Can I join this thread? DH and I live in a 660 sq ft house but we have a big back yard! We are expecting our first baby in July. The baby will not have their own room because there really is no extra room. Technically our house is a two bedroom but we use the front bedroom as a living room.

We love small living! Like others have said, easy to clean. It helps that we have a nice shed to help store some stuff but we still have to be careful about what we keep around. I have found for us that storing seasonal clothing has been great.

Wow! That is small. We just made our move to a smaller place, but we are still settling in. Mostly, I'm liking it, though. We have very tall ceilings (about 12 feet) so that certainly helps. BTW, congrats on the pregnancy!


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## wombatclay

OK... a small house challenge.

Our fridge is being delivered today (2 months of no fridge, just tupperware in a snow bank). DH has been saying "no worries" for the past month but last night was the first time he actually started clearing a path to the front door (past the construction debris) and clearing a space inside the kitchen (which is where the only door opens).

The challenge? Our one and only door is 31 inches wide. The clearance between the open door and the counter is only 25 inches (the door opens in such a way that the door is between you and the rest of the room, and there is a counter that sticks out so...). Since I assume the fridge is wider/deeper than 25 inches we will have to take the front door off it's hinges.

DH still says "no worries". So I look up the product dimensions and the smallest is 32.5. Remember the door width? So now I'm home alone with 2 kiddos waiting for the delivery men so I can tell them to take the front door off it's hinges, remove all the packaging, and then hope that with the fridge door removed there will be enough space to get the dang thing inside.

Grrrr!

Ok...thanks for listening to my tiny house tiny vent!


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## JennaW

wombatclay-

I'm sure it will be fine! You have to remember those guys deliver dozens of appliances every day and you're not the only one with a small place! I'm sure they will figure it out







Congrats on the new fridge BTW, I personally find new appliances to be exciting!


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## JennaW

Thanks earthgirl! Our place is small and I do think we will need more space in about 2 years. Our child better like the family bed because there isn't really another choice, LOL.


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## wombatclay

It fit! w00t w00t wiggle!

We moved in two months ago without heat, hot water, basic plumbing, or appliances. The fridge follows the pellet stove, toilet, and shower... and blazes the path for the kitchen sink, electric lights, stove, cooktop, washer/dryer, and dishwasher. So I'm feeling hopeful.

Oh, they did take the door off the house and remove packaging and all that... one of the interior shelves on the door got busted but I signed off anyway since... well... I really wanted a fridge!










ETA- I put a pic up on flickr... dd1 decorating the new fridge

__
https://flic.kr/p/2316796365
 (you can see almost the entire first floor, photo taken from the stairs.)


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## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JennaW* 
Can I join this thread? DH and I live in a 660 sq ft house but we have a big back yard! We are expecting our first baby in July. The baby will not have their own room because there really is no extra room. Technically our house is a two bedroom but we use the front bedroom as a living room.


Okay, you officially rock because your house is actually SMALLER THAN MINE!!! That never happens! :LOL Ours sounds a lot like yours, we use both bedrooms as bedrooms and put up with the teeny tiny living room.


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## radish

slightly OT but have you guys seen the urban homestead?
http://www.pathtofreedom.com/urbanho...taglance.shtml

pretty inspiring~


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## JennaW

Julia-

When you walk to my house you are in the "common room", to your right are the two bedrooms with a bathroom in the middle (Jack & Jill), directly ahead of you is the kitchen, to the right of the kitchen is the "laundry room", where the back door is located. That's the whole house, no hall ways or anything like that. So we use the bedroom in the front of the house as a living room, the "common room" has a big dining room table which serves many purposes (desk, eating, laundry folding, doing puzzles, extended counter space for the kitchen, ect..) My dresser is also in the "common room" but its an antique so it doesn't really stand out in a bad way. We also have a bookshelf with all DH's books (english major), we call this the library.

How big is your place?


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## Juliacat

Our house is 680 square feet. You walk into the tiny living room, then the dining room, then the kitchen. To the right is bedroom, bathroom, bedroom, which sounds like yours. The living room connects to our room and the kitchen connects to dd's room. The washer/dryer is in the kitchen.

Honestly, I think all the rooms _except_ the living room are fine, size-wise, for the purposes they serve. You don't need that much room to sleep or bathe or really even to cook and eat, you know? But to LIVE--ah, that is the problem!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JennaW* 
Julia-

When you walk to my house you are in the "common room", to your right are the two bedrooms with a bathroom in the middle (Jack & Jill), directly ahead of you is the kitchen, to the right of the kitchen is the "laundry room", where the back door is located. That's the whole house, no hall ways or anything like that. So we use the bedroom in the front of the house as a living room, the "common room" has a big dining room table which serves many purposes (desk, eating, laundry folding, doing puzzles, extended counter space for the kitchen, ect..) My dresser is also in the "common room" but its an antique so it doesn't really stand out in a bad way. We also have a bookshelf with all DH's books (english major), we call this the library.

How big is your place?


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## Juliacat

You know, I can totally put up with living in a tiny house forever EXCEPT that I wish we could have parties at our house and I wish we had room for my grandmother's piano....Those two things are the only things that are really-super important to me that I don't have.


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## limette

For those of you with a main floor and basement are you including the basement in your square footage? My main floor is about 900 square feet but we have a full finished basement (another 900) which includes a bedroom, rec room, sewing room, workshop, storage etc.


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## Stone Fence

I would only consider it if it was actual living space. I don't count my basement. It is for storage and mechanicals only.


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## kijip

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
so, where is everyone located?
oh, and are you in a city or rural?

In Seattle, so urban. But not downtown urban- a city neighborhood. On a sketchy block or at least as sketchy as Seattle gets, LOL.


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## onetwoten

Sign me up!

DH and I bought into our first home in September, but it was in horrific condition, so we've been renoing little by little and just moved in in December. The bathroom was gutted right down to the floor joists and the studs, and built back up. It's still tiny, but it's mylittle haven now- so clean and new!

The house is 750 square feet, on the main level, and the basement will be another 700 or so, including another bedroom, laundry room and rec room, but we "unfinished it" when we moved in because it was ugly and old. So it's currently unusable, but one day, will make this house possible with kids!

Upstairs is a fairly large eat in kitchen, large living room, tiny bath, and two bedrooms. The owners before us had 3 children, and I nannyed for them, so I got to see what it was like, and I think we can manage three children if we need to, especially once the basement is all "prettied". I grew up in a home with only about 1400 square feet including the basement and there were 6 people living there, so it shouldn't be too hard!!

My biggest obstacle is that I'm a packrat, and I have too much "stuff" not so much for the house, because the basement is entirely storage right now... but for it to look nice. ie- lots of papers, books, binders, etc- and there's only so many bookcases you can have. And also I have a hoard of soaps, shampoos, lotions, body care etc... that I can't bring myself to throw away, but there's too much to fit in the hall closet, so it's all in boxes downstairs. It's insane. I can't wait to finish going through boxes and unpacking, and get to the point where I don't have "extras", where if I need say, note paper- I actually have to go buy some- not have 15 pads already.


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## [email protected]

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juliacat* 
You know, I can totally put up with living in a tiny house forever EXCEPT that I wish we could have parties at our house and I wish we had room for my grandmother's piano....Those two things are the only things that are really-super important to me that I don't have.

That is exactly how I feel. Right now the kids are small and we are all always together, but we literally can't have people over because there is no place for them to sit (unless we know them really well and they don't mind sitting on the floor). We also have lots of friends and family who live far away and having house guests is somewhat inconvenient. We do have a piano (not a family heirloom) which I'd love to get rid of for the space but I do want the kids to have lessons and I know we'll never get another one so it stays and takes up half of the livingroom. Our house is perfect for just us right now, but that is changing.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *limette* 
For those of you with a main floor and basement are you including the basement in your square footage? My main floor is about 900 square feet but we have a full finished basement (another 900) which includes a bedroom, rec room, sewing room, workshop, storage etc.

We are about 900 sq ft as well with a full basement but that space is not finished (nor is it finishable) it is mainly laundry and storage , with a corner for messy kid projects - it doesn't matter if they spill paint or something. I don't count the basement as living space.


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## Stone Fence

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
so, where is everyone located?
oh, and are you in a city or rural?


I'm rural. On 20 acres outside of Albany, NY.

Maybe you've heard about it lately


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## kijip

We are in a townhome like I have mentioned here before. The ground level is a small 1 car garage (used as freezer, food storage, camping gear, kite storage, no car gets parked in there), a tiled entry hallway in which we have pictures, coat hooks and shoe rack/bench in as well as a mail station/chalk board and a small room with a 1/2 bath.

We have finally freed this small room space from moving boxes and Xmas stuff and want to use it as an office. I occasionally work from home (have a writing heavy management job) and my husband is a full-time student. Luckily, we don't need to put in a desk top computer as we each have laptops. Not only is the room small (9'8" X 7'4" = about 70 square feet) but there is a freaking door or two on every wall. I have posted pictures of what it looks like now here http://www.flickr.com/photos/2261213...7604109371817/

The only thing different about the room is a small vintage office chair that is used at the desk which was not in the room when i took the pics.

and would love your thoughts on how to efficiently use the space as well as decorate it a bit (window coverings, paint color and possibly replacing the carpet that the house guests from hell destroyed in 3 weeks!). Wall mounted storage options? Ideally we would have a desk and chair, love seat and filing cabinet in there. Realistically, we may not even be able to fit a desk, an armchair and a filing cabinet. If it was your room, what would you do to make it an office? That slider leads to our garden/yard so replacing the carpet with a hard surface is wise because we will track dirt back and forth. The garage has all our gardening stuff, so no need for yard supplies to be stored in this room.

As you can see, the room would be more useful space wise if it had less doors! The only door that I suppose could be blocked is the one to the closet/water heater but I would need to conceal it somehow so it still looked nice and would still need to get into the closet sometimes so blocking it with furniture is not feasible.

Thanks for any advice!

Clearly, this is not the third bedroom as advertised! No place for a bed.


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## Juliacat

You definitely need wall-mounted storage. Dh's and my biggest coping strategy for living in a tiny house is "Anything that CAN go on the wall, WILL go on the wall." Get some wall-mountable filing slots, for sure, and also some shelves if you need them. You can even put filing boxes on the shelves on the wall.

Maybe you can put the armchair in front of the least necessary door if it would be easy enough to move when you need access.


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## JennaW

Have you checked out IKEA's website? Even if you don't want to buy their stuff they have lots of ideas you could use.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/ca...oms/workspace/


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## JennaW

Jessica-

When we moved into our house I literally cried because it was in such bad shape and so ugly, LOL.

But we have done a lot of work and it is so satisfying to now LOVE my home, even if it is small.


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## dready_betty

Great thread! I don't know the square footage of our house, but it consists of a living room/kitchen/dining area (all open, and small but still big enough to cook in), one bedroom, and a bathroom/closet. That's it! And it's a regular house on 3 acres. The house is actually bigger, but the rest of it is completely unfinished and we are planning to tear it down and build a big porch anyways.

There are only 2 of us (me and DP), along with our two dogs, but eventually there will be kiddos. We'll cosleep for a while, but what then? What would you guys do about a bedroom/private space for kids if you only had 1 BR?


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## wombatclay

Quote:

What would you guys do about a bedroom/private space for kids if you only had 1 BR?
There was something about this a few pages back... the question of how much privacy people "need" over how much is socially conditioned. If you scroll back a little you'll see a lot of ideas!

Families I knew growing up built small outbuildings for each child. Actually, each child built their own structure and (once it was sturdy enough for parental approval) they could do whatever they wanted in "their" space. They could either sleep in the family bedroom or out in their "cabin". It's something I'm considering since we certainly have more land outside than footage inside.

Growing up my own family (2 parents, 2 kids) had a family bedroom... not a family bed, but a bunk bed for my brother and I and a larger bed for my parents all in the same bedroom. It wasn't a big room (clothing was kept elsewhere in the house since there really was no space for anything but those beds) but it was really just for sleeping. All the "living" happened elsewhere and I'm assuming my parents were simply creative in finding "adult time alone"... my brother and I certainly had earlier bedtimes than they did so the house was theirs after about 9pm.

Glad you found the thread though... it's a lot of fun! And nice to feel like you're not the only person living on a smaller footprint...


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## starling&diesel

You know what's frustrating?
My small town has bighouseitis .... ALL the houses for sale are ginormous!

We just want a wee hoos ... just a eeny liddle hoos.
This is just an example of what's standard on the market here:

http://whistlerlistings.com/resident...ls&res_id=2541








Now ... is that really necessary?

There is such a culture here of bigger is better ... and I just don't see it. We'd have to have walkie talkies in that place just to arrange a hallway to meet in for what should be a random kiss. Can you even BEGIN to guess how many outlets you'd have to use to vacuum the place? Seriously, that's a requirement for whatever house we buy ... "Only needs one or two outlets to vacuum."


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## wombatclay

If I ever buy (or build) a big house a central vac system will be a must. Maybe one of the wet/dry systems. Or some sort of built in roomba in each room.









It looks like that monster does have the central vac though so you'd only need to carry the hose (and supplies for the voyage, a map, compass, and possibly a gps location tracker).


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## FreeRangeMama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kijip* 
We are in a townhome like I have mentioned here before. The ground level is a small 1 car garage (used as freezer, food storage, camping gear, kite storage, no car gets parked in there), a tiled entry hallway in which we have pictures, coat hooks and shoe rack/bench in as well as a mail station/chalk board and a small room with a 1/2 bath.

We have finally freed this small room space from moving boxes and Xmas stuff and want to use it as an office. I occasionally work from home (have a writing heavy management job) and my husband is a full-time student. Luckily, we don't need to put in a desk top computer as we each have laptops. Not only is the room small (9'8" X 7'4" = about 70 square feet) but there is a freaking door or two on every wall. I have posted pictures of what it looks like now here http://www.flickr.com/photos/2261213...7604109371817/

The only thing different about the room is a small vintage office chair that is used at the desk which was not in the room when i took the pics.

and would love your thoughts on how to efficiently use the space as well as decorate it a bit (window coverings, paint color and possibly replacing the carpet that the house guests from hell destroyed in 3 weeks!). Wall mounted storage options? Ideally we would have a desk and chair, love seat and filing cabinet in there. Realistically, we may not even be able to fit a desk, an armchair and a filing cabinet. If it was your room, what would you do to make it an office? That slider leads to our garden/yard so replacing the carpet with a hard surface is wise because we will track dirt back and forth. The garage has all our gardening stuff, so no need for yard supplies to be stored in this room.

As you can see, the room would be more useful space wise if it had less doors! The only door that I suppose could be blocked is the one to the closet/water heater but I would need to conceal it somehow so it still looked nice and would still need to get into the closet sometimes so blocking it with furniture is not feasible.

Thanks for any advice!

Clearly, this is not the third bedroom as advertised! No place for a bed.

There are some great tutorials on making a door into a bookshelf. If you or dh are handy you could do this for the storage room door. Here is one page, but you can google for different variations

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Hidden-Door-Bookshelf

Do you need privacy for these windows? That would make a difference for what kind of window treatments you choose. If privacy is not an issue I might just mount a shelf midway across the window for plants or something.

I might also use the bathroom door as a chalkboard, whiteboard, or bulletin board. That way you are making use of the space.

You could put shoes in something like this
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/10031987

That keeps them out of sight.

Just a few ideas!

Good luck, we have a small room that isn't the 3rd bedroom they advertised as well. Thankfully there are not so many doors so we do use it as a bedroom, but we had to alter the bed to fit it in there.


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## racheloperasinger

Hey mama-mamas!

My DH and I are house-shopping right now for a duplex that we will share with my parents. We've all fallen in love with a duplex in rural Sebastopol (No. Cal) out in the country (but pretty close to town/freeway), on 1/3 acre and BEE-YOOTIFUL! Besides for the square footage, it's our dream house. Each unit is about 700 sq. ft, we think (there are no accurate records); each is 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and has it own 1-car garage. We have one toddler, and we are planning on having more kids.

Neither of us are pack-rats, and are trying to move toward a more voluntary-simplicity-type lifestyle anyway. Our plan is to make the land into a permaculture homestead, little by little.

*I am so glad I have found this thread because, although my DH and I have faith that we can make this work, we just need some encouragement, tips, experience, wisdom, etc.*


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## p1gg1e

4 of us live in 1170 sqft. With a full basement. Our house was built in 1954 with 950 sqft but the first owner who we bought from put an addition on with first floor laundry and half bath.

Back room:
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...diningroom.jpg
Kitchen:
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...r2549354-8.jpg
Living:
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...r2549354-2.jpg
Front:
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...r2549354-1.jpg

We like it and the house is fine for us. We do have it on the market but only because we want to live closer to family...and move into an RV lol so space isnt the issue


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## sabrinat

I'm going on vacation this week from work and plan to do some purging and maybe a few home improvement projects. I'm loving my small house these days. The weather is warming up and the kids are spending time playing in the front yard.

What's on your plate for your small house this Spring.


----------



## loitering

Quote:


Originally Posted by *starling&diesel* 
You know what's frustrating?
My small town has bighouseitis .... ALL the houses for sale are ginormous!

We just want a wee hoos ... just a eeny liddle hoos.
This is just an example of what's standard on the market here:

http://whistlerlistings.com/resident...ls&res_id=2541








Now ... is that really necessary?

There is such a culture here of bigger is better ... and I just don't see it. We'd have to have walkie talkies in that place just to arrange a hallway to meet in for what should be a random kiss. Can you even BEGIN to guess how many outlets you'd have to use to vacuum the place? Seriously, that's a requirement for whatever house we buy ... "Only needs one or two outlets to vacuum."










That's so funny...most of the houses in the "nicer" areas of my town are similar to that, but without any of the garage/area on top! And I don't live that far from you.

My dad lives in a house that's way too big to me and to vaccuum the entire house, you'd need 4 outlets.


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## crazyeight

wow....i'm amazed at some of the houses that are "small". we live in a 1300 or so s.f. house. dh and i with 2 kids. right now though (the last 2ish months and another few weeks maybe) we've had my sister and mom staying with us also. its feeling cramped right now. if i knew they were staying for longer things would have to change (bunkbeds or something) but with just us and the kids..it works i guess. its our first house and a little smaller than i wanted but the only thing we could afford. things might feel better when (if??) i ever get to decluttering though. honestly it doesn't seem like we have that much junk maybe its not put away very well. lol. i think most houses around here are 1500-2000 s.f. for an average 3 bed home so we are a little small. no basements here either.


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## onetwoten

Ugh. What ISNT on our to do list this Spring/Summer! We haven't been in the house for a "nice" season, so we've got a lot on the "hopeful" list, but that's all conditional on us getting the main floor of the house fixed up first. It's shaping up to be a gorgeous little space, but if I never see another saw or paint brush- that would be ok with me!

By the end of September, best case scenerio, we want to have the main floor of the house finished, and the basement gutted, so we can start working on it over the winter. This is mostly little things like a coat of paint on one outside wall that has been too cold to paint so far, finishing off baseboard and trim, switching some light fixtures, etc. We also have the kitchen to do- ceramic tile and 3 coats of paint, plsu putting th cupboard doors back on.

Outside is more exciting if we get to it! We're hoping to "greenify" our outdoors by adding a small herb garden, and a rain barrel for water collection. We also need to have 3 large trees taken out that are affecting our plumbing, and *maybe* a bunch of smaller bushes too. If there's time/money we need to re-sod both front and back lawn, although we may do one and leave the other til next year. Annnd... maybe putting down some paving stones in the side of the house too- right now it's a 10x20 section of gravel :S

It's going to be a busy year that's for sure! We've got high hopes. I thankfully don't have really any of the "spring cleaning" right now, as we haven't been here long enough to even finish unpacking- let alone clutter it up!


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## onetwoten

dhinderliter:

Our house is 750 on the mainfloor, and when the basement is finished it's about another 700 square feet extra of living space. The family before us had three children, and were cramped, but livable. They're in an approx 2200 square foot split level now, and I feel like I'm running across the block just to check up on all the kids! (We bought the house from a family I nanny for) I think it makes a big difference whether you have children or adults taking up the space... I'm hoping DH and I can last til about the 3 child mark in this house before having to move.


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## ~Megan~

We live in an apartment that is about 900 sq ft. It feels immensely small for me (probably because we moved here 1300 sq ft home with a small garage for storage to 900 sq ft with no storage).

I want to get rid of things. I want to declutter in a big way. We have a computer that I used to use but then I got a laptop and its rarely, rarely used. I want to sell it but I can't seem to convince him to get rid of things. How do you convince your packrat partner (hey, I'm a recovering packrat!) to get rid of things that might someday be useful?

We have some furniture that I'd really just rather get rid of completely to make more space and less things to clean and keep organized.

Help me, please!


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## Sage.Naissance

Ooh, Im glad I found y'all.
Not only is my house teeny weeny its between and below many others.
I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with Montreal archetecture but our homes are extremely long and narrow with funny ackward common spaces and a 'double-salon' in each place, the windows are at the front and back of the place so the common rooms,(unless on th top floors with skylights) have no windows. The places all have high ceilings, old mouldings, curley staircases and are all funky and crooked. There is not a single 90 degree angle in my entire home.
Anyways, I dont know the exact size of my place. I rent. There are two of us, and I share with someone who, up until two months ago was a complete stranger. When you enter the apartment there is the front double wide hall which is not quite wide enough to be a room but we have lined it with bookshelves and made it a library. To the right is the 'double-salon' the front half of which is my office, the back half is my bedroom. Ahead is the very oddly shaped narrow living room which also has the closet for the washer and dryer in it. To the right of that is the washroom. The next room is the kitchen at the back of the house and to the right of that is my roomates room, her bedroom door enters right into the kitchen.
We've really made the place work. It was a dirty ratty dump when I moved in and I've cleaned it up and worked hard the last year or so to make it very cute. But just wait until you see what I can do with a teeny tiny urban back yard!
If I ever figure out why my camera isnt loading pics onto my new computer I will show my my destintively Montreal, mile end apartment. If the snow ever melts I will show you my garden.
In the meantime this is a destintive plateau style building near me. These ones are nicer and fancier but they are more or less all like this just some of them are plainer and more run down(like mine!) http://www.imtl.org/montreal/image.php?id=4475


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Ooh, Im glad I found y'all.
Not only is my house teeny weeny its between and below many others.
I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with Montreal archetecture but our homes are extremely long and narrow with funny ackward common spaces and a 'double-salon' in each place, the windows are at the front and back of the place so the common rooms,(unless on th top floors with skylights) have no windows. The places all have high ceilings, old mouldings, curley staircases and are all funky and crooked. There is not a single 90 degree angle in my entire home.
Anyways, I dont know the exact size of my place. I rent. There are two of us, and I share with someone who, up until two months ago was a complete stranger. When you enter the apartment there is the front double wide hall which is not quite wide enough to be a room but we have lined it with bookshelves and made it a library. To the right is the 'double-salon' the front half of which is my office, the back half is my bedroom. Ahead is the very oddly shaped narrow living room which also has the closet for the washer and dryer in it. To the right of that is the washroom. The next room is the kitchen at the back of the house and to the right of that is my roomates room, her bedroom door enters right into the kitchen.
We've really made the place work. It was a dirty ratty dump when I moved in and I've cleaned it up and worked hard the last year or so to make it very cute. But just wait until you see what I can do with a teeny tiny urban back yard!
If I ever figure out why my camera isnt loading pics onto my new computer I will show my my destintively Montreal, mile end apartment. If the snow ever melts I will show you my garden.
In the meantime this is a destintive plateau style building near me. These ones are nicer and fancier but they are more or less all like this just some of them are plainer and more run down(like mine!) http://www.imtl.org/montreal/image.php?id=4475


That looks so cool! I'd love to see interior pictures.


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Ive added pics of my teeny house on my blog. I've now added my blog to my signature so check it out. Its the second post.


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## radish

lovely!! we lived in san francisco and also had the loooooong flat. teeny bathroom and kitchen. the bath was about 10SF total LOL


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## Stone Fence

Sage, your home is just adorable! If I had to live in a city I think I could get along in Montreal pretty well.


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## radish

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Megan~* 
We live in an apartment that is about 900 sq ft. It feels immensely small for me (probably because we moved here 1300 sq ft home with a small garage for storage to 900 sq ft with no storage).

I want to get rid of things. I want to declutter in a big way. We have a computer that I used to use but then I got a laptop and its rarely, rarely used. I want to sell it but I can't seem to convince him to get rid of things. How do you convince your packrat partner (hey, I'm a recovering packrat!) to get rid of things that might someday be useful?

We have some furniture that I'd really just rather get rid of completely to make more space and less things to clean and keep organized.

Help me, please!

I think of a purchase we'd (he'd) like to make and remind him of the money that can be made by selling things. LOL


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Aww thanks guys, I love it too. I have to move out in 5 months.


----------



## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Aww thanks guys, I love it too. I have to move out in 5 months.










Oh bummer. Do you know where you're going? I'm sure the next place will be just as great!


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## Sage.Naissance

I'm moving to portland, but ill be renting a room from someone so I wont really have my own pad like I do here. I have a roomate but its kind of my place, you know?
Hopefully I can find something groovy there.


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## Jodie

I've been reading this thread off and on so don't know if this has already come up.

Saw this when looking around the web.http://http://www.rosschapin.com/Plans/plans.html
So cute.







Wish we could build one.


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## Babyzen

we live in a small house, 980 SF california bungalow with a party of 5. The key to making it work? LESS CRAP!! We also have 3 good sized dogs.. I lOVE having a small house, since i'm the one who has to lean it!!


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## wombatclay

Just on a whim, DH and I grabbed a copy of the latest This Old House magazine off the shelf at Lowes since the cover promised an edition filled with "small house tips".

Oh my!







The feature story is on an older couple who decided to downsize after their nest emptied and the challenges they faced when they moved from a 3,600 sq ft house into their "tiny" 1,900 sq ft "cottage". I had to triple check the numbers but there you go. The challenges and joys of 1000 sq ft per person. I did like the little dog bed and door built into the bottom shelf of a bookcase... the dog could go in and out through "his" door without taking up any more wall space.

Oh, and they did profile some space saving appliances and dual use appliances. The microwave/coffee maker was nifty (though no way could I afford the pricetag!) and the all-in-one washer dryer was cool too (but according to the manufacturer's website, an "average load" was something like 3 shirts, two pairs of pants, and a blouse and this load would take roughly 5 hours to wash and dry. Errrrr.)

Of course, the pictures were pretty, the tools/tips handy, and the articles fun to read but... obviously "small" is a very relative term, yes?


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## FreeRangeMama

I always laugh at the "small home editions" of magazines. They never feature houses with 1000sqft with 6 people living in it because they could never make it picture ready with all that stuff crammed in







Even completely uncluttered, 6 people with the bare essentials still takes up a lot of room.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *FreeRangeMama* 
I always laugh at the "small home editions" of magazines. They never feature houses with 1000sqft with 6 people living in it because they could never make it picture ready with all that stuff crammed in







Even completely uncluttered, 6 people with the bare essentials still takes up a lot of room.

I love those too. I guess "small" is a relative term.







Didn't you just feel for those poor souls in their tiny 1900 sf home, LOL!


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## radish

LOL, sometimes i want to ask people, "exactly how small is small to YOU?" when they say they have a tiny house. LOL

We're thinking it is time to start TTC #3. Please remind me it is doable in a small space!


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## oneKnight

I live in 560 sq ft. with DH, the dog and 2 cats. There are no hallways in my house. What would be hallway has the laundry area. One bedroom has a tiny closet, the other has a separate closet that also houses the water heater. The bathroom is about 3'x8' - stand-up shower only. The kichen lacks counterspace, that is my only gripe because I actually LIKE small kitchens. I use the kitchen table for a counter, so that means it has to be clean and usable if I am to cook. The kitchen is open to the living area, which is also the pet area. We have a 2-person love seat, small side table and a small TV stand, 20" TV (I think) that we never watch except for occasional movies. The rest of the living room is taken up by the XL 40" dog crate, ceiling-high cat tree and 2 litterboxes.

I have trouble storing tools, seasonal decorations, seasonal-use items like camping gear, fans, and big coats. It's all stashed in the second bedroom aka "computer room" and makes me feel cramped. I plan to build a shed in the backyard this summer which should help store tools and extra gear.


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## EviesMom

We just entered the Smallest Coolest contest on Apartmenttherapy.com!

We have about 640 square feet, but the kids upstairs bedroom has 5-foot ceilings, so it feels even smaller. There are 4 of us, plus I work at home. I love it though! Taking the photos this weekend and doing the write up made me fall in love with our place all over again! When (if) we get posted, I'll send a link, but wish us luck!


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## Olives

Oh good luck EviesMom!

I can't wait to see all of your pictures.


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## Olives

I live in a 900 square foot home with my DH & dog. We are hoping to add one more person soon. Our house is a real fixer upper so we always seem to have something to do. Unfortuantly, I'm also on a pretty tight budget so it gets frusterating when I can't have things done the way I want.


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## radish

eveiesmom - how cool! please post pix when u can


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## radish

<-- hey! i have a pink DDDC - is MDC giving them out??


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## Marcee

We are moving this month to our new (to us) house. It is nearly 1600 SQ feet. It is 4 bedrooms 1 bath and an AWESOME pantry. The Kitchen is smaller but it has a good layout for counter space. The dining area is a touch small but our table will fit just fine. Oh and we are a family of 7 plus 3 dogs and 2 cats.


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## kateena

Can I join? There's three of us in an apartment of about 430 square feet, no hallway, second bedroom or even separate kitchen. We're itching to get out though, I would love to at least have the option of a second bedroom. I'm amazed at how standards can change though- people think we are crazy for living this way, but I really don't think it's so bad. We're just a bit stuck because we don't want to get new furniture if we might move out soon anyway, on the other hand some new furniture would help make this place look a lot nicer.......


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## Miss Information

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
<-- hey! i have a pink DDDC - is MDC giving them out??

Apparently I got one too. I think it's temporary though, according to the DDDC link above right. But as a fan of Monty Python, I do thoroughly enjoy my pink DDDC for as long or as little as I have it (it's says, I'm .

And back on topic, I'm rearranging my house for the millionth time so that I can live with less instead of buying up.


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## Miss Information

oops


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## Miss Information

man that DDDC was really short lived. It was cool for the 5 minutes I could enjoy it though!


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## Juliacat

Yay, yet another person whose space is smaller than mine! You rock!!









Quote:


Originally Posted by *kateena* 
Can I join? There's three of us in an apartment of about 430 square feet, no hallway, second bedroom or even separate kitchen. We're itching to get out though, I would love to at least have the option of a second bedroom. I'm amazed at how standards can change though- people think we are crazy for living this way, but I really don't think it's so bad. We're just a bit stuck because we don't want to get new furniture if we might move out soon anyway, on the other hand some new furniture would help make this place look a lot nicer.......


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## sweetcheeks

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
We're thinking it is time to start TTC #3. Please remind me it is doable in a small space!









Completely doable, mama! We're soon to be 5 in 850 sq. ft. (2+1 bedroom, 1 bath) and we have no intention of moving for a few years. We love our small house, it has a more intimate and cozy family feel . . . plus I have no need for baby monitors b/c I can hear the kids from wherever I am in the house.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Miss Information* 
man that DDDC was really short lived. It was cool for the 5 minutes I could enjoy it though!









LOL! I thought the same thing.


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## PenelopeJune

Me, Dh, three year old DS, and 8 month old DD live in 1200 square feet, and I always think of it as pretty big until I watch HGTV and hear people griping about houses of 3000 sq feet as being too small.









We've been talking about buying a small plot of land (5-10 acres) and building a tiny house on it. In fact, I've found my perfect floorplan, with a few changes that I want to make. I want a washer and dryer, so I'd turn the back entryway porch into a mudroom for more storage and stackable W/D. I'd also extend the loft over the whole place, to give the kids more space, and also to save on heating costs. (No need to heat the ceiling!)


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## gun

We live in a 1100sq ft or so home, and it is just starting to feel perfect. My DH and I are recovering packrats. He still has some attachments to jis junk, so it is like pulling teeth with moving his stuff out. Since DD is starting to become so mobile at 10mo DH is finally seeing that his 'collections' will have to go.

I love everyone's pics and the links to other small homes!


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## starling&diesel

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gun* 

I love everyone's pics and the links to other small homes!

Hi Gun!
I've posted this one before, but I love it so much and am not sure if you've seen it, so here it is again .... (drum roll, please ....)

http://www.bcmountainhomes.com/catal...dex&cPath=3_60

I







:that house. We're just the two of us and two old dogs and a cat right now, but are planning to raise our family in that size house too.

In fact, we've just put an offer in on a place very similar to it, and the bonus is that there's a rental suite above the garage to help out with the mortgage. The actually living space in the main house is probably 1100-1200 sqft or so. Mind you, it's giving me nightmares contemplating the mortgage payments. We're in about 900 sqft now, a condo.

Our pics of our current digs:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2208965...7603524711703/


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## ~Megan~

So we are having our third and considering moving. We can't afford any of the 3bdrm places so what we are thinking of doing is getting a 2 with garage.
We could then use put down a rug and let dh use part of the garage for his computer space and well just his space. Its important to his mental health that he has a quiet place to keep his things (computers, guitar, books, tobacco pipes, etc) and where he can have quiet time.

We also are thinking of using the master bedroom as the kids room as they need more room to store toys and play. We only use our room for sleeping so as long as we can fit in our bed and sidecar crib along with a dresser that's fine for us.

Has anyone done this? How does it work for you?


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## radish

hey megan -- i remember you from here and WWF.

we couldnt afford a 3BR, well not ones that we liked!

we bought a small 2BR with a 1 car garage that we use for storage. previous owner also converted the small storage shed next to the garage into a small 9x10 room. we use that as well, no heat though









our house is 1008SF and it feels fine. we're going to start TTC #3 soon and i was worried but i feel fine now


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## ~Megan~

We would be renting for now so this is a short term solution for us. Once we move to a more affordable area then we could look into a 3 or 4 bdrm.


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## gun

I spoke with my GF and she and her fellow are planning a 1200sqft *addition* on the house. Bigger than my house, and it will be just an addition. Wow.

I feel so out of the loop when my friends are trading up, and I fantasize about trading down. All that space and debt just isn't attractive to me. I first got the bug as a little kid when I saw my first quanset hut, and thought that would be the best home in the world!!


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## AlpineMama

Well, we're moving from a 900 sq foot house to a 1300 sq footer, and I'm already having panic attacks about too much space.







There's also another 900 sq feet of basement that we will eventually finish to make an exercise room and home office, so that should be cool, but seriously. I think I'm scared that extra space will mean more stuff, more utilities... But the place is in a much better neighborhood and has a yard and is near a park, etc., so it's really the perfect house in those respects. I know to some people 1300 sq feet is nothing, but I think it's huge.


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## AlpineMama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Megan~* 
We also are thinking of using the master bedroom as the kids room as they need more room to store toys and play. We only use our room for sleeping so as long as we can fit in our bed and sidecar crib along with a dresser that's fine for us.

We were going to do this until we accidentally found a 3br instead of a 2br. But it sounds perfect to me.


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## radish

LOL, i have a friend who just moved into a 1200SF house ... from 600SF. family of four. her DD tells everyone that their new house is TWICE as big as their old one.

of course, people think they have a huge house, and to them 1200 IS HUGE!


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## ChildoftheMoon

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Megan~* 
We also are thinking of using the master bedroom as the kids room as they need more room to store toys and play. We only use our room for sleeping so as long as we can fit in our bed and sidecar crib along with a dresser that's fine for us.

Has anyone done this? How does it work for you?

We do this. We are 6 in 1100 square feet. No basement or attic. We do have a two car garage that we use for parking, exercise stuff and storage. Laundry is indoors, but not an actual room, it is just an open closet in the hallway that houses the washer and dryer. I would love a separate room, but I am just thankful it is IN the house.
Right now just the two older kids sleep in the master, but it is also play room for all. It is not a big master, just a decent size bedroom with a bathroom in it. The other two bedrooms are tiny. One is used for me and the younger two, the third is dh's for guitars and computer and an extra twin bed for him to sleep in when it is too restless and noisy with co-sleeping (which right now is all the time







) We love our house, it is cozy and it fits us. We plan to stay here for another 4-5 years. We hope to sell then and get some acres and a (little) bit bigger house, as we plan to have another baby and I would love to have at least one other room for all our homeschooling activities. 1300 square feet sounds about perfect for the future, that sounds huge!


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## wombatclay

We'll be adding an addition this building season (I hope!). My dream (pending an actual visit from contractors) is to add on to the side of the house... we'd only be pushing out about 10 feet but it would run the full 20 foot length of the house and would be two stories. So it would add a lot! Upstairs would be a big room for the girls while the downstairs would have a walk in pantry for the kitchen and space for a dining room/guest room/school room/craft room combo. We'd like to add a wrap around porch at the same time so there'd be a sort of outdoor room as well.

Of course, we'd be doing most of the work ourselves and between DH's insane work schedule and my having the two girls all day... well, small projects take forever to finish and big projects. Hmmmm.

But it would be lovely to have just a little more space.


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
We'll be adding an addition this building season (I hope!). My dream (pending an actual visit from contractors) is to add on to the side of the house... we'd only be pushing out about 10 feet but it would run the full 20 foot length of the house and would be two stories. So it would add a lot! Upstairs would be a big room for the girls while the downstairs would have a walk in pantry for the kitchen and space for a dining room/guest room/school room/craft room combo. We'd like to add a wrap around porch at the same time so there'd be a sort of outdoor room as well.

Of course, we'd be doing most of the work ourselves and between DH's insane work schedule and my having the two girls all day... well, small projects take forever to finish and big projects. Hmmmm.

But it would be lovely to have just a little more space.

That sounds awesome. I'm curious why did you elect to add on rather than move? Around here the trend seem sto be to move, but I've really contemplated adding on...I think another 500-800 sf would make this house perfect.


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## wombatclay

Quote:

I'm curious why did you elect to add on rather than move?
We bought this home in Jan '08 specifically for the one and a half acres surrounded by state wilderness preserve land. We also needed to downsize since I decided not to go back to work after dd2 was born (well, I had to work till she was 5mo but that was the planned end date)... moving out of town and into a much smaller space is part of our overall plan to clear our credit card debt in the next few years. And we're still not totally unpacked as it is! I can't imagine moving again so soon.

Actually, we made virtue of necessity since this house was the only one we could afford that was half way livable (and if you check back in the thread you'll see it had no heat, limited electric, and no hot water/toilet when we moved in... and we still don't have a kitchen sink). The house we bought 5 years ago sold for double what we paid... and it sold for cash, the day BEFORE it was listed. The market here is still climbing and with our significantly reduced income... well, it's just a good thing we were already looking to downsize and declutter and build a greener family footprint!









Though it looks like we may not be getting that addition this season







... our car died and now that we live in the middle of nowhere we really NEED a reliable vehicle. So the money we had saved for the addition is going to be purchasing an "addition on wheels" so to speak.

DH will be installing the door, putting on the new siding and new roof, and removing the old chimney himself, we can build a wrap around "deck" on our own without a poured foundation, and come next year we'll be back in the market for a contractor to pour foundation and rough in an addition (after talking with contractors this time round it would be a single story addition sort of shaped like an 'L' so it would run the length and the width of the house on two sides).


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## Serendipity

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Megan~* 

We also are thinking of using the master bedroom as the kids room as they need more room to store toys and play. We only use our room for sleeping so as long as we can fit in our bed and sidecar crib along with a dresser that's fine for us.

Has anyone done this? How does it work for you?

we have a 3 bedroom 2 bath but my dad lives in one of the rooms, so it's really only 2 bedrooms for us. we have our family bedroom in the smaller room and use the master bedroom as a playroom. it's great! we love it and plan to keep this arrangement in the next place we move.


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## That Is Nice

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momaste* 
There are a couple of small house threads floating around here for specific small homes (Delight and cdmaze come to mind.) But an all around thread for those who live in small houses would be nice!

We have a 960 sq.ft. house for the three of us. It's plenty for our small family.









I love these threads! I also love apartment therapy.


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## That Is Nice

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Berber* 
*Does anyone ever get house envy when visiting friends or family who have bigger new homes?*

It is a pretty hard struggle for me to fight the stuff envy I occationally get when visiting friends and family with bigger newer homes. It is so silly because I love the small home Dh and I bought and we are by no means living beyond our means(as many of my friends with those McMansions can not say the same thing). I see them struggle with money and I know I would much rather live with less than live with the constant worrying of paying bills... but sometimes I can't help but really love their big beautiful homes and lovely pottery barn interriors....









No!









Actually, I have the opposite reaction. I get jealous of smaller houses that are designed and decorated well. I love threads like these for inspiration and I adore apartment therapy. Living small, living simple is the way to go, IMO!


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## Amila

Our house is a cozy 940 square foot cape cod- 2 bedrooms. I used to think it was too small and wanted a bigger house, but I have come to like it, and don't mind that my 2 kids will have to share a room- we plan to add on in 5 years, so its not a big deal. Who wants to clean more house anyway, lol.


----------



## That Is Nice

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amila* 
Who wants to clean more house anyway, lol.

Exactly.


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## p1gg1e

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Spring Flower* 
No!









Actually, I have the opposite reaction. I get jealous of smaller houses that are designed and decorated well. I love threads like these for inspiration and I adore apartment therapy. Living small, living simple is the way to go, IMO!









Oh I agree love pictures Like that.

Our new place is one bedroom. we are moving from 1100sqft to about 500 ( maybe (less or more) haven't measured yet. I'm so excited about how we will be saving money every month and I actually will get to enjoy living in that space and making it my own rather then foraging in the thrift store or trash for everything.. Not that the thrift store is bad it just I would love to buy a few things I like...new or make them myself...never had the money


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## MidgeMommy

We are currently renting a 2 bed 1 bath, about 750-800 sq ft, for only three of us. We use the second bedroom as a home office, pretty much a necessity since I take online courses and we are trying to start a home business as a local concierge service. Our rent is HALF what we would have paid if we had gone with what everyone 'expected' us to get, which was a condo/tonwhome with 600 sq ft extra of space, but split over two levels and awfully designed. We get a lot of people trying to engage us in conversations about where we will move 'soon,' and I laugh because I can't even keep this place clean, much less a bigger one!

We are, however, wondering how we will deal if we conceive again, simply because there is very little room for our DD to have her own space. Her crib (which is more like a pack and play, she certainly doesn't sleep in it!) is in the living room with a canopy over it, and that gives her some space for herself, but my husband and I both feel like she should have a space she can enclose and label as her own. She's only 11 months, so that's pretty far down the line, but I am enjoying reading about so many others who have more people in less space. It gives me hope.

I have a question; I hate that our couch takes up a large amount of space and doesn't do double duty, but I LOVE our couch. Does anyone live without a couch? It sounds novel to me, but I'm sure it can be done successfully. I wouldd love to hear success stories.


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## ReadingMama

What's apartment therapy?

Our house is 980 square feet with a sunroom added on. I used to think it was too small for our family of 3, but now that we've fixed it up (painted it inside and decorated), I like it. And I've realized that it's not that our house is too small--it's that we have too much clutter for a small house.

My husband lost his job last month and my mom might move in our 3rd bedroom this summer to help with bills. It will help her because she can use our second car instead of riding the bus and it will help us because we'll share some of the bills. Otherwise we'd have to sell a car, which wouldn't be fun for ds and I because we're pretty active homeschoolers. We like to get out and do things several times a week, and the bus system here stinks.

My little house questions: Right now the 3rd bedroom is our office. In order to make room for my mom, we'll need to clear our that room and put the computer somewhere else. We're thinking of putting our dining room table out in the sunroom and getting an armoire-style computer desk to put in the dining room. Where can I find one of those computer desks? How does the desk chair fit?


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## CariOfOz

ReadingMama, I have one of those desks and my chair doesn't fit inside it at all sadly... about the only good thing about mine is that I can lock the puter away from the little one







I think there ARE some that have an open or partly open bottom so that your chair or stool wheels inside.

Ikea has this desk base that you can add a hutch above and they have a cushioned stool that slides underneath the desk.. which I can't find on the site at the moment


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## DanelleB

Can I join? We're a family of 4 (and one doggy) living in a 930 sqft house with 2 bdrms and no basement, garage or attic. The layout in this house stinks and we have no storage, but somehow I've lived here long enough I don't really like the idea of living in a big house. I like the closeness of this house, but not the clutter (which we're trying to work on).


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## anniegirl

I'll join too!

We are a family of four living in a 700 sq ft bungalow. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. No garage, attic etc, just three little closets (one in each bedroom and one in the living room). Our washing machine is in the kitchen. There are no dryer hookups so we hang dry everything outside. I LOVE it!!

We formally lived in a 1200 sq ft house with a storage room. The smallness and lack of storage of our current home forced us to get rid of tons of stuff. Delight's threads and her blog were a huge inspiration to me.

Anyhow, it was a lot of work getting rid of stuff, deciding what to keep, letting go of things I felt sentimental about etc. But oh so worth it! The house is tiny, but it's a snap to clean. I like that we are all close together, but we can each have our own space when we need it.

We won't be here forever, but I love it for now. It is very inexpensive and hopefully with the money we save we will be able to build our dream house someday (not a big house, but a nice one).

The biggest key is just getting rid of STUFF! And controlling the amount of new stuff you bring in.


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## racheloperasinger

Well, I've been lurking here for quite some time














We are Me, DH, and 20-month-old DD and we just bought a "duplex" with my parents! They will be the owners of the big house in the front, and we are the owners of the smaller house in the back. Escrow has closed but no one has moved in yet (there are tenants).

Our house is + or - 800 square feet. We will have a small amount of storage in addition to that (half of a one-car garage), which is definitely going to help. The house has a great room (funny to use that word with such a small house), 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and a tiny laundry room (which seems odd to me, but we are a cloth diapering family and I am NOT complaining).

Anyway, we are trying to figure out the best solutions to storage crunches, how to decorate (on a budget), and basically how to make this house into a home for us. Also, I will working from home and we will be homeschooling. Oh, and we want to have another







in another year or two.

Oh, boy, I'm getting some anxiety just seeing all these factors in print. Tell me this will work. And then tell me how.


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## wombatclay

You know, I think a lot depends on how the space is divided. Our house is roughly 850-900 sq feet but it's one open room on the ground floor and one open room on the second floor. The bathroom is small (no room for a tub, just a shower) and on the ground floor seperated from the main living space by a curtain.

I see people describe their similarly sized homes but they have a few bedrooms or at least several rooms. I feel like if there were more "rooms" this house would feel bigger. As it is, you can see everything from every place so there is a real feeling of "tiny".

Any ideas how to block sight lines and create the feel of more space without going too far the other way and making things feel even smaller?


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## orangefoot

I just dug out a long tape and measured our 2 bed house. From the front wall to the back wall is 22ft and from the side wall to side wall is 13ft. We have an upstairs too so that is 572 sqft altogether. Not all of that is usable space, the stairs are cut out of the ground floor and stairwell is cut from the front bedroom.

Our downstairs is roughly 2/3 living room 1/3 kitchen and the division upstairs is the same but the 1/3 has a bathroom, bedroom and landing.

There were 4 of us and after almost 8 years of living here thinking it was a temporary situation and having added two more children in the last five years I am starting to lose patience with the lack of places to put anything AWAY. Or prepare food, or sit, or work.

The only good thing about being here is that we are on a cycle track and across the road from countryside and riverside. There is another good thing actually, our footprint on the planet is small and so are our fuel bills.

A tip for small spaces is folding furniture. We have an Ikea table a bit like this one in the kitchen and these chairs so that we can fold them all up to get out of the back door! The boys have this folding table on their bedroom wall behind the door and they can shut their sisters out and put it up to do school work.


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## jenmary

Our living space is 920 sq ft including the screened-in front porch and the laundry room /bathroom addition tacked onto the back, so 640 sq ft is heated/cooled. It is a 2bedroom/1 bath 'shotgun shack' twice as long as it is wide, you walk in to the living room, 2 same-sized bedrooms are on the right half, then keep walking into the tiny kitchen (my biggest complaint: less than 4 sq ft of counter space!) and there is an extra/junk/office/storage room to the right of the kitchen that leads to the admittedly decent-sized full bathroom.

We have been renting here 3 years because it is a nice rural area, between the ILs and town, and the rent is cheap enough for us to get by on one income. It was suitable for DH and I, a little more challenging with DS and his accoutrements, and now that we are expecting to be a family of four in September we will have outgrown it charms. We are ready to buy, and after this anything over 1000 sq ft will feel roomy.










I have had a love/hate relationship with this house, especially with the small kitchen because I like to cook. Preparing a meal involves a lot of organizing and cleaning-as-you-go, and I would prefer to sprawl out more. But I am grateful to this house for the learning the necessity of simplifying and decluttering. Living here has made me let go of crap that I was hanging onto because "I *might* need it someday" and now I keep things that 1) I love and 2) are very useful. Plus the low COL here enabled me to stay home with my son without a lot of financial stress, that has immense value to our family.








: (I just love that guy!)


----------



## ollineeba

I'd like to join! There are 5 of us in about 1000 sq ft, 3 bedrooms & 1 bath. I like the fact that it's all one floor, so I kind of know what the kids are up to at all times.
We have an attic, but to be honest, I never even thought about putting anything up there until today. We're going to put some baby things there as our youngest outgrows them, for next time.
I love the small space and the challenge of making it 'homey' .. we don't own, but our landlord doesn't care what we do to the place. I've already painted and we're going to replace all the yucky blinds with something (not sure what yet!). So.. it's getting there


----------



## ParisApril

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
You know, I think a lot depends on how the space is divided. Our house is roughly 850-900 sq feet but it's one open room on the ground floor and one open room on the second floor. The bathroom is small (no room for a tub, just a shower) and on the ground floor seperated from the main living space by a curtain.

I see people describe their similarly sized homes but they have a few bedrooms or at least several rooms. I feel like if there were more "rooms" this house would feel bigger. As it is, you can see everything from every place so there is a real feeling of "tiny".

Any ideas how to block sight lines and create the feel of more space without going too far the other way and making things feel even smaller?

You could use a wooden or bamboo room divider like these http://www.roomdividerstore.com/ but I think that would make your space look and feel even smaller.

The only thing that I can suggest that will make a space feel bigger is declutter as much as possible. If you have a lot of toys or open cupboards and bookshelves it will make your space look and feel smaller than it is. Cupboard doors, storage with doors and a good knick nack declutter is usually very helpful. Hope that helps.


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## wombatclay

Yeah, clutter is a problem... the house has NO closets, cabinets, cupboards, attic, basement, or really any storage of any kind. Although it has been a residence for years it is actually a garage (the front "window" used to be the garage door) and it's basically a 18x24 rectangle.

And since we're doing a lot of DIY renovations (read slooooooow and messy) we don't just have clutter, we have construction.







We just bought a shed to go in the back woods so hopefully we'll have some storage by this weekend (when our storage unit contract runs out... we gave ourselves 6 months to "get settled" and ACK that means this weekend is it!)

Let's see if I can get some pictures up... done! Just ignore the finger painting toddler and apologies for the not so great photos (babe asleep in ergo)... http://www.flickr.com/photos/briarhouse/

The first four photos are the entire ground floor... one wall has a cook stove, one wall has a pellet stove, one wall has the couch, and one wall has the stairwell.

I was thinking maybe some sort of divider that could hang from the ceiling? Sort of like in a hospital where drapes can "make" a private space but then be pulled out of the way? Has anyone tried this in their home?


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## jenmary

_wombatclay, i was going to suggest hanging curtains or tapestries from the ceiling to visually delineate functional spaces, like sleeping areas. you could attach long curtain rods so you can tie them back when you want to open the space. i have seen it work in small apartments, it reduces how much your eyes take in at a glance._
ETA - oh, all your sleeping space is upstairs. i like the window! i should have suggested curtaining off the kitchen, that is usually the most visually busy room









here are pix of our space.

butterfly house

we still have a ways to go with decluttering, and i didn't especially tidy up for the photos except to straighten out the bedclothes. we installed the smooth floors (cheap Pergo, cause its a rental, sooo much better than the industrial-grade carpet that WAS there). makes such a difference.

there is one closet slapped together in the 'junk room' it is long and shallow, so it is hard to get anything out from either side. better than nothing, i guess.


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## wombatclay

I can't wait till we have a floor!







Right now it's dry ply underlayment and there is just no way to keep it clean. I suppose the dryply logo adds a certain reno-chic right?









I love that porch... we're planning on adding a porch/screen room at some point. We knew things would tke longer than expected (we've DIY rehabbed homes before) but this is getting nutsy.


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## AngieB

What about kids bedrooms? I need some ideas on how to squeeze 3 girls into one bedroom. One of the issues I'm having it the age gap. I have a 9 year old trying to share a room with a 3 and 1 year old. She has one set of needs and wants and they have another set. I would like to give the 9 year old some personal space that her little sisters can mess with but still have a area that the little ones can play in. Right now the 1 year old doesn't have anything of hers in the bedroom. Her clothes hang in ds closet, her dresser is in my bathroom and her toys are in the livingroom. The two youngest still sleep with us but I would someday like my bed back and dh is saying sooner than later. I've been thinking of getting a bunkbed with a twin on top and a double on the bottom and the 2 little ones can share the bottom bed. Plus I need more dresser space and would like to move more of the toys into the bedrooms.


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## wombatclay

How big is the room? And what sort of budget do you have? Could you do something with folding furniture/futon style bedding?

For instance, a lofted bed for the 9yo that has a "tent" over it for privacy... shelves on the wall that can only be reached from the top bunk would add "private" space to her shared space.

Then under the loft you could put a folding futon type thing that could be seating/lounging during the day and fold out to "on the floor" (or low frame) sleeping for the younger girls at night. Storage could be built into the sides of the loft frame as well.

Sort of combining http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50019950 with http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20116207 and http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80107827 (or http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10103494) for your older dd and then something like http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99838627 for under the loft for the younger girls?

And no... I'm not _totally_ IKEA obsessed







Just mostly! (and they have good pictures)


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## anniegirl

wombatclay - I really like your kitchen / living room the way it is! But I remember when I was a kid my parents once divided a room in half by lining up 3 really sturdy bookcases. That would give you a little extra storage too. We are now using those bookcases in our house!

AngieB - Definitely bunkbeds! We have bunkbeds in our boys' room (our 2yo still sleeps with us though...well actually most the time our 4yo does too). But the top bunk is a great private space for our 4yo when he needs to get away from his brother. He climbs up there and I take the ladder off so the 2yo can't get up there and bug him!

I love seeing the pictures of everyone's houses! I just signed up for a flickr account, I'll have to post mine too.


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## p1gg1e

great pictures!

I got my camera a new cord so I finally uploaded pictures!

We ( 2 adults 2 kids)are in 500 sqft , one bedroom , one bath , and a wet basement so other then washing we







:
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...P1010100-1.jpg
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...t=P1010097.jpg
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...t=P1010021.jpg
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...t=P1010025.jpg

We are really disorganized right now and don't have money to organize but hopefully soon we will be working on it....and going to Ikea. We are thinking queen with a trundle for the bed room , right now we have a King and a toddler bed at the foot..you can still open the door


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## anniegirl

oh my gosh p1gg1e, what an adorable house!!


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## wombatclay

Love those shutters! And the picture of your little one on the table is great!

The "problem" I'm having with the main floor is that it's hard to relax... you can see everything from everywhere so if you sit on the couch your immediate sight line is the wreckage that will eventually be the kitchen sink. Or if you sit in the armchair your view is the girl's play corner. And so on. I'd loe to be able to just close a door and forget about a mess!









I saw on some small house show a set of bookcases that hang from a ceiling track so they can be moved. If it weren't for the fact that I think the girls would use them like Jane of the Jungle vines I'd try building a set.









Almost forgot! We do have a trundle bed (twin) in storage. Once the girls are ready and we have a place to put it we'll set it up for them. Trundles rock!


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## DanelleB

I definitely agree with the loft bed recommendation. That's what my kids have. The bedroom is mostly C's since J's toys are in the living room, but I wanted J to have his own space. So I made curtains that divide off the empty space under the loft and declared it J's "room". We've considered hanging curtains around C's bed to divide that space off for her, but J spends so little time in there it doesn't make much difference.


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## p1gg1e

Thanks Ladies! Cant wait to show you more when its cleaner







The picture makes it look big on the outside.

Bunk beds scare me esp since I gave birth to Violet the Monkey....that table she was on went into the barn because she was jumping on it







...also we had a book shelf but had to put that away because she was climbing it... I need to look into some sort of shelving she cant reach as the book destruction is maddening!

What do you all do about clothes storage?


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## wombatclay

Our upper floor is also a single room so it's a good thing we have a family bed.







Clothing storage gets divided up:

DH has a dresser (3 drawer) all to himself. In the matching dresser dd2 has the top drawer while I have the other two drawers. DD1 has a hanging IKEA storage thing (for underwear, undershirts, socks) and an IKEA shoe bench (leksvik) that has, over it's 5+ years of service been a winter shoe rack, a coffee table, a bench, a toy storage unit, a bookcase, a kitchen organizer, a nature table, and finally a clothing storage system for dd1. I guess we should buy a few more some day when we've got the money.









Off season or "growing into" clothes go into cardboard boxes under the bed or plastic tubs in the shed (well, storage unit for now but shed by next week!).

ETA- the pictures...
From the stairs to the back, you can see "my" dresser and dd1's messy clothes to the side of the dresser

__
https://flic.kr/p/2616135943

From the back to the stairs, "my" dresser is beind me, DH's dresser is opposite the stairs

__
https://flic.kr/p/2616138491


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## anniegirl

Here's some pics of my house. http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniegi...7605849644358/

It's 650 square feet. The housing brochure said 700 sq ft, but I measured the outside the other day (it's just a rectangle). I guess they were rounding up LOL!

It's two bedroom, one bathroom.

Each bedroom has a closet, so that's where most the clothes are. I hang almost everything. I have two small boxes for the boys' socks and undies and they each have a basket for their shorts and pants, I hang their shirts and jackets. Dh has a small dresser and I have a set of canvas drawers in our closet for stuff that isn't hung up.

I really love our little house!


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## radish

annie - cute house! where are you located, if you dont mind saying? or just a general part of the country LOL


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## fioner

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jenmary* 
we still have a ways to go with decluttering, and i didn't especially tidy up for the photos except to straighten out the bedclothes. we installed the smooth floors (cheap Pergo, cause its a rental, sooo much better than the industrial-grade carpet that WAS there). makes such a difference.

Thanks for not especially tidying up! Sometimes I get so jealous when other people post pictures of their houses and there is no clutter and everything is beautiful. I'm happy to see that other people live like I do







I'm not really a messy person, but I do have a lot of stuff, and I have a busy little DS, and it just feels good to see proof that I'm not alone. I hope that came out the right way! I meant it nice


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## wombatclay

Yeah... do you like how I specifically _didn't_ point out the trash bag of stuff for salvo, the stacks of boxes, the circular saw, piles of sawdust, and the paint covered toddler in my pictures? Bonus points if you spotted the lack of kitchen sink, over flowing compost bucket, and beer bottle.


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## anniegirl

My dh had our kids over at my parents' house so I was able to clean up before I took the pictures! LOL! If I were completely honest I'd take pictures right now. There's a basket of laundry sitting on the kitchen counter, dinner dishes piled up at the sink and my 2yo is currently destroying the bedroom. Ha!

It does help a lot that we got rid of TONS of stuff before we moved here and I don't like clutter.


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## onetwoten

Question... For those of you around the 750sq feet range- approx how much natural gas/electricity do you use each month? DH and I have only owned since September (and only moved in dec), so we're having a hard time trying to estimate, but it seems like our bills are higher than they should be.

We have almost all CFL's other than ones that Couldn't be, our computer runs too much- probably 8 hours a day. We have a washer and dryer, and dishwasher, and do about 2 loads of each a week, probably less for the dishwasher. We are very good about keeping lights off when we don't absolutely need them. We do have a huge TV that I"m sure isn't power friendly *grumbles* It was a gift. Our furnace is highly INeffecient, as is our hot water heater, but we tried to keep the furnace running as little as possible over the winter, piling on blankets instead. There's only two of us here.

Approximates? I know costs will differ, but for instance our bill for May usage was 552kw.h for electricity, and 123.121 cubic metres for natural gas. Month of May the furance was almost always, if not completely, off.

Should we be worried? EVeryone keeps telling us our bills are too high.


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## sunshinegal

For a couple of years we lived in a one bedroom apartment that was just under 500 sq ft and there were 5 of us and a large dog. The best suggestion I can say is use your walls! My DH actually stacked dresser upon dresser in the kids room which was the only bedroom. The big kids had bunk beds which also gave us space beneath the bed for flat totes where all the craft and too small for the baby toys went. We even stuck a bakers rack next to the bed that was great because it had a high shelf that my dd on the top bunk could put things.

In the living room/dining room, we used tall bookcases behind our futon which was great for books, obviously, and sticking all sorts of stuff. For the dining part, we had a folding table and folding chairs. At night they were folded up and we used an inflatable mattress on the floor for me to sleep with the baby while DH slept on the futon. Definitely not cute, but totally versatile. The tv and stereo stuff were on an old table that I stapled some neat looking cloth on and I hid all sorts of stuff under there!

In the kitchen I was lucky to have a decent amount of space for such a small apartment, but we still needed to put up 6 shelves and used an old dresser with the legs cut off for counter space and the added drawers were another place to stash stuff. The shelves were scrap wood with brackets from the hardware store, nothing fancy but custom fit.

If I can find any pictures I will post them. The thing is, it was efficient but not very pretty  I just don't have a good sense for that. My DH still picks out my cutest clothes while I always look for cargo pants and t-shirts.

Also, when deciding on what to keep and what to chuck, I always asked, is this something I can easily get on Freecycle or at a thrift store? Am I going to use this in the next 3-6 months? I just didn't have any storage for longer than that.

We were fortunate that we were able to store some stuff like additional clothing and non-folding furniture in our friends basement.

And lastly, there was ALWAYS clutter somewhere! I was constantly on the move to move things from one place to another and clear floor space was a rarity!!

We now live in a 1200 sq ft apartment (with an additional child) and we don't even use all of the space! We have this one room slated as a playroom which almost never gets used.

Stacey


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## FreeRangeMama

That does seem high. Our electricity was 585kWh, but we live in about 1000 sqft and there are 6 of us. We use the dishwasher at least once a day and do 1-2 loads of laundry A DAY! Plus we have 2 computers, at least one is on all day. We don't have a tv though. We try to be careful with lights but the kids don't always remember to keep them off. Plus my 4yo is scared of the dark and keeps his room lit up all night!

I would have someone in to look at it!


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## sunshinegal

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jeninejessica* 
Question... For those of you around the 750sq feet range- approx how much natural gas/electricity do you use each month? DH and I have only owned since September (and only moved in dec), so we're having a hard time trying to estimate, but it seems like our bills are higher than they should be.

Approximates? I know costs will differ, but for instance our bill for May usage was 552kw.h for electricity, and 123.121 cubic metres for natural gas. Month of May the furance was almost always, if not completely, off.

Should we be worried? EVeryone keeps telling us our bills are too high.

We don't use gas, BUT our old neighbor did and with a 900 sq ft apartment he was paying $800-1200 usd a month! Then one day I was standing out front and noticed a smell of gas. I happened to be standing right next to where the gas is connected to the house. So I called him outside to tell him and see if he could smell it as well. He did, called the gas company and they came out to fix it within the hour. His next gas bill was 1/3 of what he used to pay! I'm not saying you have a leak but it never hurts to check. He had been paying that amount ever since he moved in 2 years before and the tenants before him also complained of a high gas bill.

HTH

Stacey


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## racheloperasinger

You know, it's interesting reading the posts on this board. It's extremely inspiring and it really makes me think.

Most moms chatting on MDC tend to have one thing in common - attachment parenting. I tend to think how impossible it would be to live in a small house if you are not an AP family, you know?

When I was a teenager, my parents were not getting along, sleeping in separate bedrooms, and they were both driving me crazy as well. (We all get along MUCH better now!














But, I can remember living in that 1600 sq. ft. house that we rented at the time, my dad watching TV in the living room, me talking on the phone in my bedroom or watching TV, and my mom blasting her shortwave radio from her bedroom. And everyone had their own little cocoon. And the house was stuffed with crap and always messy. And guess what? _1600 sq. ft. did not feel big enough._

However, _my_ family (DH, DD and me) are very cohesive (AP, co-sleeping, blah blah blah) pretty darn tidy most of the time, and TV-free. When one of use is in one room, the other two tend to end up there too. It's wonderful. Sure, sometimes DH or I need some time alone, but most of the time we are together. We recently left a large house (2000 sq. ft.) and you know what? We were basically always hanging out in the family bedroom. We were like, "These other 3 bedrooms and the two living rooms are kind of pointless!"

Now, on the verge of moving into an 800 sq. ft. cottage, I am so excited about it! I do not wish we were buying another 2000 sq. ft. house or anywhere close to it! (We moved from an inexpensive area to an expensive area, thus the square footage drop). But I am thankful for this necessity. I feel as though it will bring my family to new heights of cohesion, coziness, and intimacy. I also feel as though it will force us to keep certain habits that I believe are good for the soul anyway: getting rid of junk, not buying junk in the first place, having an organized house, conserving energy, not having to waste money on more and more furniture for a too-big house (constantly a problem at our old house - we never did fill it up with furniture!)

Anyway, I have come to view this really as an exercise in APing, voluntary simplicity, family intimacy, and spirituality. I am so thankful for you mamas on this thread for inspiring me (and DH, who reads it sometimes too), posting your beautiful pics, and sharing your wisdom. Keep the advice coming! Thanks!


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## filiadeluna

We are closing on our first house on July 15th! Woohoo! We are moving from our 820 sq ft, 2 br/2ba apartment that we've shared for almost 4 years, to a 1104 sq ft 3 br/2ba house.

I plan on having a yard sale before we even start painting, though! I'm going to get rid of as many unnecessary things as possible before moving everything to "keep" in. We've got 6 weeks to move out of our apartment, so I think we'll be set.









Any painting and/or decorating tips? There are so many colors & options out there. I want the rooms to feel open, and yet cozy. I'd prefer lighter colors to keep the rooms from looking small. I plan on *going* to some yard sales, thrift stores, and clearance racks to get most of my decor. We need to buy a dresser, a new coffee table, a TV stand, and a new book shelf (other one is falling apart). I'd prefer to get gently used items or really good deals on new stuff.

DH and I have been watching HGTV like crazy lately for decorating ideas, but we like so many things that we can't decide. We tend to both gravitate toward shades of green, blue, gray, and bold black & white for accents. Problem is DH goes more for "warm" colors, and I would like to have more "cool" colors, at least in the bathrooms & kitchen to brighten/liven things up. I wear black 99% of the time, so since I don't like wearing bright colors on myself it would be nice to brighten up my house. DH just doesn't go for it though.







:

/rambling


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## p1gg1e

racheloperasinger - I so agree on the life style being apart of how we make small spaces work. We co-sleep with our youngest and our oldest sleeps in a toddler bed at the foot ( she could sleep with us but she tosses and turns so much!







). How else though would a family be ok with sharing a room?







:


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## lexbeach

Hi Mamas!

We just decided to make a HUGE change and move out of our HUGE house (~3000+ square feet) and into a tiny house (relatively speaking . . . I don't know the square footage, but I'd guess it's around 1200, maybe less). I'd love any advice! We're planning to get rid of about 2/3 of our stuff before we move. I really don't want the new place to feel cluttered at all. Our biggest issue is that the house has zero closets (not a one), so we need to figure out a creative solution for our clothes and I think we'll just get rid of anything else we might keep in a closet (i.e. extra linens, things that we only use a couple times a year, etc.).

I'm so excited for our new life!

Lex


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## radish

hey mama, i remember you from the old CD board (i think).

congrats on your downsize. it can seem a little crazy at first!

we also got rid of a ton of stuff. actually 6 months later we're still decluttering in a MAJOR way.

i looked at books, mags, etc for organizational ideas. ikea catalog is a good place to start









someone had a great idea for linens, 2 sets per bed, one stored between the mattresses.


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## radish

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jeninejessica* 
Question... For those of you around the 750sq feet range- approx how much natural gas/electricity do you use each month? DH and I have only owned since September (and only moved in dec), so we're having a hard time trying to estimate, but it seems like our bills are higher than they should be.

We have almost all CFL's other than ones that Couldn't be, our computer runs too much- probably 8 hours a day. We have a washer and dryer, and dishwasher, and do about 2 loads of each a week, probably less for the dishwasher. We are very good about keeping lights off when we don't absolutely need them. We do have a huge TV that I"m sure isn't power friendly *grumbles* It was a gift. Our furnace is highly INeffecient, as is our hot water heater, but we tried to keep the furnace running as little as possible over the winter, piling on blankets instead. There's only two of us here.

Approximates? I know costs will differ, but for instance our bill for May usage was 552kw.h for electricity, and 123.121 cubic metres for natural gas. Month of May the furance was almost always, if not completely, off.

Should we be worried? EVeryone keeps telling us our bills are too high.

hi mama
i dont have exact usage handy but i know our first few months seemed high too. we're 1000 SF, i will try to post info later tonight.


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## anniegirl

That's great you're downsizing! How exciting!

I don't really have any super great advice. Just get rid of lots of stuff (which you already know). It's also nice if everyone has their own space or "spot" to go, helps the smallness of the place not get to you.

We once lived in a 1000 sq ft place that didn't have any closets. Clutter was always a huge challenge for me. We got two big wardrobes and kept our clothes in there. Shelves with big baskets helps a lot with organizing too.

I love the idea of storing the extra sheets between the mattresses! I think I'll do that.

jeninejessica - our utilities our included in our rent so I don't really know how much we are using. In our former home though I always felt like our bills were way too high too. The utility company had a little online form you could fill out and it would tell you how much your were using in comparison to other houses and families your size. It turned out our usage was much lower than the average. Maybe it's that way for you too? It seems high, but in reality you're probably using less than average.


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## lexbeach

radish;11588309
someone had a great idea for linens said:


> That's FABULOUS! Exactly the kind of advice I was looking for.
> 
> Our current bed set-up is just three mattresses on the floor, but I'm wondering if it would make more sense to get some frames and then have the space under the bed for storage. It wouldn't be quite as nice for sleeping (there would obviously be a crack between the beds), but I don't know where we're going to keep our clothes otherwise. The bedrooms are on the second floor, which is really more like an attic. You can only stand up in the middle of the room, so I don't think we'd be able to put an armoire/wardrobe up there, and the walls are only about 18 inches tall (when the ceiling stops slanting), so a dresser would be tricky too.
> 
> Lex


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## lexbeach

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish*
someone had a great idea for linens, 2 sets per bed, one stored between the mattresses.

That's FABULOUS! Exactly the kind of advice I was looking for.

Our current bed set-up is just three mattresses on the floor, but I'm wondering if it would make more sense to get some frames and then have the space under the bed for storage. It wouldn't be quite as nice for sleeping (there would obviously be a crack between the beds), but I don't know where we're going to keep our clothes otherwise. The bedrooms are on the second floor, which is really more like an attic. You can only stand up in the middle of the room, so I don't think we'd be able to put an armoire/wardrobe up there, and the walls are only about 18 inches tall (when the ceiling stops slanting), so a dresser would be tricky too.

Lex


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## anniegirl

OOooooh lexbeach, I love your family bed! That looks so cozy I want to curl up there.

That is tricky about clothes storage for your new home...hmmmm.


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## CariOfOz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lexbeach* 
Our current bed set-up is just three mattresses on the floor, but I'm wondering if it would make more sense to get some frames and then have the space under the bed for storage. It wouldn't be quite as nice for sleeping (there would obviously be a crack between the beds), but I don't know where we're going to keep our clothes otherwise. The bedrooms are on the second floor, which is really more like an attic. You can only stand up in the middle of the room, so I don't think we'd be able to put an armoire/wardrobe up there, and the walls are only about 18 inches tall (when the ceiling stops slanting), so a dresser would be tricky too.

Lex

Lovin those sleep arrangements







Very cozy indeed! Agree that ya might have issues putting under bed storage if you had the mattresses up... How steep is the slop of the roof in the rooms with the 18inch shortwalls? If it's steep enough that you can get fairly close without cracking your head too often, you could make (if you/dh/some lovely family member or friend is handy with wood & tools) some custom dressers that are maybe one or two drawer deep to slip in that short spot?

Or cheat & watch craigslist etc for those waterbed 'underdressers' ... stack 2 high and nail a peice of ply on top and voila







(I actually did this one myself back when I decided the waterbed had to go and it worked out really well.. only I got to use mine as a window seat with a cushion on top







)


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## earthgirl

I haven't read the whole thread so I apologize if there has already been a lengthy discussion about this.

My kitchen is making me nuts. Seriously, I cannot prepare one meal w/out cussing about something in that !#$%^ room. I've had small kitchens before, but that was before I had a DH and DD to cook for. I have really tried my best to eliminate unnecessary items, so I really don't think that's the problem. It's just such a freakishly small space. Please tell me how you organize your kitchen. Any tips or tricks? Any can't do w/out item? BTW, we are not in a position to spend much, maybe around $100 or so. If you have a creative, inexpensive way, that's even better!

TIA.


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## AngieB

Quote:


Originally Posted by *earthgirl* 
I haven't read the whole thread so I apologize if there has already been a lengthy discussion about this.

My kitchen is making me nuts. Seriously, I cannot prepare one meal w/out cussing about something in that !#$%^ room. I've had small kitchens before, but that was before I had a DH and DD to cook for. I have really tried my best to eliminate unnecessary items, so I really don't think that's the problem. It's just such a freakishly small space. Please tell me how you organize your kitchen. Any tips or tricks? Any can't do w/out item? BTW, we are not in a position to spend much, maybe around $100 or so. If you have a creative, inexpensive way, that's even better!

TIA.

Can you take pictures of the kitchen. It's always helpful to see the space that needs help.


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## earthgirl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AngieB* 
Can you take pictures of the kitchen. It's always helpful to see the space that needs help.

Good idea. I'll try to do that this afternoon.


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## racheloperasinger

Quote:


Originally Posted by *earthgirl* 
I haven't read the whole thread so I apologize if there has already been a lengthy discussion about this.

My kitchen is making me nuts. Seriously, I cannot prepare one meal w/out cussing about something in that !#$%^ room. I've had small kitchens before, but that was before I had a DH and DD to cook for. I have really tried my best to eliminate unnecessary items, so I really don't think that's the problem. It's just such a freakishly small space. Please tell me how you organize your kitchen. Any tips or tricks? Any can't do w/out item? BTW, we are not in a position to spend much, maybe around $100 or so. If you have a creative, inexpensive way, that's even better!

TIA.

I wonder if there are things that you can hang on the walls. Every time I go to Ikea and study their little fake houses, I notice that every possible hang-able item has its own little hook or holder. Pot racks, dish towels, I even saw a pot LID rack (cheap too) last time I was there.

I haven't completely moved into my tiny house yet, so I don't know how helpful my advice is, but this is a goal for us. Our new house has no pantry whatsoever, so all our dry goods have to find a place in our kitchen cabinets (and we're kind of buy-in-bulk type people too









We'll see what happens! I'll try and post pics soon!


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## sabrinat

bump!
How are all my small house mamas doing?


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## Stone Fence

Doing well here.

I've been decluttering and doing my fall cleaning.

When the weather is dry, breezy and cool I get really motivated.

DH has done some insulation in preperation for winter and we're waiting for a wood delivery.


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## Juliacat

I am, quite frankly, getting frustrated and wishing I could afford a three-bedroom, two-bath house with a normal-sized living room, like most of the people we know have. My mother visited us for 2 months this summer and we managed to squeeze her in, but she really needs a handicapped-accessible bathroom and ours is too narrow for that and, well, I already have enough issues with body fluid cleanup duty as it is.







Plus when dd woke up in the middle of the night with whatever sort of problem, I couldn't just lie down with her for any length of time because that bed is the only place in the house that's safe for my mom to lie down on. So either mom had to sit up, or dd and I had to sleep somewhere else. I totally want my mom to come back because she and dd are best buddies and my mom's not going to live forever, but I'm shuddering at the thought of cram-packing everyone again.

I need to do a declutter, but I just started a new job and school and there's just not much time or emotional energy left over. Especially since at this point, the difference it would make would be only slight. We decluttered the major stuff years ago and I'm tired of sitting around thinking "should I donate my mutes to the high school band? will I ever play in an orchestra again? maybe?" and "how mad will mom/MIL/SMIL get if these toys disappear?" Especially since dd is now old enough to notice and remember things.

I'm sorry, I know this isn't positive and I should make the best of things, since our house is cute-looking and in the perfect location, with a very small mortgage payment. But I do think we've just about outgrown it.


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## MamaRabbit

Hey I just found this thread! We are a family of 6 living in 796 sq. ft. I had to do an online converter to find out just how little 74 sq meters is










It's a 2 bedroom apartment. The babies are still in our bed partly because it's easier that way but also because I don't know where to put them! I'm trying to figure out how to put in a tiny room in the corner of our living room. Or putting up dividers in one area and putting the pack and play behind that. Our dream is to buy the next door neighbors apartment, knock a hole through it and put us up to 1200 sq. ft.

Storage is a big issue. Like kid stuff, Christmas stuff, clothing too big/small, washer/dryer. We rent a tiny apartment upstairs for things like that. Super cheap and then when company or others need a place to sleep for the night we have a bed. It's kindof a small ministry for us doing that.

ALL of my friends tell me we should move into a bigger house, what will the kids do when bigger, etc. We own our apartment and have NO payments! We have a beautiful garden outside. DH and DD can walk to school in 5 minutes. Why would I move? I like having to not have so much junk, not much to clean, being creative with the space I have. I'm always trying to find new ways to make everyone fit.

Someone above mentioned asking what to do with an older child's space. For DD she sleeps on her top bunk and we're installing shelves up there so she can put her own personal things up there so they don't get messed up.

I'm gonna love this thread!


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## wombatclay

Heyla all! Thanks for the bump!

We're getting ready for winter... we put up new siding (a benefit of a small house is being able to do that yourself I guess







) and although the trim isn't up and it's not painted (non stop rain since we brought the paint home!) it already looks better and feels more snug. We're getting estimates on the roof since it leaks/is falling off and estimates for some folks to pull down a few dead trees that are uphill and hanging over the house.

De-cluttering has come to a slow point though. We got a small shed up (since we have no indoor storage) but we need more space. We're planning an IKEA trip soon and exploring different ideas for storage. My favorite idea right now is to get stacking bookcases (the "cube" style) and stack them from floor to ceiling to create a storage "wall" seperating the "living room" from the "kitchen". That way we'd have the storage, there would be some visual privacy from the kitchen, but the openings in the bookcases would still let light/air move around. Has anyone tried something like this?

(for new mamas... hi!... we [4 people, 1 dog] have a ~850sq/ft house that is one room on the ground floor and a sleeping loft upstairs. So while we have more footage than a lot of mamas here we have less defined space. And we're converting the space from a garage to a home so there are certain things "missing"... like no kitchen sink, a bathroom that is just hidden behind a curtain, etc







)


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## p1gg1e

We still live in out tiny house though I'm overwhelmed at the moment. on top of the normal everyday stuff I need to do the small space makes the house look extra smashed and I'm still organizing....I just could use some Ideas


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## mrscompgeek

Hi mama's. Just found this thread. DH and I live in a 960 sq foot home with our 2 dogs. We have 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, no garage, no basement, no attic storage. So therefore my 2nd bedroom is our storage room. We are currently ttc #1 so if that happens soon its gonna get interesting. We do own our home and I love our house.


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## Juliacat

Mrscompgeek,

Our house is similar to yours except it's even smaller. We do have a shed out in the back yard, which helps a lot. Is that an option for you? I will say that we are making far better use of the space in our house than we did pre-baby. We basically got rid of everything in our second bedroom while I was pregnant. It's now a regular bedroom for dd and it's also nice enough for her grandparents to sleep in when they visit.


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## mrscompgeek

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juliacat* 
Mrscompgeek,

Our house is similar to yours except it's even smaller. We do have a shed out in the back yard, which helps a lot. Is that an option for you? I will say that we are making far better use of the space in our house than we did pre-baby. We basically got rid of everything in our second bedroom while I was pregnant. It's now a regular bedroom for dd and it's also nice enough for her grandparents to sleep in when they visit.

Hi Juliacat! We do have a shed out back but the owners before put it in and its really small and not very good for storing items. Its got huge holes and we have rabbits, snakes and mice so I cant store items in it. Its awesome for our mower, yard stuff though. We are hoping one day to get a new shed that I can store things in but for now we dont have money to spend on it. Our spare room is def going to have to have a clean out, the problem is that I am photographer and all my supplies go in there since I really dont know where else to store it. . The closet is full of my christmas deco, dh golf clubs, extra chairs. . . .


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## Juliacat

I don't know what your money situation is or what kind of shed you want, but we got ours at Home Depot on a 0% interest card for 12 months, which we paid off before the 12 months was over and then canceled. We store our lawn equipment and bicycles there as well as suitcases, boxes of clothing that my niece has outgrown but dd hasn't grown into yet, and a few other odds and ends. Something like that might work for the golf clubs and extra chairs.

For the other stuff, you might have to get creative with shelving and figuring out what little things could go where in other parts of your house. We have a shelving unit in our dining room that takes up a ton of space but it's worth it because it stores sooooo much.







Photography supplies may be tough to find a storage spot for, but just do a big declutter and then look at your house with an eye towards what could go where....

Hope this helps!


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## spruce

6 kids, 5 at home.

Two bedrooms.

Alaska in the winter. All kids are homeschooled.

I think I need to sub to this thread.









love, penelope


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## cuttiebearmom

I'm in....soon to be at least. We are downsizing to 1300 sq ft cute cape with more land to farm/etc. I'll tell you how it goes....we wouln't mention my huband is a drummer.....drums take up more space than kids I think!


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## lexbeach

Our new small house is so wonderful! I don't even know that it qualifies as a "small house" since it feels pretty spacious (it's about 1,200 square feet). Our last house was 3,000 sf so it's a big change, but we really much prefer it this way (and we haven't even gotten to winter yet when I'm sure we'll really appreciate the change). Everything is right within reach! Every space feels so useful. We are keeping it much cleaner than our last house since just a bit of mess makes it feel really messy.

The biggest challenges have been not having any closets (the house was built in 1823, apparently pre-closets), not having any counter space in the kitchen, and only having one bathroom (my twins *always* have to go at the same time), but these really haven't been a big deal. We put up shelves for our clothes (just with brackets and wooden boards), bought a butcher block island that fits perfectly in the kitchen, and the boys can run next door to my mom's house in a real bathroom emergency!

I don't ever plan on living in a big house again!

Lex


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## MamaRabbit

Lex, 3000sq ft is huge! We stayed with family this summer - they have 3400 sq ft. Seriously our entire apartment would fit in their master bedroom! All I could think of was: what's the electricity bill, and why would someone want to clean that much!!!


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## lexbeach

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaRabbit* 
Lex, 3000sq ft is huge! We stayed with family this summer - they have 3400 sq ft. Seriously our entire apartment would fit in their master bedroom! All I could think of was: what's the electricity bill, and why would someone want to clean that much!!!

Yeah, it really was huge--FIVE bedrooms huge! We knew when we moved in (as renters) that it was more space than we needed, but the location was perfect, and everything else we looked at seemed too small. But after living there for one winter (and seriously using up all of our savings paying for heat), we realized that we'd be much happier in a smaller, cozier house. We ended up closing off 3 bedrooms to try and reduce the heating cost, and saw that we didn't need nearly so much space.

Never doing that again!

Our new house is pretty perfect because we still have all the rooms that we need, they're just small (a small office, a small playroom, a small living room, etc.). I used to think that I preferred an open floor plan, but I'm not sure that I do in a small space. It's nice to have some separation between the different spaces in order to help keep things organized.

Lex

Lex


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## Juliacat

See, I want a house that's 1200 square feet or so. I think that would be perfect. (I also don't think it would qualify as small, at least not for my family of 3-4 people and a cat.)


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## flowers

Yay! I am so happy I found you all!

We live in a small house by choice! It is close to downtown so we can walk to parks, museums etc. so that takes care of the mini yard aspect. The first floor of our house is rented out as a 1 bedroom. The second floor is 4 very small rooms (as in can barely fit a loveseat in the living room area) and then we have a loft ladder up to the attic which is where we sleep. I think my dh said about 800 sq ft. We have one closet up in the attic and a front and back porch (which rock though we have long winters).

You know what I *LOVE* about living in a small house! When we make improvements its so affordable to get exactly what I want.







When we bought the house it had old wall to wall dirty rugs and I choose the most gorgeous bamboo and it was still so affordable. We used these beautiful clay paints for all the walls. It was more expensive than regular paint but we didn't need so much. Same thing when we tiled the bathroom floor. We found some leftovers from someone elses big project. I feel like anything I want I can have! Also, our utilities are really low. We use natural gas and spent about a hundred dollars a month last winter on gas AND electric!







: (we have long winters here so that is such a bonus!)

The challenge is that I feel like the furniture has to almost be custom picked for each corner so to say. I have lots of ideas that would make the the space really functional, but its not like I am going to run out and buy all this furniture all at once. So we are looking for "perfect" items one piece at a time and winging everything else.


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## slsurface

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flowers* 
Yay! I am so happy I found you all!

We live in a small house by choice! It is close to downtown so we can walk to parks, museums etc. so that takes care of the mini yard aspect.

Same here.

We moved from a 600sq foot apartment with two bedrooms to a 1100 sq foot three bedroom house last September. It's amusing to me that some thing 1200 sq feet is small, when our 1100sq foot house seem so huge to me! I can't believe how much more spacious the house feels over the old apartment. The house has a good layout that makes good use of the space. The kitchen, dinning, and living room on the first floor have a very open plan. Upstairs are three spacious bedrooms (10x16, 11x11, and 9x15) which feel huge compared to the 9x9 bedrooms in our apartment. Right now the third bedroom is our office. We only have one bathroom, but at least it has an open plan and doesn't feel cramped with all three of us are in there at the same time







. Personally, I wouldn't want any more space to clean. Also, our lot is only 23 by 110 feet. This is just the right amount of space for me to landscape and maintain. I love







it!

We don't have a garage though - poor DH. But we did build a great 12x12 foot shed in the back for his motorcycles and gardening equipment. I recommend Lowe's line of wooden shed kits. The other bonus of our house is a fairly decent full basement. DH and I are in the process of setting up a woodworking area in the basement so that we can build some furniture and kayaks.

BTW: Does anyone else get annoyed at those home magazines that special "small house" issues where they talk about downsizing into 2000sq feet! WTF?!


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## dancebaraka

We are moving to a 700 sq ft apartment.









My strategy is to only keep what I *love* to see and use. Keep it simple, simple, simple. And we are remodeling in a very euro-efficient style so although things are going to be smaller than our current 1200-ish sq ft country home, they are better laid out with better cabinets and storage throughout.


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## mrscompgeek

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juliacat* 
I don't know what your money situation is or what kind of shed you want, but we got ours at Home Depot on a 0% interest card for 12 months, which we paid off before the 12 months was over and then canceled. We store our lawn equipment and bicycles there as well as suitcases, boxes of clothing that my niece has outgrown but dd hasn't grown into yet, and a few other odds and ends. Something like that might work for the golf clubs and extra chairs.

For the other stuff, you might have to get creative with shelving and figuring out what little things could go where in other parts of your house. We have a shelving unit in our dining room that takes up a ton of space but it's worth it because it stores sooooo much.







Photography supplies may be tough to find a storage spot for, but just do a big declutter and then look at your house with an eye towards what could go where....

Hope this helps!

Good idea about the shed but we have vowed not to buy things on credit anymore. Dh had alot of credit card debit when we got married and we are finally getting it paid off, plus we are still paying on his school loan. So that really isnt a option for us.
I dont have a dining room- we eat in the kitchen so thats not really a option either.


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## feest

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lckrause* 
Our house is 513 sq ft. Honestly, it's not a bad size for the 3 of us (me and two kids). Our house has no closets so that is our biggest challenge. We have to declutter all the time in order to keep things manageable. My kids have the two bedrooms and I have a futon in the living room. I want to get a full-sized loft bed though to save space in here as soon as I can, which means sometime next summer probably when we have more money.

















: our house is 500 sq ft. tooo
and also no closet here.... i must admit i have been going a bit nutty latley with 2 adults, 3 kids, 2 med/lg dogs, and a cat i find myself constaintly waiting for someone to move out the way... and i've run out of places to put things long ago... but other then that its wonderful the size of the yard makes up for the tiny house and i live iin a nice neighborhood.

its nice to know i'm not the only one struggleing with a wee home.


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## justamama

Our house is considered small, but it certainly doesn't feel that way! We have a 3b, 1bth 925sq ft house. Our former rental was the same size, but only 2 bedrooms and the layout made it feel much smaller, more cramped, and not as useful. We have a large eat-in kitchen, an adequate sized living room, one small bedroom that we use as a playroom, the kids have a bedroom that they never sleep in, and a large master bedroom which has our king size bed, a chair, a chiffarobe and still has room. The layout makes this house so perfect for us (4 people, 2 larger dogs). I don't think I'd ever choose to live in a large house- I've told DP that 1200 sq ft would be the biggest house I'd ever want to live in, and we'd have to have at least 4 kids to even consider it!


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## wombatclay

I think my final dream home will be in the 1100-1200 sq/ft range. We had 1600 and it was waaaaay too much, and our current 850 is just not big enough. If it was broken up better/organized better but the space has built in limits that wont really suit our lifestyle in 2-3 years.

Still planning that IKEA trip though! And I totally agree... the "small house" magazine specials where the house is in the 2000-3000 sq ft range (especially when they then point out that it's a "weekend/vacation" retreat for a couple or something like that) always makes me giggle/cry. And agree again that layout makes a HUGE difference in terms of how a space feels. I have ideas (which need IKEA to implement) that may give us a little more "visual space". And I'd never want to go back to the 1600+ camp.


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## *LoveBugMama*

What a cool thread!









We, my son and I, live in a 350 sq.ft rented apartment. One bedroom, kitchen/livingroom together and a tiny bathroom. It`s really, really tiny, but we love it. (I COULD use a second bedroom, though.) We live in Norways third largest city, within walking distance to everything. My son has the only bedroom, and since that room is about half the apartment, his room is actually pretty ok sized. (I sleep in his room, but will start sleeping in the livingroom when he wants more privacy.)

I`ll try to find some pictures.









http://www.byen.org/kavalkade.html We life in the old part of the city, with small wooden houses, almost no trafic, cool and alternative shops/cafes etc. Our apartment is the yellow house in the fourth row, picture to the left.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8...D480/ry%3D320/ This is our livingroom. And what you see is the WHOLE livingroom.


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## slsurface

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CrunchyTamara* 
What a cool thread!









We, my son and I, live in a 350 sq.ft rented apartment. One bedroom, kitchen/livingroom together and a tiny bathroom. It`s really, really tiny, but we love it. (I COULD use a second bedroom, though.) We live in Norways third largest city, within walking distance to everything. My son has the only bedroom, and since that room is about half the apartment, his room is actually pretty ok sized. (I sleep in his room, but will start sleeping in the livingroom when he wants more privacy.)

I`ll try to find some pictures.









http://www.byen.org/kavalkade.html We life in the old part of the city, with small wooden houses, almost no trafic, cool and alternative shops/cafes etc. Our apartment is the yellow house in the fourth row, picture to the left.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8...D480/ry%3D320/ This is our livingroom. And what you see is the WHOLE livingroom.









Wow! What a beautiful city and apartment! I







it!


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## wombatclay

That is so cool!


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## lexbeach

Quote:


Originally Posted by *slsurface* 
Same here.

We moved from a 600sq foot apartment with two bedrooms to a 1100 sq foot three bedroom house last September. It's amusing to me that some thing 1200 sq feet is small, when our 1100sq foot house seem so huge to me!

Yes, I do think perspective can really affect what you view as small vs. large.

I was thinking that our new house was 1200 sf, but we measured today and it's actually only about 1000 sf. But it does feel plenty big, and we have 3 kids (and are ttc #4). It's hard to imagine how we'd manage with anything much smaller than this, but I suppose we could lose about 100 sf from the second bedroom without too much trouble (especially since the kids only barely sleep in there).

Lex


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## p1gg1e

Quote:


Originally Posted by *slsurface* 

BTW: Does anyone else get annoyed at those home magazines that special "small house" issues where they talk about downsizing into 2000sq feet! WTF?!

YES! Even when I lived in under 1200sqft I go really POed about "small bathroom remodel" and here its the size of my WHOLE FREAKING HOUSE!







:


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## MamaRabbit

After visiting our relative (huge house mentioned above) we came back overseas and when I walked into our apartment I almost gasped. I couldn't believe how small and claustrophobic it felt. I'd forgotten just how small it was! Now we've been back 2 months and it feels huge


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## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *slsurface* 

BTW: Does anyone else get annoyed at those home magazines that special "small house" issues where they talk about downsizing into 2000sq feet! WTF?!

That is one of my biggest pet peeves.







It annoys me both in principle and because I'd like to find some useful advice that would apply to me!


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## cuttiebearmom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *slsurface* 

BTW: Does anyone else get annoyed at those home magazines that special "small house" issues where they talk about downsizing into 2000sq feet! WTF?!

Gosh, this is of my biggest pet peeves







. All of the 'green' magazines that give examples homes that are newly built with all of these 'green' features and are 3000 sq.ft. for 4 people that sometimes don't even live there all the time. How practicle and green is that? Sometimes they are off-grid with all locally milled resources and such but just the size is unreasonable I think







.


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## Emilie

Since we left m husband we have 2 different apartments and one home. We ( myself, my son 5 and daughter 2.5)currently live in a 500 sq foot house. I love the fact that it house with a yard that we can play and garden in.... but I would LOVE to have a garage or shed. It is 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a main room which has a small area for a couch I have my desk and a small buffet for them to eat at and the kitchen are all in this room. The laundry is in this room hidden behind closet doors- though right now it is hard to open the fridge due to the PILE of laundry lol.
It is a challenge and yet when it comes time to clean up- there is less to do. We do not have the money for things- and this makes it simple not to want them- since they have no where to go!!!
Emilie


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## simonsmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kathirynne* 

I used to think it was too small (although it is bigger than the 750 square foot townhouse we lived in before I graduated!!) Now I realize that it's just too full









I think this is true for us as well! LOL We live in a 1100 SF house, and it's Me, my hubby, 2 kids, and a cat, and we're planning on a few more in the future, and we're NOT planning on moving.

My IL think the house is too small, and that my hubby can afford better. And while that last part may be true (I don't think so, though,lol) this is the house we wanted. I really like it actually. I mean, I think alot of people are just accustomed to bigger houses that they really need. KWIM? I think there is something very liberating in living in a small house. And while, no, you can't collect a hundred different things and no, you can't have "normal" furniture, and yes, you do have to declutter alot, and really think about what is absolutely necessary in your house. Yeah, all that is true. But I really don't think that is a bad thing. My hubby is a recovering packrat, and since we got married about 4 years ago, I've slowly gotten him to let go of a bunch of stuff he was holding on to that he didn't even care about anyway.

Tangent - I remember watching an oprah show about the smallest houses, and it was very inspiring. I mean, really, how much space does one person REALLY need? two people? four?

I like living in my small house. But no, you can't come in, because I'm a very messy person which looks twice as bad in a small house, LOL


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## PenelopeJune

My current house is 1200 sq feet and I NEVER considered it to be small!

We are thinking of building a super tiny house (probably around 400 sq feet) to live in super cheaply for now. The problem will be selling our current house. I hope we can, because I just can't take the stress of a payment anymore! I'd much rather stress about being in a small space.


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## frontstreetmama

If I was being optimistic, I'd say my house is about 750 SF... but that would also mean it was a rectangle... that is taking the longest side by the longest length... there are actually many nooks into that space... and that also includes space that functions as a laundry room but not heated in winter... there are four of us, me, dd 9 & dd 7 share a room, the baby almost 1 is in my room and we have a cat but she is mostly outside in the nice months... I would like some more space as I would like to have one big playroom & another bedroom since I'd like to have another baby... another bathroom would be heaven!!!

I think the trick is creative storage & always clearing out that which isn't being used... the thing I really DON'T like is that I can't entertain well... I can squish 4 people on my couch (folded up futon) and seat 8 at my table... that's it for seating in my WHOLE HOUSE -- oh except the oldest two have those desks with built-in seats and there is a small chair in my bedroom and the baby has a tiny stool!! that drives me CRAZY!!!


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## wombatclay

We don't have a table as such (dh and I sit on the couch, the girls sit at a chest that doubles as storage/seating/flat craft surface). When we have lots of people over it's a challenge. I haven't actually done a "real" meal since we moved... it's all been picnic style or round-the-bonfire style. We have a wonderful dining room table dh made so I'm still trying to think of options!

The real "problem" is we have an upright piano and there is ONE place it can go.







So everything has to sort of work around that. I enjoy a challenge but sometimes I wish I could push our wall out just another 8-10 feet!


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## MamaRabbit

Yes, we have an upright piano and it only fits on one wall. I'm in the process of rearranging furniture a bit. I brought back 200lb of books for midwifery studies and had to get a book case. Not much space for that.

I'm also a recovering pack rat. Working on that still and my goal is always to declutter 50 things a week, even it's a piece of paper. My home feel huge when it's neat and tidy.

simonsmama, occasionally we get Oprah over here and we saw that one. AMAZING how people lived in those homes and made them work!

Anyone want to share their small home pics? I'm thinking of taking a few my camera is picked up from repairs this week.


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## Juliacat

I own an upright piano that belonged to my paternal grandmother, but it's currently stuck at my mother's house since I don't have any room for it. This makes me sad.


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## p1gg1e

ANyone have tv trays or a nice small table they like? I really don't have room for a dining table all the time. I was looking at getting the IKEA table that folds down on the wall. But Id love to know if TV trys would be a better option.


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## MamaRabbit

p1gg1e, I love your little house it's so cute!

We have a "dining room table" that is really classified as an outdoor table. Each side folds down so that the center piece is 1' x 3'. If I put up just one side it's 3' x 3'. If I put up both sides it's about 3' x 5'. So if I need lots of floor space, I fold down both sides and shove it against the wall. If it's just me and DS for lunch I put up one side. If all 6 of us need it, I put up both sides. I can wheel it to wherever I need in the house. Simple construction and could probably be made for cheap. I like that the center section is actually an open box that I can slide folding chairs into! We keep the chairs in it for company bought sturdier regular dining chairs that could hold boosters, etc that match it.


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## TopHat

We have a small studio apartment (600 sq ft). We've lived here for 2 years and it's the cheapest place we can find ($395/month). Our goal is to save up over the next 2 years while DH is in grad school so we can put a down payment on a house when he gets a job when he graduates.

Because it's all one room, it feels a lot more spacious than other apartments. Our issue is that we keep getting hand-me-downs from friends for our DD. We only just bought a dresser this year- before then we just hung everything up and used some plastic storage drawers for our socks and underwear. We also have a hard time using wall-type storage. We have cinderblock walls, so we can't hang anything up.

Also, the apartment was set up to have the bed in a special nook, but our bed (CalKing) doesn't fit there- so it's in the "front room" type area. It's kind of out of place and there's not much we can do to move stuff around. I'm pretty sure people feel awkward being in our bedroom- we both conceived and birthed DD in that one room.









ETA: DH just came home and said that when we measured it a year ago, our home was 700 sq feet. Sorry to mislead!


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## wombatclay

JuliaCat- I don't know if it will help with the "lack of piano sadness", but while I love having ours (it was the one I learned on as a child) and it's a gorgeous piano... it doesn't get a lot of use these days. If the girls are asleep DH and I can't play because they wake up, and if they are awake they want to play too and somehow they don't ever loose interest. It's nice, and we're looking forward to encouraging any musical interests they have, but just right now it takes up a lot of room without giving too much back. I know that will change eventually, but it may help you feel better about not having your piano in your home right now (though I don't know your family dynamic and maybe you've got better sleepers!)

p1gg1e- we had tv trays (plain wood from target, I think it was 40 dollars for a set of 4 plus a hanger type thing). We did use them for a while but it didn't really work for us. We don't have chairs that we could sit on to use the trays and our loveseat is low enough that the tv tray height was "wrong" for the adults and really silly for the kiddos.

At our old home DH made mini tables that stacked into toy storage. I don't have a picture right now but imagine a 2x2 foot square of wood. That's the table top. Then take a 2x16 inch piece of timber and cut it into 2 pieces. The idea is to use this timber to make an "X" or "+" on the bottom of the table top. The finished table is a 2x2 foot square that stands roughly 16 inches high. DH made several of these so that we could "build" a table that would fit whatever size we needed (2x8? 4x4? 4x6? an "L", an "O", etc). When not in use for eating the tables stacked up (rubber grippies attached to the base supports prevented slipping) and the openings made by the "X" or "+" supports held toys or books.

For dining we'd all sit on pillows on the floor... which dd1 loved since she didn't need help getting up or down, and she was able to "do for herself" more easily.

We brought them with us to this house but right now they're upstairs being used as clothing storage under the eaves. I should probably have dh come up with a dining solution, though it would be pretty low on the list right now!


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## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
(though I don't know your family dynamic and maybe you've got better sleepers!)

Nah, dd would wake up if we tried to play it, and if she was awake she would want to be the one playing it, just like your kids. I'd still rather she play the piano than watch Pink Panther all the time though.


----------



## slsurface

Quote:


Originally Posted by *p1gg1e* 
ANyone have tv trays or a nice small table they like? I really don't have room for a dining table all the time. I was looking at getting the IKEA table that folds down on the wall. But Id love to know if TV trys would be a better option.

I love this table from IKEA. It takes up almost no space when not in use and has extra storage.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20104718

And here is the wall-mounted table you mentioned.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80091713


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## sabrinat

I've been posting to this thread for a couple of years and reading through it always keeps me motivated and gives me such great ideas. We are a family of six living in about 1600 sf. In our area we are considered to be in a small house and I get asked constantly when we plan to move (we don't). The only things I wish were different are I wish we had an eat in kitchen and that we had one more bedroom instead of the majestic open 2 story living room and foyer. After much lamenting, I have learned to appreciate what I have and optimize my space. I constantly attempt (it's not easy for me) to declutter and I've found some clever ways to organize our home so it's neat and clean (usually). I can honestly say now that I love our small house.


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## MamaRabbit

We are always constantly being asked when we're going to move. Seriously, the DAY we found out we were having twins, someone called wanting to know if we were moving into a house instead of a tiny apartment. (They wanted to rent it if we were getting out!!!) Um, no. I really don't see how I'm going to fit 4 teenagers into less than 800 sq ft someday, so I imagine we'll move someday, but good grief!

I love that we own our home. We live in a big complex that is gated, no stray dogs, no strange people wandering around. We have the biggest yard!


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## savithny

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cuttiebearmom* 
Gosh, this is of my biggest pet peeves







. All of the 'green' magazines that give examples homes that are newly built with all of these 'green' features and are 3000 sq.ft. for 4 people that sometimes don't even live there all the time. How practicle and green is that? Sometimes they are off-grid with all locally milled resources and such but just the size is unreasonable I think







.

I so get it!

We have a "green home" store downtown here, full of organic bedding and naturally stained furniture and wool and silk carpets.

But the first thing I noticed? None of the furniture would fit in my house. I'm in a 1300 square foot 1950s ranch (I know! Large to many of you!).

I went in to look because we were having a heck of a time finding a sofa that would fit into our living room. Our living room isn't tiny - yet everywhere we looked were these ginormous overstuffed monsters. "Yay!" I thought, "A Green Home store will have stuff for smaller, lower-footprint houses!"

Except all the beds were king beds and all the sofas were 9 feet long and all the tables were tables for 6 with no removable leaves.

And if I read one more "small home" magazine article that starts out with "Bob and Susan Public were thrilled to find a Craftsman home in perfect condition. But the kitchen, at 16x20, was impossibly small...."

(for the record, we moved to our 1300 square ft house after 7 years in a 900-sq-foot apartment. I still feel like this place is SO BIG. My big desire was to have two toilets - and we have two teensy weensy bathrooms -- literally, as small as they can be according to building codes about space between fixtures).


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## crittersmom

We are a family of 6 living in a 1395 sq ft house and for the most part its fine,even the storage is fine since we also have a 2 car garage.The thing I do sigh about is having no dining space for all of us.The living room and kitchen is one room and part of the kitchen is just big enough for a breakfast table.My master bedroom is so huge,I don't get it since I just want to sleep in my bedroom,I don't need a whole appt.







I wish some of that bedroom footage was downstairs in the kitchen area.
I have finally realized that I should stop buying those home decorating mags that claim they are about small houses.The houses are only small if you are used to 4000 sq ft.


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## alaskaberry

I live in a 20x20 cabin (or it *was*, dp just built an addition) in Alaska. We have no running water. We have a woodstove in the middle of the 1st floor and a really ugly, ugly couch that pretty much dominate the space. (1st floor: kitchenette/living room - 2nd floor: bedroom). I might not post much because right now we don't have internet, but I'm subbing anyway.


----------



## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alaskaberry* 
We have no running water.

You know, I think I would live in a _closet_ before I would live without running water. How do you do it?


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## alaskaberry

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juliacat* 
You know, I think I would live in a _closet_ before I would live without running water. How do you do it?











You get used to it. It's the price you pay for living out of the city, with room to breathe. I just take advantage of everyone I know who has a water tank and hence, running water.


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## slsurface

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaRabbit* 
We are always constantly being asked when we're going to move. Seriously, the DAY we found out we were having twins, someone called wanting to know if we were moving into a house instead of a tiny apartment. (They wanted to rent it if we were getting out!!!) Um, no. I really don't see how I'm going to fit 4 teenagers into less than 800 sq ft someday, so I imagine we'll move someday, but good grief!

My grandmother recently came to visit our home for the first time. Her first comment was "where is your next baby going to sleep?" - implying that we bought too small of a house to raise a family in. I just sort of dismissed this comment, knowing that it comes from a person who lives *alone* in a 4,000+ sq foot house.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juliacat* 
You know, I think I would live in a _closet_ before I would live without running water. How do you do it?

I've lived without running water or electricity on and off. It's really not all that bad and you'd be surprised how fast you adapt to it. But I have to admit it made me appreciate having them even more!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cuttiebearmom* 
Gosh, this is of my biggest pet peeves







. All of the 'green' magazines that give examples homes that are newly built with all of these 'green' features and are 3000 sq.ft. for 4 people that sometimes don't even live there all the time. How practicle and green is that? Sometimes they are off-grid with all locally milled resources and such but just the size is unreasonable I think







.

Yes, this annoys me too. Rich people don't get it that living green isn't just about buying green materials and buying locally, it's also about living conscientiously with *less*. Less stuff + less house = less consumption. Which is good for the environment.

As a side-bar, I was recently watching classic Looney Toon cartoons that we checked out from the library with my DS. There was one cartoon where chipmunks were displaced by logging. They went to investigate the mill and found whole trees being ground down to make one toothpick. The first thing I thought was "nothing changes". The second thing that occurred to me is that even in the 1940-50s people realized that we were being wasteful, it's just taken a whole generation to figure out that our wastefulness robs future generations and destroys our planet.


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## wombatclay

indoor plumbing/electric- growing up we often didn't have one or both of those and it's sort of my "bottom line". Any place I live needs those two details!







I'm actually sad that our home has relatively little indoor plumbing/electric but Alaskaberry will keep me honest (and appreciative) for what I have!









DD2 is being evaluated for sensory disorders and we've been asked to provide her with "her own space" that can be quieter/less stimulating. Any ideas for creating a seperate, quiet, soothing space when there are several people, a dog, and one big room? I'm thinking maybe some sort of pillow/blanket "fort", maybe a little tent, that could be set up and taken down quickly?


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## slsurface

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
indoor plumbing/electric- growing up we often didn't have one or both of those and it's sort of my "bottom line". Any place I live needs those two details!







I'm actually sad that our home has relatively little indoor plumbing/electric but Alaskaberry will keep me honest (and appreciative) for what I have!









DD2 is being evaluated for sensory disorders and we've been asked to provide her with "her own space" that can be quieter/less stimulating. Any ideas for creating a seperate, quiet, soothing space when there are several people, a dog, and one big room? I'm thinking maybe some sort of pillow/blanket "fort", maybe a little tent, that could be set up and taken down quickly?

Do you have a corner where you could hang curtains that could be drawn back when not in use? That would probably be the easiest way to create a little "haven" of sorts. If you use opaque curtains, it would also block out light a bit too. Place floor pillows within the curtains and make sure everyone knows this area is a no dog zone and not to bother your dd when she is in her quite place. Good luck!


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## flowers

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 

DD2 is being evaluated for sensory disorders and we've been asked to provide her with "her own space" that can be quieter/less stimulating. Any ideas for creating a seperate, quiet, soothing space when there are several people, a dog, and one big room? I'm thinking maybe some sort of pillow/blanket "fort", maybe a little tent, that could be set up and taken down quickly?

Another idea is to put a velcro strip on the underlip of your kitchen table and cut fabric to size with the matching velcro strip sewn or pinned on it. Then very quickly the kitchen table (or under it) is turned into a fort.


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## wombatclay

We don't actually have a table... there isn't room. Let's see... I know I put a pic on flickr a while ago... Aha! Here we go..

This is our sleeping loft. The bookcase is the "headboard" to the family bed. The white curtain to the side of the window covers a rusted/defunct/leaky metal chimney which will eventually be removed. I try to keep the kiddos away from there since it's sharp rusty metal and a hole in the floor. The ceiling is a pretty sharp slant so you can't walk full height around the bed, and there is a 2.5 foot gap between the foot of the bed and the outer wall.

This is our ground floor from the "front" to the "back" and This is from the "back" to the "front". Just ignore the mess, k? Please? The pictures are actually a few months old and I've moved a lot of stuff (adding bookshelves, etc). The only "corner" in the house is next to the piano (under the stairs) but that space was sealed off by the previous owner and we haven't opened it yet. The stairs need to be replaced and we hope to leave the area under it open for a kiddo play area when we do that. But right now it's unfinished concrete slab with no exterior insulation and the stair wood is PT lumber with lots of splinters so even if we opened it it wouldn't be usable right away.

The other corners are... ummmm... the front door, the bathroom alcove, and the little white table in the picture is now the dog's crate. Overall the house has a footprint of 22x24 (ish) and there are two adults, two young kiddos, and the 25lb crazy dog. That's why I was thinking maybe a tent? Something that could be popped open, that would keep out the dog/sister, would at least cut out visual clutter? But then, dd2 is only 15mo and she hates being out of physical contact with me so unless I can fit in it too I don't know what we'll do.

The drs were so "oh just do this!" and I didn't have time to explain why giving her her own room just wasn't possible. I need to talk with dh (the dr visit that resulted in this laundry list of referals/tests was this morning so I'm still in shock I think.)


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## alaskaberry

Quote:


Originally Posted by *slsurface* 
My grandmother recently came to visit our home for the first time. Her first comment was "where is your next baby going to sleep?" - implying that we bought too small of a house to raise a family in. I just sort of dismissed this comment, knowing that it comes from a person who lives *alone* in a 4,000+ sq foot house.

Yeah, my ILs think we're *insane*(and not in a good way). "But you need running water when you're raising small children!" Um, no, you don't. I mean, it would be nice, but you actually don't. To get back on the subject of small houses, though--they've never been to AK to visit us, so they don't know how small our house really is. No doubt they would be horrified.







My parents think we're awfully brave to live in such small quarters.

*wombatclay*--your house is *cute*! For your DD--What about a large box? One that could be put in a corner, with holes cut out for windows and a sheet over the "doorway"(or however you want to spin it). That way she could put some of her fave animals and pillows in it and whenever she needs some alone time she can hang out in it.

We *do* have electric, I should note. I would probably go insane during our long, dark winters w/o it! I know people who don't have any, but they don't have kids, just dogs. They are far braver than I. And definitely less addicted to reading.









*note: we don't have internet but my parents do, so I'm using it as much as I can before I fly back to AK.


----------



## slsurface

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 








That's why I was thinking maybe a tent? Something that could be popped open, that would keep out the dog/sister, would at least cut out visual clutter? But then, dd2 is only 15mo and she hates being out of physical contact with me so unless I can fit in it too I don't know what we'll do.

I remember that you have a small house. Perhaps this will help&#8230;I made this (http://archymommy.blogspot.com/2008/...thank-you.html) tepee for ds to play in. I used the first link below as a general guideline for how to put it together, but I also added a floor to the tent. I made it so that it could be easily folded up and put away when he was not using it. I'm not sure if it would be big enough for both of you, but you could always enlarge it for your needs&#8230;the hardest part would be finding long enough dowel rods. Good luck!









Links:
http://ourhouse.ninemsn.com.au/ourho...aft/02/225.asp

http://www.hgtv.com/cr-kid-crafts/ch...pee/index.html

http://www.butterick.com/item/B4251.htm


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## wombatclay

Sweet! Thanks! And the box idea is good... totally forgot the wonderful world of appliance boxes.









Alaskaberry- thanks.







We like it, it just needs some work. And I'd lurve an addition. Or a big dormer so we could use more of the loft level. If the ceilings were higher we could turn it into two rooms and then the girls really would have a "space". We're getting bids on a new roof but probably couldn't afford dormers unless we did it ourselves... and diy dormers take a looooooong time with winter coming!


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## highlandmum

Hi all! I am going to bump this thread and sub to it








We have 4 ppl living in a 1300 sq ft house, so it definitely isn't as small as some house, but it feels little just b/c it is laid out so poorly. I can't wait to read through more of this thread, b/c we just made the decision to STAY here, in our lovely little house, and remodel it (over the years...not all right away) to make it more fitting for our family. We were thinking about having another baby and thus having to move, but we just thought--we could stay here and fix it up! Any thoughts on good books to look at for remodeling small houses? Thanks







:


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## highlandmum

Oh! and I wanted to just say that even though our current house is on the big end of small houses--we used to live in a 450 sq ft cabin







but that was just dh and i


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## ilovebabies

We live in an 1100 sq. foot home and we have our 5th child on the way. The layout of this house makes it feels smaller sometimes too. And with two teenagers who are as big as adults, it's like having 4 adults living here with the two little ones and I'm due in March.

But we do love our little home and plan to make it work. We've gotten sick of it several times and have wanted to move, but we always end up deciding to stay.

This winter we're going to look into making a bedroom in the basement for our oldest son. This will free up a room for us and we can do some rearanging before the baby comes.

I think the biggest advantage is having less to clean. It gets cluttered faster and we have to constantly be decluttering because it doesn't take much to make a small house look cluttered, but as far as cleaning, it's great!


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## ReadingMama

We are a family of four (my grandma lives with dh, ds and me) in a 1150 square foot house. Since so many of the people I know have huge houses, I went through a period of being embarrassed about our house. Then someone on this thread recommended painting and decorating my house to make it look nicer. We did and it's made a big difference. Now I like our small house! We painted some of the walls a light neutral green and some of them yellow. We have bright white trim and hard floors. We have a nature decorating theme. I'm not embarrassed about our small house anymore. (But I am embarrassed that I don't keep it clean or tidy enough...)









What are some of your best clutter-busting and organizing tips?


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## flowers

I need to post again b/c dh just informed me that our living space is actually less than 600 sq. ft. I inquired after seeing some ppl's numbers...I guess we really do live in a small house!









(We are a family of 4!)


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## thomlynn

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ilovebabies* 
We live in an 1100 sq. foot home and we have our 5th child on the way. The layout of this house makes it feels smaller sometimes too. And with two teenagers who are as big as adults, it's like having 4 adults living here with the two little ones and I'm due in March.

But we do love our little home and plan to make it work. We've gotten sick of it several times and have wanted to move, but we always end up deciding to stay.

This winter we're going to look into making a bedroom in the basement for our oldest son. This will free up a room for us and we can do some rearanging before the baby comes.

I think the biggest advantage is having less to clean. It gets cluttered faster and we have to constantly be decluttering because it doesn't take much to make a small house look cluttered, but as far as cleaning, it's great!









Thanks for sharing!!! We plan on having a large family as well and sometimes I wonder how it's going to work. IT CAN BE DONE!!!


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## oneKnight

I took pictures! so you can see my 560sq ft. house in all it's messy glory!


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## MamaRabbit

Wow, your 560 makes my 800 look huge







How many people live there?


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## oneKnight

Currently just me, DH, the dog and 2 cats. We've been TTC over a year, it's just not happening.
I really really really like everything being so close. DH would prefer a little more space, especially in the bathroom and I would really like a bathTUB, but those are the only real complaints.


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## sabrinat

I love this thread, I always find inspiration here. Looking around today, with the house needing to be tidied up, I'm feeling like it's a bit on the small side. But overall...lately I have been loving it. I've recently made curtains for the living room window (with thrifted fabric I might add







) and it really changed the look of the room. I also purchased a buffet and armoire (from CL & thrift store) for the living room for added storage. It's really helped with the visual clutter. I've also started rotating some toys. My next project is our MB, we co sleep and it ends up being the land where everything gets deposited. Keep all the ideas and inspiration coming. Loving the small house!!!


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## thomlynn

We're downsizing even more. There are currently four of us in 1200 sq ft, but we'll be moving in with my parents sometime soon. The four of us will be basicly living in one room (a 192 sqft closed in garage). Everything of ours excluding bathroom and kitchen stuff will be in this room. This is roughly the size of our current bedroom.

DH is looking at building a platform bed so there will be more room for storage underneath. We won't have a closet, but we have a couple ideas on how to hang clothes. http://www.instructables.com/id/Clothes-Hanger/

We've gotten rid of a lot of stuff, mostly extra toys and clothing that's just fluff.

It's going to be interesting to see how this all works itselt out!!!


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## starling&diesel

*thomlynn*...
Can I ask what's prompting such a radical further downsizing?
We're considering moving out of our 1000 house when the baby is born and moving into the suite above the garage, which is about 500 square feet.
Even that's daunting ... and we don't have a lot of stuff.
It'd be me and DP and the baby and two dogs and a cat ...


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## wombatclay

How high are your ceilings and how "climbable" are your little ones?

I saw a neat episode of Interior Motives (think that was the title... the "you can do it" guy?) where he turned a single small room into a "four room" apartment by building what was essentially a cube in the middle of the space. Each wall of the cube defined a certain "living zone" and the bed was inside the cube. In the show, it was just a platform bed with the four walls rising up to (almost) ceiling height and an opening in the "bedroom"/"dressing room" zone but I bet you could raise the bed within the cube and create storage underneath.

We are actually thinking about doing something similar and building the girls a "medium height" platform bed that would have a play space underneath as well as shelves for their clothes/toys/books... the back wall of the playspace would be the headboard of the queen sized family bed so we wouldn't really be expanding the "bed footprint".


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## melibee

We qualify as living in a small home; we have 650 sq feet for the five of us, and really, it's perfect for us!







We also have a yard, fwiw.


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## amis2girls

Question: what solution have you come up with for when one of your kids (or you, for that matter) would just like to be alone? Whenever one of my kids notices that someone is not in sight, off she goes to look for her. I swear my oldest happily goes to school just to get over having to share everything.









The backyard is bigger than the house, but I can't see kids happily playing outside when the wind chill is below freezing. I don't know how to fix this problem.


----------



## bigeyes

Quote:


Originally Posted by *amis2girls* 
Question: what solution have you come up with for when one of your kids (or you, for that matter) would just like to be alone? Whenever one of my kids notices that someone is not in sight, off she goes to look for her.


I never found a solution until mine hit the tweens and I became _oh so embarrassing._


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## wombatclay

I try to remind myself that some day there will not be intense interest in my every move (or bathroom visit). Some day I'll be embarassing, or at least boring!

Till then I'm curious about down time too. With the cold weather pushing us in (snow and sleet off and on since before halloween) I can see this winter is going to be more challenging than last (since both girls are bigger and have bigger space needs). DD1 still loves dd2 of course, but dd2 now "wants" whatever dd1 is holding/doing/looking at and I know this is getting on dd1's nerves. So I'm taking notes!


----------



## thomlynn

Quote:


Originally Posted by *starling&diesel* 
*thomlynn*...
Can I ask what's prompting such a radical further downsizing?
We're considering moving out of our 1000 house when the baby is born and moving into the suite above the garage, which is about 500 square feet.
Even that's daunting ... and we don't have a lot of stuff.
It'd be me and DP and the baby and two dogs and a cat ...

Couple reasons:
We want to be closer to family and we can't outright afford a house in the town they live.
My husband wants to go back to school in their town, and with working full time and going to school I would want their help with the girls. The job he really wants would be 7 days on and 7 days off 12 hour shifts. I would REALLY want my mom's help during the on weeks.
My dad had a stroke and is dealing with what I think is minor depression. I believe someone being at home with him during the day will help. Plus he LOVES my girls and I think playing with them will help him also. As of now he sits in front of the TV all day long and doesn't do much of anything.
B/c of the stroke my dad cannot work, they are having trouble paying their bills. They have filed for dissability but it's taking FOREVER. We would be able to help them, while saving money for our own house. In the situation we are in now, we are unable to help them at all. If we were to just get an apartment or rent a home near them we would not be able to help them financially nearly as much as we could if we lived there.

ETA: It wouldn't be permanent and the actual house size is probably a little over 1000sq ft. Our main area would just be that small. We would have their kitchens and bathrooms. Plus all my craft and sewing stuff would go into my mom's sewing room. We wouldn't need our TV b/c they have like four between the two of them. So our room would just have our bed, our clothing, most of dd's toys, our books and our computer. Their backyard is bigger than ours and we all live in Florida so we can be outside year around. Plus they live within walking distance to a park. So I imagine we'd be spending A LOT of time outside, hopefully bringing my dad along with us. We expect this to be very very hard but we feel it's what we should do both for them and for us.


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## aaronsmom

I think we'd fit into the _extremely_ small house category. We are a family of 4 living in a 400 sq ft 1 bedroom house (not apartment).
Some days I'm okay with it, others I feel like the walls are closing in on me.








After Christmas we'll be upsizing (we rent).


----------



## racheloperasinger

Hi everyone! I haven't posted in a while, but we are all settled into our 750-square-foot house! It is a 2 br/ 1 ba, and we have access to 1/2 of a one-car-garage. Not much garage space, but it sure makes a difference.

Since it's been so long since I've posted: DH, DD (2), and I purchased a granny unit house in conjunction with my parents, who bought the bigger, main house. We all purchased the property together (4 of us on the deed) and the homes are situated on 1/5 of an acre, on which we are trying to to grow as much food as possible, someday (a la the Dervaes family in Pasadena).

So we refloored with Ikea pergo (would have liked a natural substance but couldn't afford it right now) and painted in a pale lavender, almost white color that really brightened things up.

Here is what we LOVE about our new house: There are two bedrooms, even though they're little; the layout feels really open with little wasted space; the kitchen is surprisingly big; there is a little, tiny laundry room that serves as a catch-all storage closet as well. Also, we really love our paint and flooring choices.

One thing that has really made it look nice for us is having very little furniture in it. One year ago, we lived in a 2000-square-foot house! In the process, we got rid of most of our furniture, and a ton of other stuff. And we're not even done yet. We got rid of stuff we totally liked! But, we'd rather have the room than the stuff, ya know? I think people are surprised at how non-cramped it feels (dare I say "roomy"?) I have been to other people's smallish homes that are bigger than ours, but feel smaller because of a lot of furniture.

So glad you mommas are here to chat with! I will post pics soon!







:


----------



## William's Mom

I'd love to see your pictures! We also just put down pergo flooring and love it!


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## abharrington

ooo...pictures please!! i forget...what counts as a small house? we have 800 sq ft for me, dh, dd (22mo) and ds (1 mo). since the kids are still so little, it seems like plenty of room.


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## MPsSweetie

Bumping this... I love this thread!

We just made an offer on an even smaller house than we have now, and I need some inspiration! We are going from 1280 to 1000 sqft. But tripling the lot size, plus we will be in the trees!! We will still have 3 bed/2 bath, but a lot smaller living room and kitchen, which is where we spend most of our time.
I know we can do it and I am SO excited! I can't wait for closing!


----------



## momofmine

First of all,this thread is so inspiring! I have a question about seating. What do you have for seating in your living space or wherever you would be as a family or when people come over? Someone above mentioned having very little furniture makes the house feel large, and I think this is so true! I have two loveseat-sized sofas but they are very "chunky" and I hate them. I feel like they take up so much space and aren't really all that comfy anyway. Has anyone just gotten rid of all their upholstered furniture? I am thinking a few chairs would be much better. but what do you do when you want to sit on a sofa and read with the kids? Or when people come over? Just looking for alternatives without going out and buying new smaller-framed furniture.

Thanks!


----------



## SquishyBuggles

Subbing! I'll read through some of the thread later. We are a family of 4 renting a small house...I'm not sure of the sf. 3 br (technically 2, since the 3rd doesn't have a closet) 1 bathroom. NO storage space. We do have a nice big yard, though. I hope to get some inspiration from this thread! My husband just got an awesome new job so I think we will be looking to buy our first house in the near future.


----------



## radish

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MPsSweetie* 
We just made an offer on an even smaller house than we have now, and I need some inspiration! We are going from 1280 to 1000 sqft. But tripling the lot size, plus we will be in the trees!! We will still have 3 bed/2 bath, but a lot smaller living room and kitchen, which is where we spend most of our time.
I know we can do it and I am SO excited! I can't wait for closing!

congrats! last year we did the same thing









we love our tiny house. here are a few pix:
http://ecopixie.com/blog/?p=11

we went from a 1700sf 3BR 2.5bath to a 1500 3BR to 1000 2br 2bath.

couldnt be happier


----------



## AutumnMama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
congrats! last year we did the same thing









we love our tiny house. here are a few pix:
http://ecopixie.com/blog/?p=11

we went from a 1700sf 3BR 2.5bath to a 1500 3BR to 1000 2br 2bath.

couldnt be happier









Oh I LOVE your kitchen!

We have now 6 people in a 900-1k square foot house, and at the moment can only fit 3 of our 4 kids safely in the car, so the house is feeling a bit smaller than it usually does.
I need to majorly declutter and organize so it can be more relaxing in here.

Not sure how we're going to work thing when DS3 gets older, I just cannot envision all three boys fitting in that small bedroom and not killing each other!


----------



## MPsSweetie

We are thinking about buying a more modern couch, not quite so fluffy, because we do a lot of schoolwork there







so we still need one. We spend a lot of time on the floor, so we will not have an ottoman, just a nice rug.


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## ilovebabies

We're in an 1100 sq. foot house here! We're soon to be a family of 7 (baby #5 due in March). What makes it hard is not so much the size, but how the house is layed out. That makes all the difference!

I haven't read through the thread yet but I plan to. I do need ideas! We're working on de-cluttering before the baby comes and trying to do some re-organizing.


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## Devaskyla

4 soon to be 5 living in an apartment. I'm not sure exactly how much space we have, either 850sq ft or 950. No yard & it's really badly laid out. We don't have nearly enough storage space. At least once a month we complain that if they hadn't sealed the top of the kitchen cabinets we would have *way* more space to store stuff in the kitchen. Sadly, since we're renting there's nothing we can do about that or the rest of the wasted space here.

We'd really like to get into something a little bigger. Mostly wanting a second bathroom & a playroom/bedroom for the kids. And it would be sooo nice to be able to paint & have a yard. Actually, with some more storage space & a yard, we'd probably be ok with only 2 bedrooms still, at least until the kids are a bit older.


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## AngelBee

:


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## momofmine

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
congrats! last year we did the same thing









we love our tiny house. here are a few pix:
http://ecopixie.com/blog/?p=11

we went from a 1700sf 3BR 2.5bath to a 1500 3BR to 1000 2br 2bath.

couldnt be happier









Wow, that kitchen is a HUGE transformation! Did you just paint the cabinets white?


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## radish

thank you, we painted, added a new counter and sink and added a dishwasher.

still need:
new stove
new fridge
new floor
paint new cabinets
new lighting
pantry door

LOL


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## anniegirl

radish I love your kitchen too!!

racheloperasinger, do you have pictures to share yet? I would love to your house!

Every time I start to wish for more space in our little house (4 people, 650 sq ft), I remind myself that my neighbor two doors down is making it work in the exact same house but with 3 little boys instead of just two and a fourth on the way!







:

I really do love living in a small space. I am a student and I work from home and I do pine for my own workspace. I use the kitchen table currently, which works fine. And it's probably better that I'm forced to clean up my messes so we can eat.


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## MPsSweetie

I love hearing about all the small houses!
I was calculating the size of the house last night, and its not coming out to 1000 sqft! Maybe 850!







Okay, now I'm nervous. We are going to get a storage shed from Lowe's though, so at least that can hold some stuff, like Christmas and Halloween stuff. We love Halloween, lol. Plus, dh can set up a shop with all his tools and such, so that'll be out of the way.
I just know that we would like to TTC soon, and I don't want us to feel too cramped to just go for it, kwim? I am trying to keep my mind on the fact that we don't need all this *stuff* as long as we have a roof over our heads and each other.


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## UrbanSimplicity

I posted here before, we are 2 adults, 2 little ones in 500 sq feet. Just wanted to mention that Apartment Therapy is looking for submissions for great small spaces for their new book. Deadline is soon, I believe. The link is on the front page of their site.


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## orangefoot

Family of six in under 400sqft here again.

This week I have moved a chair our of our living room into the shed to make more room for the girls to play at their little table and keep their stuff out of the kitchen doorway. This has left us with only a 2 seater sofa for 6 of us so we are trying not to want to sit down all at once! Thank goodness we have a huge outdoor shed to keep things in. I got rid of an old bike with no saddle and a pushchair we haven't used for 4 years to make space for the chair.

Roll on summer! I need my garden back!


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## flowers

We actually just got rid of our one loveseat. We have a toy box/bench and a wooden bench that serves as the kitchen table seat/living room seat/play table/storage beneath.

We did get two really nice bean bag chairs for Christmas and they are everyone's favorite item right now! Kids use them for jumping/playing/snuggling, they are great for reading books and mom and dad use them for watching movies at night. We can also pick them up and stick them in a corner if needed. WAY better than a oversized loveseat that just took up room!


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## orangefoot

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momofmine* 
First of all,this thread is so inspiring! I have a question about seating. What do you have for seating in your living space or wherever you would be as a family or when people come over?

We have four Ikea folding chairs, the ones in bright colours. We use them with our dining table in the kitchen, for sitting at the computer and for sitting on when we have guests. The guests get the sofa and we get the chairs. When we aren't sitting on the chairs for one thing or another they fit in the otherwise useless space under the counter next to the washing machine in the kitchen.


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## flowers

When we have company we rearrange and pull the kitchen table chairs out. We also have two hassocks that serve as storage, the top flip overs to be an end table or they can be a seat. A lot of our friends have young kids so people are apt to just sit on the floor with their kids too.

I have to say though-we don't have the best space for entertaining. However, the almost non-existent mortgage is enough to make it up to me.


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## MamaRabbit

We have a small two-seater bofa that can fold back into a small 4.5 x 4.5 bed that DD will probably start using as a bed at night when she outgrows the toddler bunks. It's a slim sofa and takes up way less room than the loveseat with big arms we had before. Other than those seats, there are the kitchen chairs or the thick mats on the floor to sit on. When company comes I love sitting on the floor and tell them to go ahead and take the sofa. And for Asia, it's typical to sit on the floor anyway so it's no big deal, even for the non-Asians that come by.


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## wombatclay

furniture-

we have a small (two cushion) "leather" couch and two poang chairs from IKEA. There is an IKEA shoe rack that we use as a combo bench/toy storage/bookcase thing that adds a little extra seating. We don't have a seperate dining area but we have a folding table (just a plastic picnic table type thing) that we store behind the couch. At dinner we pull out the table, the girls sit on the bench, DH and I sit on little folding stools or the couch. Not fancy, but it works. For parties we add a table cloth and pull out a few more benches (the piano bence, a workbench from upstairs, etc).

We've been eyeing a fold-out sofa/bed thing at IKEA rcently since the couch is pretty beat up and we'd like to have a place for guests to sleep.


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## Juliacat

I've had it. I'm done. It's not a matter of having too much stuff, it's a matter of not being able to invite people over because there isn't enough room for them to be not knocking into each other or sitting in each other's laps.

So, we're looking at houses. The one we like best is around 1300 square feet, twice the size of ours. If that one doesn't work out I'd be willing to go as low as 750 square feet if it had an excellent layout, but 1000 or so would be nice. I guess we'll see.


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## sabrinat

I've posted on this thread many times...love it! This year, my plan is to do a total house redux. I'll get rid of some things, relocate others. Our house is not totally tiny (1600+ sf), but for 6 of us (3 bedrooms) it can seem small at times. There are things I wish I had considered when we got it...like we only have one eating area and it kind of does triple duty (dr/office/overflow craft) and it can get cluttered and cramped looking very easily. Overall though, I've spent the last year or so really trying to embrace it and love the space we're in. I love all the great ideas. My favorite source for furniture and decor lately is CL. Although I have small children, I still want some substantial pieces of furniture...but don't want to spend a ton, ykim.


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## momofmine

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
My favorite source for furniture and decor lately is CL. Although I have small children, I still want some substantial pieces of furniture...but don't want to spend a ton, ykim.

What's CL?


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momofmine* 
What's CL?

Sorry, Craigslist


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## momofmine

Aah okay! I missed that one! Thanks!


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## That Is Nice

sub


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## ParisApril

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MPsSweetie* 
Bumping this... I love this thread!

We just made an offer on an even smaller house than we have now, and I need some inspiration! We are going from 1280 to 1000 sqft. But tripling the lot size, plus we will be in the trees!! We will still have 3 bed/2 bath, but a lot smaller living room and kitchen, which is where we spend most of our time.
I know we can do it and I am SO excited! I can't wait for closing!

That sounds great! I'm excited for you!







:


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## ParisApril

Quote:


Originally Posted by *radish* 
congrats! last year we did the same thing









we love our tiny house. here are a few pix:
http://ecopixie.com/blog/?p=11

we went from a 1700sf 3BR 2.5bath to a 1500 3BR to 1000 2br 2bath.

couldnt be happier









It looks great!


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## daekini

Is 1350 sq ft considered small? My house feels right to me but is WAY smaller than nearly everyone I know. Our large yard makes a big difference and so does the excellent layout (though I'd like to close in our screened porch to make it an office, which would increase the sq ft to around 1500.








I likey this thread!

We are a family of 4 with 2 cats and a dog.


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## CrunchyDoula

I thought I'd finally jump in here and introduce myself! My family and I, DH, DD(2), DS(3 months), are currently living in a 1100 sq ft apartment, which feels huge because of the layout, plus it has a good sized garage for storage, but we will be downsizing here very shortly due to income. The places we are looking at are all about 850-900 sq ft. I am just so afraid to move into a place that seems so small. We don't have A LOT of stuff but we have enough. We will have to get rid of quite a bit. And I like to have my space and I feel like if we get into a smaller space I am going to have no where to go. I just have to keep in mind that before we lived here, we lived in a 970sq ft and 830 sq ft places and really that wasn't too bad. We had all the same furniture we have now, but we have acquired a ton of kid stuff.


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## Pinoikoi

subbing.. we have 5 bedrooms in less than 1200 sq feet..


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## momofmine

I'm looking for inspiration from all of you. I actually thought I had a small house, and I just looked up my house on our real estate assessor's webpage, and our livable sq ft is 1700! I guess my house feels small because of all teh stuff! My problem is that we have absolutely NO out of the way storage space. We don't have a garage, a basement, or an attic, so we "live with" all of our stuff. Sometimes I want to get rid of more stuff, but I have really pared down a lot. This is a bone of contention between my husband and I (the storage issue). I say we need a shed or something for out-of-the-way storage space, and he says we should be able to live with what we have and if we get more space we'll just fill it with more stuff.

My POV is that part of it is just the culture we live in, so while we don't have a lot of what other families might have in terms of stuff, we still have things like tents and sleeping bags for camping, bikes for the kids, and Christmas decorations. Where do you store this stuff? This is the kind of stuff that I feel like I can't/don't want to get rid of, because we do use it, just not all the time. I feel like I am just stuck in my thinking though, thinking in terms of lack instead of abundance. Does anyone have any wise words to help me with a perspective shift?

Thanks!


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## abharrington

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momofmine* 
First of all,this thread is so inspiring! I have a question about seating. What do you have for seating in your living space or wherever you would be as a family or when people come over? Someone above mentioned having very little furniture makes the house feel large, and I think this is so true! I have two loveseat-sized sofas but they are very "chunky" and I hate them. I feel like they take up so much space and aren't really all that comfy anyway. Has anyone just gotten rid of all their upholstered furniture? I am thinking a few chairs would be much better. but what do you do when you want to sit on a sofa and read with the kids? Or when people come over? Just looking for alternatives without going out and buying new smaller-framed furniture.

Thanks!

we have benches for our coffee table and end tables. when we have guests over we move them to the sides of the room for seating. it also opens up the middle of the room for floor space for the kids to play. i love them! my rule is everything that comes in our door has to do double duty of some kind


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## Pinoikoi

I have one beautiful red futon type couch (technically a click clack and clicks down into a full size bed for company).. I have a WHOLE BUNCH of wicker chairs that I spray painted a muted gold. They can be gussied up with beautiful cushions and throw pillows for company or stacked on/in each other to make the play area larger. I also have a small bench near the door that has a gold cushion that has a pull out storage area for shoes. This is in my living room.

I have a family room upstairs (the largest bedroom technically). It has a TV, toy box, another click clack couch (blue clicks into full size bed), and a black and silver one that clicks down into a twin. There are lots of blue/black/silver throw pillows in there that go with the star mirrors/actors on the wall.. (hollywood theme).


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## bohemama

Ok, so I got to about page 14 of this thread and then skipped ahead to now









We're living in a 1300sf home that we've been renting from my parents for the last 6 years. We just purchased our first home and it's 1326sf, and I can now say that layout makes all the difference in the world. While I don't think where we are living ATM is really all that small, it could be laid out so much better! Currently we have 2bd, 2ba, living room, small dining room (which I use as my office), eat in kitchen, and a laundry room. I've always disliked that the kitchen and living room are not connected somehow as I feel detached from the family when I'm in the kitchen cooking or whatnot.

Now, the new house only has 26sf more but the layout makes it feel huge. In the new house we'll have 3 (smallish) bedrooms, 1 bathroom, spacious eat in kitchen, family room, living room, and a laundry/mudroom, and I can see both the living and family rooms from the kitchen







:. The best part is the previous owners completely remodeled it in 2007. They weren't planning on leaving this house either, so they really put a lot of higher end finishes on the place like solid wood doors throughout! We can't wait to move in and finally have our small-ish home all to ourselves!

I've also found myself apologizing for the small size of our home and mentally kicking myself at the same time







I LOVE having a small house. They're just so cozy and waayy easier to keep clean. Also, it forces us to keep our belongings to a minimum which I love









As soon as we get the keys to our new place I'm posting pics! I've been dying to show off our little gem for a month now









oh yeah...I totally love that sheet tip and I can't wait to implement it in our new place


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## MamaRabbit

bohemama that sounds so exciting!!!! congrats on the new house


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## oddduck

Our house is 1156sq feet, but ~500sq feet of that involves nee walls so it feels smaller. We're a family of 3. We won't be living there too much longer though, as we've put an offer in on a bigger house sans nee walls! I'm so excited to not be bumping my head all the time (you think after 5.5 years I would have figured out where I can walk safely).


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## FireWithin

We live in a 670 sqft apartment, four people, storage in the garage. I love the size with little ones. I always have visual access. The only problem is family visiting from out of state.


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## chiromamma

We are a family of 5. We live in about 1400 square feet of livable space. We have a "single car" garage that we use for storage. However, much of that is clear right now. When we bought the house we definitely settled. We wanted to stay within the city limits to maintain our car-lite lifestyle. I always thought we'd pop the top and massively expand. Enter the recession, no big remodel and I am so glad. We use every inch of space. Each kid has their own room. We even have a home office. The teenagers' rooms are in the basement as is the TV room. 7 year old is upstairs near us. Our rooms are small. Closet space is limited. But it keeps us constantly downsizing. We don't have a guest room but we can always throw a blow up mattress on the floor of the TV or living room. Last summer we had a family of 7 stay with us. The parents bunked in my daughter's room and all the kids stayed in a tent in the back yard!
Our next door neighbors have a similar house. They use their camper as a guest suite!
We have zabutons for casual seating when guests come over. For hosting a group for a sit down dinner, I have a side board type thing that folds out to a table big enough for 8-10. That's in our living room. We don't have a dining room. We also try to invite guests over during the summer months when we can eat outside. However, I had 20 folks over for dinner the night before my daughter's Bat Mitzvah last month. We did it cocktail party style. It was great fun.


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## Juliacat

Well, here I am back again. We took our house off the market because we can't remotely afford to move when we're going to have another child to support. We will soon be 4, and 5 when my mother comes to stay, people living in 680 square feet. I'm going to rename our house The Clown Car.









That said, I do have some relatively low-cost ideas for how to improve the horrible living room....


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## mommajb

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juliacat* 
Well, here I am back again. We took our house off the market because we can't remotely afford to move when we're going to have another child to support. We will soon be 4, and 5 when my mother comes to stay, people living in 680 square feet. I'm going to rename our house The Clown Car.









That said, I do have some relatively low-cost ideas for how to improve the horrible living room....


When baby #5 was born I was so self conscious as we would all get out of the van. We had a friend along once and somebody actually asked me how many people I had in there.









As we all know there are good things about parenting wee ones in a small space. Quiet and privacy are not two that come to mind...


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## wombatclay

Juliacat- hugs to you! We're in a similar boat (clown boat?). Our house sits on a 24x22 foot slab foundation (and the second floor is a sleep loft so the ceiling isn't full height). There is just the two rooms... one down, one up... and baby number 3 is on the way!

We were given a gift from a relative to make a small addition but the process is really depressing. We actually had one contrcator visit yesterday and ask why we don't just "capitalize on what you have"... which turned out to mean "tear down this building and build a real house using the existing well/septic". Sigh. Apparently in his mind the only things we have worth keeping are a well and septic! All I want is a seperate space for the kiddos and enough room to bring the gorgeous dining table DH built into the house.

I got a copy of "Remodeling the Not So Big House" and hopefully that will give me some inspiration and encouragement! And maybe the next contractor will be a bit more in line with us.


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## ParisApril

I watched an interview about the economy and one thing they mentioned is that within the next 10 years small houses are going to become the place everyone wants to live. Say goodbye to flashy mcmansions. Small homes with small bills will be the new way everyone wants to live.

Well this is good news to those of us that are living in small houses. It means my property values will be less affected by all that is happening in the economy right now. Maybe being of Scottish lineage and very frugal will pay off in the end!









The timeline is right on. DH and I are about 5 years ahead of things usually.


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## wombatclay

An update... we saw another contractor over the weekend and he thought a small addition (perhaps a two story addition with a 12x12 foot footprint) was totally do-able and within our (very VERY small budget). He was ok with DH doing most of the work, including the initial excavation and ok with doing things as funding/material was available.

DH and I are meeting with a few more contractors but I'm feeling a bit better about this... and I am really enjoying the Not So Big book. A few of the houses are bigger than I'd imagine (one is 3000 sq ft!) but most are around 1000-1200 and while most of us in this thread have smaller homes than that, it's nice to see really spiffy "designer" spaces that are intended for real families with real budgets (I noticed a lot of IKEA in the book







) that are still "not so big".

We have a book called "Making Room" that is nice as well... not as family friendly in some places but lots of good ideas for arranging small spaces and finding functional spaces. One idea they mention a lot is "borrowing" just 5-6 inches of depth from a wall and putting in a floor to ceiling pantry wall. So either covered shelves running along a hallway, or building out a wall and putting in one of those sliding drawers (open on both sides?). We're planning on doing something like this to create kitchen storage space... we don't have halls or "extra" walls, but we're going to build out the back wall of the kitchen about a foot and have a pull out pantry. Eventually.










And of course the "Little House on a Small Planet" book is inspiring too though it's more of a "wow" and less of a "how" book.


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## MPsSweetie

How are all the small house dwellers doing? We moved in in March and we are good and settled now. We went from 1280 to 860 and let me tell you, I had a HARD time with it. I felt so crowded for the first month I was in tears almost everyday. But we made it! We had carpet installed and had to move everything in our house to our TINY living room and I got rid of almost half of what we had left, since we had already downsized. And I get rid of more everyday it seems.
BUT, we had a tiny dining table in our tiny kitchen and it just wasn't working. So we went shopping.... and fell in love with a locally handcrafted oak table that is BIG. It seats 8 and can be expanded for more. And we bought it. I love the table, not so much the stain, but we are going to refinish it. But it is so big! It is very comfortable to eat at, we have so much room. We do SO much stuff at the table, its our gathering place, homeschool, reading, talking, eating, playing games, legos.... But its so big! *sigh*
Maybe I'll post pics after I clean the house and you guys can tell me if its really just waaaaay too big.


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## HuntressMother

Our family lives in a small 3 bedroom 2 bath doublewide out in the country. We love it! My husband and myself along with DD (4) and DS (5 mons) and my brother-in-law...oh and our baby ball python







. Our house is pretty small. The kitchen is the smallest and it doubles as a washing room. Its pretty easy to clean, not to mention that we have a big yard! The kids and i love this. If the small house gets to be too cramped, i put DS in his sling and DD and i go into the yard and plant some flowers or work in our little veggie garden. We live back in the boonies so its quite and we dont have to worry about many disturbances.









Sometimes when i get angry with our small kitchen, bumping into everyone while trying to cook dinner, DH says: "Small home, close family." I love that.









~Much Love and Light~
Hannah








:







:







:





















:







:


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## momofmine

Wow, what an awesome husband!


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## Juliacat

Because this unplanned pregnancy is going to break us financially, we won't be moving for a long, long time. So I guess we'll be here for a long, long time. I'm trying, with a large amount of success, to be optimistic and not let it bother me. Being in debt is worse than having a small house to me, I keep reminding myself!


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## BarefootScientist

I just found this thread and read through ALL of it the last few days. It is very inspiring. So I am subscribing hoping to hear more.









I wouldn't call my house small currently. It is about 1500 sf. I actually think it is way too big and I am dying to downsize, which we may do within the next year or so. First we have to do some fixing up on our current house and get it ready to sell.


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## irishdancer

I love reading all of the creative ideas for small house living. We bought our 935 sq ft house 10 years ago when it was myself, DH and DS#1...now 2 more kids later we are still here. The house was built in 1941 and was a 2 bedroom, living/dining "great" room, kitchen and bath with a long one car garage off of the kitchen. The garage had been converted into an extra room when we bought it, and we eventually turned it into our bedroom. The oldest DS has his own room, and my DD and youngest DS share their room. Our bedroom is also the only way to get out of the house to the back yard, so lots of traffic through our room and lots of dirt tracked in







, but we do have a big back yard...complete with a garden, a new 1.5 car garage and a swing set for the kiddos. We also have a large front yard that needs to be gated so we can let the kids play out front and plant more garden. I go from hating the lack of privacy (I am very introverted and need my alone time) to really appreciating the low mortgage, the family time and the small amount of time it takes to clean







. We could go up, if the foundation would support it, or just keep it as is and be happy that we have a roof over our head! I am glad this thread is here and love looking at all of the pictures and getting inspired by all of the creativity. The original owner of my house raised 3 kids here and the owner that we bought it from, raised 2!! I don't think I could handle a huge house, I would be afraid that I would lose my kids LOL.


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## jtbuko

We (family of 4, plus cat and dog) share 1280 badly laid out square feet on a .04 acre lot with my small home based daycare (extra kid/s here 20+ hours per week). We have no garage, porch or basement, but do have some attic storage and an old shed.

After 3.5 years of selling and giving away and re-arranging things (and sometimes replacing with stuff better suited to our space) it is starting to feel not just big enough, but like a place with some breathing room and room to grow.

We managed 5 house guests very comfortably last month, and occasionally flirt with the idea of taking on a renter/ housemate, adding foster children into the mix, having another baby or getting a puppy (in no particular order).

Like some previous posters we just took the counter intuitive step of moving to a bigger kitchen table, and are excited about being able to eat around it with guests.

This thread it one of the only places I meet folks living in smaller homes than us, and I bet you all have wonderful ideas! I am off to hunt down the books recommended by previous posters.


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## marimara

Well, I've been a long time reader of this thread because we've been wanting to downsize for some time now. When our house sells, it is very likely we will be moving from 2000+ sq ft + 4/2, 2c garage, .25 ac in suburb hell>>>to a 3/2, 2 cg, .50 acres (garden yay!!)+ but a tiny 1200 sq ft in an small neighborhood in the country (Oh but the best part is this smaller house is BRAND NEW with a 5 year builder's warranty and it will paid for in cash!! no debt at all!)). We're going to have to get rid of a lot of stuff!


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## farmkids42morrow

Wow! This is the exact thread I've been looking for - I'm so excited!









We are a family of 6 (hubby and me, kids ages 12, 8, 5, & 2) and we live in 480 sq. ft. - 240 main living area, 240 play area + storage. We also have 12 acres of outdoor play area









Everyone thinks we're crazy for choosing to live in such a small home. Lots of people wondered when we first moved if we were destitute or something!







But we learned the hard way that things are not what makes for a happy life. We down sized progressively, making 2 moves to gradually get to where we are now. We've been in our current home 3 years now and still love it.









Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting good ideas for organization and seeing what is working for everyone else.


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## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *farmkids42morrow* 

We are a family of 6 (hubby and me, kids ages 12, 8, 5, & 2) and we live in 480 sq. ft. - 240 main living area, 240 play area + storage. We also have 12 acres of outdoor play area.


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## nerdymom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *farmkids42morrow* 
Wow! This is the exact thread I've been looking for - I'm so excited!









We are a family of 6 (hubby and me, kids ages 12, 8, 5, & 2) and we live in 480 sq. ft. - 240 main living area, 240 play area + storage. We also have 12 acres of outdoor play area









Everyone thinks we're crazy for choosing to live in such a small home. Lots of people wondered when we first moved if we were destitute or something!







But we learned the hard way that things are not what makes for a happy life. We down sized progressively, making 2 moves to gradually get to where we are now. We've been in our current home 3 years now and still love it.









Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting good ideas for organization and seeing what is working for everyone else.

Mama you impress me. I'd love to see pics if you feel like sharing?







We have a good-sized apartment (about 900sq ft) for the three of us. Before that we were sharing 1200 with four other adults. I was pretty tired of having all thee of us crammed into our bedroom all day/night long. So we finally moved, yay!







I am trying to make our place as efficient as possible, so I'm subbing to get ideas. You ladies are inspiring to me!


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## lexbeach

Quote:


Originally Posted by *farmkids42morrow* 
Wow! This is the exact thread I've been looking for - I'm so excited!









We are a family of 6 (hubby and me, kids ages 12, 8, 5, & 2) and we live in 480 sq. ft. - 240 main living area, 240 play area + storage. We also have 12 acres of outdoor play area









Everyone thinks we're crazy for choosing to live in such a small home. Lots of people wondered when we first moved if we were destitute or something!







But we learned the hard way that things are not what makes for a happy life. We down sized progressively, making 2 moves to gradually get to where we are now. We've been in our current home 3 years now and still love it.









Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting good ideas for organization and seeing what is working for everyone else.

WOW! I would love to know more about your sleep set-up. Do you just have one giant bed in the main living area? We cosleep with our 3 (soon-to-be 4) kids, but even still our bed alone takes up a good amount of space. What is the lay-out of your house?

We're thinking about building a house sometime soon, and I think we could maybe afford to build something in the 800-1000 SF range, so it's very inspiring to know that you have as many kids as we will and are doing it in half that much space!

Lex


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## fruitfulmomma

Quote:

We are a family of 6 (hubby and me, kids ages 12, 8, 5, & 2) and we live in 480 sq. ft. - 240 main living area, 240 play area + storage. We also have 12 acres of outdoor play area








I'd love to see pics of how you make that work.

We are in about 850 sq. ft. with 2 adults and 5 kids.


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## sabrinat

giving this thread a bump. I've been working on my sewing stuff and doing a bit of painting. It's funny how a color change can revitalize a room so inexpensively.


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## ian'smommaya

joining you all. we are a family of three, plus two dogs, two guinnea pigs, two fish in a 1000 sq foot house. soon to be moivng into a smaller house. weve been de cluttering for three years full stop. and a couple of years before that little bits at a time.

its going really well, now i am at the point of having to make some painful choices about what to keep and what to let go.


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## bezark

Ooh, can I play?
I live with DH, DS and one dog in about 550 square feet. I LOVE our house.
I wish we had a basement for seasonal storage, etc, and our closets are not what I'd prefer, but we do have a little bit of attic space.
The layout is very open, so I can see DS from any given point in the house if I just poke my head around a corner.

We moved here from a much larger 1br apartment, but we just weren't happy there, and if we were being honest with ourselves, we didn't need all the space. It only encouraged us (..me) to hang on to a lot of unnecessary crap.

These pictures are a little out-dated, but this is how we make it work:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/005-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/007-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/010-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/009-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/002-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...esweet/001.jpg
(DS' room does not look like this anymore, I promise!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/003-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...esweet/004.jpg


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## momofmine

Wow, your house actually seems bigger than that! It just looks so open and inviting. Thanks for sharing pics. I do not have a small house but I have absolutely ZERO storage space, no attic, basement, etc, old house with small closets. So I love seeing pics because it helps me shift my perspective that plenty of people are living life joyfully in smaller spaces.


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## Juliacat

Bezark, I love it!!! Our house is bigger than yours, but without those open spaces. I love your living room in particular--I could be much happier in a smaller space if I felt like people could come and spend time here and not be squished. The layout of my house would work fine if the house were just a little bit wider, but it's not, and I think my square footage is less the problem than the size and shape of the rooms.


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## jtbuko

Bezark - thanks for sharing pics!


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## HeatherAtHome

I spent the past week reading over this *whole* thread. I am blown away with all the ideas and inspiration on here.







I had a moment of keeping up with the Jones' but I think it passed... thanks!

DH and I are thinking of putting an offer on a house. It's a 1.5 story, 3 bed/1bath with "1250" sq ft. Or so I thought. After adding up the room measurements, it's more like 844! But, from what I can tell, it has a nice layout with an open kitchen/DR/LR. From the front door, you *can't* see the kitchen (no visitors seeing dirty dishes, woot! bonus points!)

The bathroom is on the first floor and tiny. The bedroom on the 1st floor is 9x12' (would turn it into a playroom to keep some of the toy clutter out of main living space). It also helps expand the living area. On the 2nd floor, there are 2 big bedrooms that measure 8.5 by 23.5'. Someday, we would possibly divide both of them in half to make 3 bedrooms and another bathroom. 2nd floor also has a big storage closet measuring 3x8'? Good sized.

Plenty of closets throughout, the basement has the water heater etc, washer and dryer, freezer, workbench, food storage. It's one big open room partially divided in half by the stairs. There's also a sun room/porch at the back of the house (8.5x15), a two car garage and almost half an acre of semi private land on the end of town.









I really love this house!







We're looking into some things (septic, well etc) and if all looks good, we might put an offer in!







:


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## sabrinat

I just love this thread. It's helped me some much to read it when I start to feel a bit closed in. It's really helped me to embrace and love our space, small though it is.


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## vermontmomma

hi, been meaning to hop in for a bit. we're in a singlewide







with 2 adults, baby, huge dog (really big), and two indoor only cats. we only have 2 bedrooms, one an ok size, the other miniscule-but dd cosleeps anyway now. the "3rd" bedroom has no heat and is therefore unusable so it has become a studio. we only got this place for the land really, future plan is a small cabin probibly not much bigger then this thing but set up better to meet our needs.
we would love to have more kids after it's possible to have a hbac but don't know where will put them!
how do you fill your tiny homes with kids? dd's never slept in crib converts to a toddler bed but her room wont fit any other beds or bunks. we'll have to cosleep #2 when they happen then start the cabin right away while living in a tent for the summer.


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## earthgirl

I don't check in here very often, but we are about to move and I'm feeling a little nervous about the spatial issues. We are technically going into a bigger space, but the living room is really tiny. I think it measures 20' x 11', which I realize doesn't sound small, but there is only one "true" wall. The other has doors that open to the patio, and the other has the door to the basement and the stairway. And where there would normally be another wall is just open space into the kitchen/dining area. Anyway, we want to get new furniture when we move, but what's reasonable? Anyone have any pics to share? Any tips on how to make it work in a small living room? TIA.


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## frontstreetmama

earthgirl -- I hear you... the house I am in now has that same problem, the living room would be an okay size *if* every wall wasn't interrupted... one has the fireplace and two big windows, one has the door to the master bedroom, one has the front entrance to outside and a closet and one has a large opening to the dining room. my 'solution' was to turn it into a mostly open space, books and toys along the walls and some soft kids furniture ... however, without any furniture I never entertain!

I've posted on here before -- me and 3 dds in 780 sq. ft. HOWEVER, since early spring, we've been closed off to the master bedroom which was the biggest room in the house 12x20 and the 4 of us have been sharing one bedroom... it's too cramped....

I just put an offer in on a duplex 2.5 hours a way that is 1500 sq. ft. but only about 1/2 + a little bit would be our living space on the main floor and the rest of the square footage would be upstairs which will be rented out... what I love about it is that there is a newly renovated bathroom with a brand new tub!!! my current tub is super-shallow! a giant, eat-in kitchen, unfortunately also where the entrance is which sucks for unexpected guests and a sinkful of dishes as another poster mentioned! but right now, we are limited to about 6 people at a time for meals and we are already 4!!

the master bedroom is a huge room in sort of two parts so I'm thinking one part will hold two sets of bunks for the girls and the other area will be a good-sized playroom... there's a nook off the living room for a desk area for the girls' computer and to do homework...

and, this is my (I think!) brilliant idea -- instead of having the girls keep their clothes in their bedroom which always seems to be a big contributing factor to mess/clutter, I was thinking of having each of them built an area in the laundry room with drawers and a rod to hang things on so when they get dressed or put their pjs on, their dirty stuff is *already* in the laundry room AND when I'm done the laundry, I can put it away just by turning around!!

thoughts?


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## Pinoikoi

Quote:


Originally Posted by *frontstreetmama* 

and, this is my (I think!) brilliant idea -- instead of having the girls keep their clothes in their bedroom which always seems to be a big contributing factor to mess/clutter, I was thinking of having each of them built an area in the laundry room with drawers and a rod to hang things on so when they get dressed or put their pjs on, their dirty stuff is *already* in the laundry room AND when I'm done the laundry, I can put it away just by turning around!!

thoughts?

My neice's house has small bedrooms, so she uses the smallest bedroom as a dressing room. It has two long rods like you would find in a dept store.. It seems to work fine for them.


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## mommajb

I think the family closet is a great idea. Now to convince my family that the family closet is not the only 'public' room in our home.


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## wombatclay

We're actually putting an addition on our house... it'll still be a small house (the addition is 12 feet by 26 feet, single story) but the layout will be a lot better. We've been in this house almost a year and a half and we know exactly what needs to be changed around to create a more useable space.









And the addition is necessary since we were informed a few months ago that when the hosue was built in the 1990s the builders didn't do it legally. As in, they submitted plans and got permits for a "house with detached garage" and then they only built the garage (and never had that garage inspected, never got a certificat of occupancy, etc). Somehow this was overlooked, the house went on the tax rolls, when we bought it the bank/insurance company/lawyers missed it. But then a new code guy took over and *whammo*! Turns out we have to put an addition on the structure and get a bunch of inspections in order to make it a legal habitation. We'd planned a small addition anyway, but I swear I kept looking for the candid camera truck since there was no way this sort of thing really happened!









I'm also curious how people lay out their space. Right now our home is an open sleep loft and an open ground floor (curtained bathroom alcove on the ground floor) and there is no room for a table/chairs... and while I'm not really looking for a formal dining room type deal it would be nice if the girls got used to actually eating at a table! For a while we had little Japanese style tables and we'd sit on the floor to eat, but it became a bit too much to do for every meal. And given that babe 3 is due in just a week or two getting up and down if hard on me...


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## Juliacat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *earthgirl* 
We are technically going into a bigger space, but the living room is really tiny. TIA.

Our living room is 8x12 with the front door in one short wall, the bedroom door in one long wall, the dining room doorway in the other short wall and a big window on the other long wall. We have the sofa under the window and the TV facing it, with the stereo next to the TV. There's a bookcase in the corner. That's all there's room for. I don't like it, but what can you do? I'm not willing to give up having a sofa big enough for a grown man to take a nap on.


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## wombatclay

I've seen some neat ceiling mounted options... for example, putting track on the ceilings so that a tv can be hung from the ceiling and "moved" into place for different viewing options, book cases that swivel (so they can be double sided with just one side facing into the room, or be oriented out into the room to create temporary "private space"), tables and seats that fold down from the wall.

And then there is the floor to ceiling shelving approach... I saw a picture in one book where basically the sofa was framed by book cases. The shelves were floor to ceiling surrounding the sofa, the shelves at the correct height acted as side tables for the couch, and other than a bit of space above the couch for a painting and to prevent head bumping, everything else was covered in shelves (they wrapped around windows, door frames, etc).

Another approach to this is to cover a wall with strips of wood into which floating shelves can be wedged (there is an IKEA headboard that uses this principle, and I think I once heard this sort of shelving described as "spirit shelves"?). That way the wall isn't built out, the shelves can be any length/depth, and the shelves can be moved quickly and easily. We used this in our last home in the stairwell.

But our main living area is also really short on wall space. We have really high ceilings though and an exposed foundation lip (so there is already a 4 inch deep "ledge" around the bottom of the wall)... I haven't done it yet but one option we've considered is building that sort of floor to ceiling shelving to cover the foundation lip while providing display space/storage space/concealed fold out table or seating options.


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## earthgirl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juliacat* 
I'm not willing to give up having a sofa big enough for a grown man to take a nap on.

This is kind of how I feel. We've always had really crappy and uncomfortable furniture and I would really like a comfy sofa even if it does take up so much room.

Thanks for the ideas, y'all. Maybe we can invest in good shelving or something, too, wombatclay.


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## Juliacat

6 adults can now sit and talk! In an 8x12 space that also holds at least some media equipment!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t=100_3516.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t=100_3517.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t=100_3518.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t=100_3519.jpg


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## wombatclay

Sweet!

And we just got the foundation for our addition finished yesterday! A few days of curing and we can start framing the walls. The addition ended up being 12 feet by 22 feet but it's going to be a HUGE improvement in terms of organizing the house to make it more functional. And when your home's existing footprint is 22x20 to begin with... well, it's a "big" addition.









Of course, babe number three is due any day (technically, he's a bit past his due date) so it's not likely we'll get much building done this week but you never know.


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## MPsSweetie

How exciting! I can't wait to add on to our little house. As soon as we sell our other house we are adding a great room off the front, stepped down a few feet, with a huge wall of windows looking out. It will be 16x26ft or so, and will house our new living room on one side of the stairs leading down, and a small office, reading nook, homeschool supply area on the other. We also plan to build in as much storage under our house at the same time, but accessible from the addition, using cabinet doors. Hopefully that will be 4-6ft deep!! Our current living room/kitchen/dining area (11x24) will become the kitchen with an ISLAND!! and a dining room, looking down over the great room.
We are in the process of building on an small entryway/mudroom that will be where our new great dane will sleep during the winter, and a closet area where we hope to put our deep freezer, shelving, winter coats, outside stuff, etc.
This will make our house about 1350sqft (from 860sqft), which we think is perfect. Our bedrooms will still be small, but we spend almost all our time together in the living areas anyway.

I CANNOT wait!!


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## sabrinat

My latest project is to work on our outdoor space. We have a really nice covered patio that we are just not using. It needs some tlc. I'd love to hear suggestion for really doing up the outdoor space on a budget. I'm open to anything. I did get to 2 chairs the other day that one of my neighbors had on the curb. I'd love for it to extend the living area. It's a challenge because it is hot here much of the year and of course the bugs.


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## littleplum

:


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## TopHat

Hey all. We just bought a new bookcase and rearranged our studio apartment.

You can find pics (minus the bathroom) here http://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...Studio%20pics/

We also remeasured how much space we have. It's 495 sq feet.


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## Pinoikoi

Tophat! What a cute baby! Are those cloth diapers I spy in the colored bins? Also, the big white doors in the kitchen- are they the front doors or a pantry, closet? I like the arrangement!


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## TopHat

Thanks! We like to think she's cute, too. And yes those are cloth diapers in the bins. The doors in the kitchen are pantry doors. We are very lucky that we have so much counter and cabinet space and nice closets.
You can see the front door in the pic labeled, "from the kitchen."


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## HeatherAtHome

I'm so excited! I think I really, really will join this "club" soon.







: I feel like we're going to buy a house a_t any moment_. Made a bunch of phone calls this morning and just waiting for DH to wake up. (He works evenings/sleeps mornings & early aft)

The house we looked at must be under 1000 sq ft but feels ginormous! DH and I haven't had so much space since... ever! I've been living with my parents over a year now and he's renting a basement room/bachelor so that we could save some money and we've _finally reached our goal_.









I'll be posting plenty of pics eventually and we'll have plenty of reno projects. It's a cute country cottage/rambling farmhouse with the main part being 100 years old.


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## littleplum

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
My latest project is to work on our outdoor space. We have a really nice covered patio that we are just not using. It needs some tlc. I'd love to hear suggestion for really doing up the outdoor space on a budget. I'm open to anything. I did get to 2 chairs the other day that one of my neighbors had on the curb. I'd love for it to extend the living area. It's a challenge because it is hot here much of the year and of course the bugs.

Do you have a handy hubby? Adding an outdoor ceiling fan (or two if it's a large space) would help with the heat a lot. It always feels cooler outdoors or in a room when the air is moving a bit.

Our neighbors have a carport attached to their garage and they have a picnic table set up out there, under a ceiling fan. I see them eating dinner outside a lot in the summer.

Outdoor living rooms are nice because you don't have to sweep and mop them. Just hose them off.


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## wombatclay

Heather- congrats and good luck!

TopHat- very neat, and can I say "wow" to how organized you are?









Sabrinat- do you need to work in privacy, or is the patio already pretty private? Our last house had a really nice little outside space but the neighbors looked right down on it. So I found some indoor/outdoor bamboo blinds (the "matchstick style") at Big Lots (I've seen them at IKEA and other discount places, and if you're willing to use the plastic versions the cost is usually under 20 dollars for the huge ones) and hung the blinds as movable screens. It made for a really neat look and gave us enough privacy to feel comfortable hanging out.

Since you already have a roof, the ceiling fans are a great idea. Or perhaps hang mosquito netting or screen from the ceiling down onto the ground and set up a standing fan. Or use canvas in the corners and go for a sort of British colonial look with the corners all swagged in the canvas (use painter drop clothes for cheap, nubby, weatherproof canvas) and netting between the corners keeping out the bugs. A perfect setting for tea or dinner!

Oh, one hot weather trick I saw was to poke little holes in a garden hose, attach the hose to the edge of the roof, and then run water through the hose to create a sort of mist. It drops the temp a surprising amount and feels wonderful on a super hot day but it does waste water (even with a recycler on the system) and it's not something you'd want running all the time. (there's a big camping event my family tries to attend every year and there are "mist tents" set up using these hoses all over to help people stay cool and hydrated.)


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## TopHat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 

TopHat- very neat, and can I say "wow" to how organized you are?









Well, of course it was clean for the pictures! It's so not clean right now. I really have a hard time with keeping up with our dishes since we have to handwash them all. I've found that organizing books by color makes it look more organized- you can see that in the bookcase picture. And using baskets helps. Inside the baskets, it's a total mess, but from the outside it looks organized. I went to a thrift store and got some baskets for really cheap (50 cents to a dollar depending on the basket).


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## wombatclay

I do something similar to the baskets... but I often use those paper "gift bags". They're light enough that they can hang on the walls (in grad school I made big "murals" out of different colored bags), they come in all sorts of colors/pictures/sizes, and our local dollar store sells them 3 for a dollar.







But it drives DH crazy since I'll do a quick sweep of a room and all of a sudden he can't find his "whatever it may be" since he doesn't know which bag it was put into.


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## YummyYarnAddict

I'd love to join in! I'm moving into an 850ish sft duplex with my two kids. It's a 2br/1.5ba that actually has a good layout with the 2 bedrooms and 1 full bathroom upstairs and the living room, kitchen and .5 bathroom downstairs and a basement. We're moving ... tomorrow! It's a huge downsize for me (from ~1800sft) so I have tons of stuff in storage and need to sort through and toss, toss, toss and have a huge yard sale and give away a bunch of stuff. However, the price is right and I know I don't NEED lots of inside space and this place has a large shared front and back yard. Once we're all moved, I'm going to have to do some painting (it's a huge priority) and figure out some other logistics.


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## Juliacat

Nice pics, TopHat! Very clever arrangement of space.


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## momofmine

I also want to make more use out of outdoor living spaces. We have a really nice outdoor space, but it just looks kind of dumpy and we don't really USE it like I imagine we could.

We have a nice big deck, but it is long past the point of needing to be "sealed". The boards are kind of splintery in places and I'm always telling the kids to put on shoes on before they go outside. Is our only option to tear the thing off and build a new deck? Also, the deck is not covered, so I don't know what to put out there in terms of furniture and tables. Even when you put weatherproof stuff out there, like the plastic chairs, when it rains, the rain settles in the seat, and they just get so dirty that you have to wipe everything off before anyone can sit down out there.

Would there be a simple easy way to put a roof out there I wonder? We've got the mosquito issue too, especially this month, they are insane. You hardly want to be outside at all right now.

We also have what I think could be a really nice space a little further out in our yard from the deck, it's a stone patio area, with just a collection of differently shaped flat rocks, but again, I don't know what type of stuff to put out there because it is always exposed.

What kind of furniture and other stuff would you put out for a space that is exposed to the weather all the time? We have all 4 seasons, rain, snow, etc. The patio area would not be able to be covered, unless you put a freestanding tent of some sort, but somehow I think that would take away from the open feeling to it, because it is kind of in between two small buildings.


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## momofmine

Also, I want to use the outdoor space more for stuff like art, etc, so would you put some kind of weatherproof storage out there for that sort of thing? I had one of those plastic easels out there for a long time. I loved the idea of the kids painting and drawing outside, but again, because it isn't covered at all, it just got really dirty, and the holders at the bottoms (the wells that hold the paint, etc) would just fill with rain, etc). SO if they wanted to use it, it was a big ordeal to clean it up first.

Maybe I want things to be too easy! Maybe I need to change my perspective a bit and just incorporate cleaning up those things outside into my weekly cleaning routine. (or at least my imaginary weekly cleaning routine







)


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
Sabrinat- do you need to work in privacy, or is the patio already pretty private? Our last house had a really nice little outside space but the neighbors looked right down on it. So I found some indoor/outdoor bamboo blinds (the "matchstick style") at Big Lots (I've seen them at IKEA and other discount places, and if you're willing to use the plastic versions the cost is usually under 20 dollars for the huge ones) and hung the blinds as movable screens. It made for a really neat look and gave us enough privacy to feel comfortable hanging out.

Since you already have a roof, the ceiling fans are a great idea. Or perhaps hang mosquito netting or screen from the ceiling down onto the ground and set up a standing fan. Or use canvas in the corners and go for a sort of British colonial look with the corners all swagged in the canvas (use painter drop clothes for cheap, nubby, weatherproof canvas) and netting between the corners keeping out the bugs. A perfect setting for tea or dinner!

Oh, one hot weather trick I saw was to poke little holes in a garden hose, attach the hose to the edge of the roof, and then run water through the hose to create a sort of mist. It drops the temp a surprising amount and feels wonderful on a super hot day but it does waste water (even with a recycler on the system) and it's not something you'd want running all the time. (there's a big camping event my family tries to attend every year and there are "mist tents" set up using these hoses all over to help people stay cool and hydrated.)


Awesome! Awesome ideas! I'm going to head to big lots and this other place called Ollie's to see what I can find.


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## wombatclay

Deck past it's prime- well, before ripping out and starting over, can you try sanding it? Home Depot and Lowes often rent those big floor sanders and for a deck you certainly don't need to be an "expert" (floor sanders can cause uneven sanding if you don't do it right, but on a deck this wouldn't be as much of an issue as it would in a living room). Or a small deck you could even do with a hand belt sander (though it would take some time and not exactly fall into the "fun" category for me). You could also just do the edges and cover the center with an outdoor rug or other covering, or cover the whole thing with something more foot friendly (you know those bamboo blinds I mentioned? I put an extra down next to the girl's outdoor gravel/sand pit as a sort of ground cover... some plants have grown through it, but it's a nice compromise between hardscape and nothing).

Sun and bugs- well, there's the classic deck set with an umbrella. Or there are sun sails (fabric triangles that attach to the house and a freestanding pole) which you can buy or make. If you have the wood and craftiness you could build an arbor (attached to the house or free standing) and plant climbing vines on it or drape fabric through it to create shade and interest/privacy. If you have more money than time though you can go to a garden supply store, HD or Lowes, or even Big Lots and find those freestanding plant arbors (some are flat, traditionally put against the wall of a house for plants to climb, and some are actual arched arbors that are only a few feet "deep" designed to be an entrance to a garden or to cover a bench). You could line one or more sides of the deck with these and use them to anchor a ceiling of fabric, or to create privacy walls, or mark out space without affecting the open feel too much.

And carbon dioxide traps are pretty effective at bug trapping without being messy/dangerous to kiddos and pets.

furniture- do you have a hand drill? Or a hammer/nail? Poke holes through the seat of the chair or wherever the water gathers and the rain should just drain right through. My MIL stores cushions and other things that might stay squishy or get funky when wet in a tupperware type box under the patio table as well and then tosses the cushions onto chairs as necessary.

Crafts- we dug a hole, lined it with landscape fabric, edged it with split logs from a tree we took down, and filled it with sand and gravel. The girls love digging in it, the rain drains out quickly, and the bugs don't come up through the fabric. Plus the gravel discourages cats from making it their litter box.







They also have a water play table. I don't really clean out the water table much... if I notice it's getting really nasty I may dump it, spray it with a little bleach water, or just leave it turned to the sun for sun bleaching. If it rains I sort of feel like it's a bonus since it fills on it's own! For actual "messy art play" maybe a few flowerpots (they drain on their own) to hold supplies and a few of the bigger flowerpots turned over to make fun kid sized seats? I guess it depends on what sort of art they like to do. Maybe water sensitive items could be kept inside by the door or in a waterproof tub by the play area?


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## rightkindofme

Phew.







That took me a week to read. I read it in between going through my small house getting rid of stuff.







I would say that y'all inspired me but I think it was incidental.

We have a little over 900 sq ft, I forget exactly how much. We have three bedrooms but one of them is pretty small. One bath and the bathroom is so small it makes me fussy. I hate that everyone has to follow me in there. I suppose I should be grateful because it is bigger than several of the bathrooms I've had in the past. At least I have a tub.







: My kitchen could be remodeled to be decent but right now there isn't a huge amount of storage.

Right now I am going through everything because we are going to turn our two car garage into a playroom!







: By we I mean a buddy of mine is going to come help me do the manual labor. I married a computer geek. He is the opposite of handy. I read about some of your husbands doing big house projects and I feel a great deal of envy. If something is going to get done in our house I have to do it. However this project has meant that I have had to go through all of the [email protected] we stored in the garage. It's been a huge pain in the butt. Luckily we still have a storage shed in the backyard. It is now quite full.

When I finish cleaning up I'll put up pictures. I'm pretty happy with the way the inside of the house is turning out.







Of course I'm not putting up work in progress--I'm not going to admit how bad it gets.


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## momofmine

wombatclay,
THANK YOU so much for all those great ideas! This kind of stuff just does not come naturally to me. I am not a designer. Thanks for the great suggestions!


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## Stephenie

I'm very happy I found this thread!







: There are some really awesome posts here with great info and pics!

We recently moved into a small (750ish sf) duplex. Me, ds,dd,dh and two dogs. It's 2br 1ba. It's little, but laid out fairly well. Worst of it is the kitchen. We're still decluttering from our house... it was 1700 sf. We're doing really well, however and are down to one big closet full of boxes- the rest of the house is clutter free for the most part. Organised, no. Cute and homey, no. Clutter free though.









We're currently working on ways to decorate that are not only clutter friendly but toddler friendly. It's not easy, but we're having fun.


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## PNWmama

Subbing to read later







. We are putting an offer on a 1000 sq ft. 3 bed house tomorrow







:! It is our first home and we are so excited! We currently rent a 2 bed duplex that is also around 1000 sq ft, maybe a little smaller. The only thing is that our current place has a garage and the place we our putting an offer on does not. We use the garage as storage, so we've got a lot of stuff to go through and get rid of. Frankly I've been wanting to do that for a long time anyway, but now I must.


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## samstress

we used to live in an apartment that was actually bigger than the house we're in now, but it's a HOUSE! with a yard that my daughter can play in. not to mention we're no longer sharing walls. doesn't get any better than that.


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## bezark

Quote:


Originally Posted by *samstress* 
we used to live in an apartment that was actually bigger than the house we're in now, but it's a HOUSE! with a yard that my daughter can play in. not to mention we're no longer sharing walls. doesn't get any better than that.

Us, too. Our apartment, while technically only 1 bedroom, was huge. Our old living room was bigger than our current kitchen and living room _combined,_ and we had a SPARE living room, half bath and craft studio in the finished basement.
Even with all of that, we're still much, much happier in our new house. We have a yard that we don't have to share, we don't hear/smell our neighbors, we have a lot less junk lying around, and it's easier to clean.
For reference, we went from this (as far as living room space goes):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/026-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/027-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/013-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/014-2.jpg

To this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/005-6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/007-5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/010-2.jpg


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bezark* 
Us, too. Our apartment, while technically only 1 bedroom, was huge. Our old living room was bigger than our current kitchen and living room _combined,_ and we had a SPARE living room, half bath and craft studio in the finished basement.
Even with all of that, we're still much, much happier in our new house. We have a yard that we don't have to share, we don't hear/smell our neighbors, we have a lot less junk lying around, and it's easier to clean.
For reference, we went from this (as far as living room space goes):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/026-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/027-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/013-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/014-2.jpg

To this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/005-6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/007-5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...weet/010-2.jpg

I really dig your lamps. Way cool.


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## isign

Joining in on this thread. We have 1100sq ft, plus a garage that is also my laundry area. There are 4 of us, plus a 60 lb dog. I'm trying so hard to declutter and make storage work for us.


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## HeatherAtHome

Woohoo! We're buying a small house! A cute, cozy, country cottage.







Three bedrooms, one bathroom. According to my rough calculations, it's possibly 950sq ft. We have just over a 1/3 acre surrounded by woods and hay fields. Plenty of room for chickens and a big garden.







5-8 minutes from DH's work/our little town. 15 minutes to our little city/shopping centre.

It needs major insulation everywhere and hope to get that finished by winter.







: We are also thinking of moving the bathroom (have to rip it up anyways) so that everything flows so much better/get rid of empty/unusable space.

There's a pic of the outside of the house on my blog (the country cottage, not the red and white house; that was an older dream







) and I will be posting TONS of pictures once we really get started. Before and afters!


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HeatherAtHome* 
Woohoo! We're buying a small house! A cute, cozy, country cottage.







Three bedrooms, one bathroom. According to my rough calculations, it's possibly 950sq ft. We have just over a 1/3 acre surrounded by woods and hay fields. Plenty of room for chickens and a big garden.







5-8 minutes from DH's work/our little town. 15 minutes to our little city/shopping centre.

It needs major insulation everywhere and hope to get that finished by winter.







: We are also thinking of moving the bathroom (have to rip it up anyways) so that everything flows so much better/get rid of empty/unusable space.

There's a pic of the outside of the house on my blog (the country cottage, not the red and white house; that was an older dream







) and I will be posting TONS of pictures once we really get started. Before and afters!

What's the name of your blog?


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *isign* 
Joining in on this thread. We have 1100sq ft, plus a garage that is also my laundry area. There are 4 of us, plus a 60 lb dog. I'm trying so hard to declutter and make storage work for us.

What do you use your garage for? I have had to accept that our garage is storage. We don't have a basement or attic and the closets are barely big enough to contain our clothing. I used to struggle with the idea of parking our cars in the garage, but having realized that we need a place to store things that aren't in constant use or don't belong inside has been so liberating. We still need to organize our garage a lot better, but I can work on that a bit at a time.


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## lexbeach

We are in the process of buying our first house, and it's a PERFECT, charming, 1200 sqf farmhouse. I know that it might not qualify as "small" for some of you, but there are six of us (so far







), and the response we get from nearly everyone is, "but it's soooo tiny! You need more space!" I really wouldn't want it to be any bigger (though I realize that I might feel differently when we have four TEENAGE boys living with us, at which point we could build an addition if we so desire).

The main issue we're having is that it has radiators in every room, which really limit where you can put furniture. I suppose that it's something we could change at some point if it turns out to be a real problem (I'm thinking it might in the kids' room since we want to fit four beds/two bunkbeds in there eventually, and between the windows, doors, and the radiator, the options are limited). We are also planning to install a woodstove this fall, so we might be able to take out a couple of the downstairs radiators if we find that we're not using them.

But I must say that I feel so great about buying a smaller, more manageable house than some of the huge (and often falling-apart) 2,000 sqf+ houses that we looked at.

Lex


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## HeatherAtHome

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
What's the name of your blog?

I wasn't sure if I was allowed to link.







It's under my username, but here's a direct link to the post with a photo of our house:

http://heatherathomeinthetownships.b...y-cottage.html

It's a little wild looking.


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## HeatherAtHome

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lexbeach* 
But I must say that I feel so great about buying a smaller, more manageable house than some of the huge (and often falling-apart) 2,000 sqf+ houses that we looked at.

Lex

That's how we felt too. Our house will need some work on it, but I keep telling myself it won't take long because it's a smaller home. Remind me of that when we're in the middle of renovations.
















We're hoping that once we get the house insulated well, our bills will be really cheap and the house will be easy to maintain. A larger home would overwhelm me, especially as we're first time home buyers.


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## HeatherAtHome

Booting this thread to the top because I love it so much!









We're still in the process of buying the house. Looking at a closing date of Sept 11 if not sooner. The owner really wants to get out. She's planning on living near her daughter to take care of her kids. Wants to get there before school starts. (Doesn't look like it will happen!)

I'm already feeling overwhelmed by the paperwork, never mind renovations! Soon, soon, soon.

*So I have a really important question... HOW do you calculate square footage? Add up the square footage of each room? Or just take the dimensions of the outside walls of the house?*


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## samstress

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HeatherAtHome* 
*So I have a really important question... HOW do you calculate square footage? Add up the square footage of each room? Or just take the dimensions of the outside walls of the house?*

i think it's easier to just measure the outside. there are certain rules about ceiling height and if a space is intended for human occupancy and it's accessibility and if it's heated, etc., but if you're just looking for a rough estimate this method works just fine.

btw, your cute, cozy country cottage is lovely.


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## wombatclay

The outside footprint gives you a rough idea... but things like closets and stairwells don't "count" towards an "official" sq ft number. And often bathrooms, utility rooms, hallways, and other "non living spaces" are excluded from the official number as well.


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## mummy2jess

hi

I love this thread i have had a few ideas for my own house already !
I have no idea how big my house measurement wise but from reading the posts here it seems about the same size as many peoples houses on here although I dont think it is considered that small around here as most of the house are old and small in my town lol

I dont actually know when it was built but is was here in 1841 because it appears in the 1841 England census. It is a terraced house on a teeny side street (the street is only just wide enough for an average car to drive down) and there are terraces on both sides. which is the main reason we dont own a car as there is no where to put it!

The original part of the house was two rooms downstairs (front room and kitchen) and two room upstairs (two bedrooms) plus outside toilet. I know that the outside toilet was there until until the 1960s when one of the upstairs bedrooms was turned into a bathroom. There are also two more extensions one on he back which added a small dining room area (it is actually the biggest room of the house though) we have the dining table and a small bedsette in there for guests to sleep on.

the living room is the major problem downstairs because we have two small couches (two seaters) and a tv in there and it totally full lol.We did think of switching the two downstairs rooms around but the dining room is just open to the kitchen so i think it would be odd having the living room attached to the kitchen.

on the second floor is the bathroom and the main bedroom, in the bedroom we have our bed, a cot and a computer desk and chair plus wardrobe so its pretty much standing room only!

the top floor was added at some point after the 1950s and added to more bedroom into the attic space - they are actuallu ok sizes the one you coud fit a double bed into and the other is big enough for a single.

we have two adults, and three children plus two cats in here.

there are no built in cupboards at all apart from a couple int he kitchen for pots n pans etc and we cannot make any major changes because its rented!.

I think that our major problem space wise is downstairs and in the main bedroom. The two smaller bedroom are fine for the kids. The oldest girl has (who is 4) has her own room soon to be shared with her younger sister( who is now 6 months) and my son who is 2 has his own bedroom - if we have another it needs to be a boy lol.

the main bedroom is cramped because of my husband computer desk - he works in IT and so he is in love with it though and it takes up a huge amount of room!

downstairs it is just that the room ar every small and when everyone is in them very cramped in.

I wish i had more decorating talent!

sophie


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## HeatherAtHome

Thanks for the house love!

Ok, I took measurements of each room instead of taking the outside measurements of the the house. I wanted it to be accurate. So, the official square footage of our house is *935 sq feet* including the bathroom, not counting stairs or a hallway.

On the main floor: We have a large, open kitchen & dining room 10'3"x20'9". A small living room towards the front of the house 9'9"x11. A playroom at the back of the house 13x11'3". A good sized bathroom with washer and dryer (and cat litter).

Upstairs: one bigger bedroom with tiny room beside that will be turned into a walk in closet (sewing table for sewing). 2 smaller bedrooms great for kids. A small closet under the eaves.

Basement: Fieldstone basement with dirt floor. Won't ever be pretty. Hot water heater, an old furnace, possibly storage of Christmas items? Needs some work down there.

Outside: Tons of space!









Living there: My husband and I with two cats. We plan on fostering and would have space for 2 or more kids (depends on rules for square footage of bedrooms.)

We close in two weeks.







:


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## wombatclay

congrats! hope the closing goes smoothly... it sound like a lovely space!

Depending on ground water issues, you may be able to put concrete on the basement floor or use a modular dry-ply system to create a floor. Not exactly a "convert to living space" renovation but it could make the space more functional for storage or to move the washer/dryer into (gaining space in the bathroom... though I've also seen people remove washer/dryer from the bath, wall off that space, and add a door on a "non-bathroom wall to create a closet or small "fold out" hobby space).


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## HeatherAtHome

Thanks for the ideas Wombat!

We aren't really planning on doing much with the basement besides insulating and tidying. The inspector suggested that we put sand down on the floor, some type of moisture barrier with more sand on top. We might do that eventually. I can't see using the space for anything other than storage (with items in plastic totes) or once it's fixed up semi decently, maybe store some canning/garden produce down there.

We don't live there yet, but I feel like we have quite a bit of space. Honestly, the house seems HUGE to me.







I think it has a very good layout with plenty of "away" spaces, little nooks and crannies (did I spell that right? looks so odd!) and storage options.







:

And did I mention it's a good $30,000-50,000 less than other houses we looked at _and_ has everything on our wish list? yeah, I'm pretty happy.














:


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## sabrinat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HeatherAtHome* 
Thanks for the house love!

Ok, I took measurements of each room instead of taking the outside measurements of the the house. I wanted it to be accurate. So, the official square footage of our house is *935 sq feet* including the bathroom, not counting stairs or a hallway.

On the main floor: We have a large, open kitchen & dining room 10'3"x20'9". A small living room towards the front of the house 9'9"x11. A playroom at the back of the house 13x11'3". A good sized bathroom with washer and dryer (and cat litter).

Upstairs: one bigger bedroom with tiny room beside that will be turned into a walk in closet (sewing table for sewing). 2 smaller bedrooms great for kids. A small closet under the eaves.

Basement: Fieldstone basement with dirt floor. Won't ever be pretty. Hot water heater, an old furnace, possibly storage of Christmas items? Needs some work down there.

Outside: Tons of space!









Living there: My husband and I with two cats. We plan on fostering and would have space for 2 or more kids (depends on rules for square footage of bedrooms.)

We close in two weeks.







:

Hey! Almost time for your closing! Congrats!


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## HeatherAtHome

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sabrinat* 
Hey! Almost time for your closing! Congrats!

Ha! You would think!







The date has been moved. We're looking at possibly the 18th (next Friday) just need to call mortgage lender to see if it's fine then make apt with notary and seller... assuming they're available on the date. But, the seller *IS* moving out the 20th, that date is set in stone. She's moving kind of far away so were hoping to have it done before.

(We're in Qc, so we go through a notary, we're special that way.







)


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## sabrinat

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit bummed about the size of our home (1700sf/ 6 people) and then I remembered...affordable mortgage. Thank goodness! It's allowed us the flexibility of dh being able to go to grad school and me to still work parttime. I have to admit sometimes it is hard and I wish we had one more room, but not "being house poor" or overly stressed about staying afloat is a blessing that I need to remember from time to time.


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## Juliacat

Well, we just spent way too much money on a flat screen TV and one of those IKEA storage unit thingies for it, but oh, my gosh, if the money spent on this (since dh is unwilling to get rid of the TV altogether) can keep us sane in this house for a few more years, it was money well spent. The storage space is FANTASTIC. I no longer feel like my house is too small, although it's still true that the only space in the whole house bigger than what's necessary to walk through is in our bedroom, and even that is only big enough for a pack 'n play. Still. Bring it on, baby!


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## momofmine

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juliacat* 
Well, we just spent way too much money on a flat screen TV and one of those IKEA storage unit thingies for it, but oh, my gosh, if the money spent on this (since dh is unwilling to get rid of the TV altogether) can keep us sane in this house for a few more years, it was money well spent. The storage space is FANTASTIC. I no longer feel like my house is too small, although it's still true that the only space in the whole house bigger than what's necessary to walk through is in our bedroom, and even that is only big enough for a pack 'n play. Still. Bring it on, baby!









This is so true. Something I'm struggling with a little bit right now. I was just talking to DH last night, wondering out loud about how people allocate fund for big items. Right now we have a very affordable mortgage, no car payment, and we have the luxury of spending money on things like activities for the kids, alternative health care, things we want to do. Not frivolously of course, but we have the opportunity to do things we wouldn't if we had a more expensive house and a new car.

Which IKEA thing did you get? I really want to get better storage too, because we basically have to live *with* everything all the time. I was thinking about getting a whole wall of IKEA bookshelves in one room. The closest IKEA is 2 hours from here though, so I need to do my research and know what I am going to get ahead of time.


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## momofmine

I also want to have more of an attitude of "my house is huge"







instead of always going around thinking we don't have enough storage, we don't have enough space for people to come over, we only have one cramped small bathroom, etc.
I feel like we don't really use the space we have very efficiently. I want to create spaces around my room, where each room has specific spaces in it, zones I guess, where it is very clear what goes where and what activity that space is for. I am having a hard time with that though. I think I expect it to all be perfectly laid out before I can begin.


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## lexbeach

We just bought our "small" house on Tuesday







. Now that we are trying to paint every single room before we move in on the 27th, the house doesn't feel that small at all! Actually, I really think it's the perfect size (1200 sqf for six of us), and I continue to be surprised by the comments from people who come to see it and exclaim over how small it is. My mom can't stop talking about the addition(s) we'll need to put on. I love that it feels totally manageable for us as first time home buyers.

One thing that we're doing to conserve space is that we just bought a low-loft bed for our kids (we already have a bunk-bed). The ceiling in the kids' room slants down so that there wasn't enough ceiling height for a second bunk-bed, but we realized that we could get a low-loft bed and turn it into a shrunken bunk-bed (with a mattress on the floor as the bottom bunk). In general, I think "lofting" as much as we can will add tremendously to the space. We are putting a small loft into the playroom as well, thereby nearly doubling the amount of play space.

I'm also planning on drastically cutting back on the amount of clothing that is readily available for the kids, putting the wrong-season clothing in storage in the basement, making sure no one has more than 2 sweaters/hoodies, 2 pairs of pajamas, etc.

Lex


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## wombatclay

Congrats!







:

We're putting an addition on our home to bring it up to roughly 1200 and I agree... 1200 just "feels right" for a family (in the 4-6 member range).

Feeling huge- my MIL gave us a few books that profile Japanese homes and modern "minimalist" spaces. I'll confess that there are maybe three homes total between the two books where I could imagine living without going totally nuts. But it is very inspiring to flip through the books and see all the "space" available in a home with a 400 sq/ft pad when it's beautifully arranged. I think so much of the "problem" in modern Amerinca housing is the lack of planning. Like the "Not So Big House" books point out... people keep building sq/footage in an attempt to get the quiet/privacy/storage that is possible in a much smaller space if it's planned for. So it's not that you need more space to live in comfort, you just need planning... but it's often easier or more socially acceptable to choose "more".

Ah well! It's all good.


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## Juliacat

We are 3 hours from the closest IKEA, but we happened to be in the city for an unrelated reason AND we happened to have a friend with us who happened to have a pickup truck, so dh decided to bite the bullet and go for it. (We have money sitting in checking that we are afraid to use because dh works in an industry that could lay him off at any time and it would be very difficult to find another job in this economy.)

We got something like this although the back is all solid, not see-through like in the picture. It holds oversized books, photo albums and record albums, which are hard to find a place for. I'm also thinking of reserving a couple of the bottom cubes for toys for the kids so they can keep some in the living room and not all in their room. (I am reminded of when I was little and my grandmother said "My friends don't like toys in the living room" and my dad replied, "They don't?! What's WRONG with them!?!!?"







)

Anyway, the only drawback was that dh had to move the coathooks all the way to the wall, and the other side of the unit does overlap our bedroom doorway by a couple of inches. But it's fine, and the living room looks a thousand percent better now.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momofmine* 
Which IKEA thing did you get? I really want to get better storage too, because we basically have to live *with* everything all the time. I was thinking about getting a whole wall of IKEA bookshelves in one room. The closest IKEA is 2 hours from here though, so I need to do my research and know what I am going to get ahead of time.


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## wombatclay

I lurve IKEA! We're a solid 5-6 hours to the closest IKEA, closer to 8 hours to the IKEA near friends so we generally combine a 'visit friends" with a "shop IKEA" long weekend. We used to live in Stoughton and now there's an IKEA there. Probably a good thing it wasn't there when we were though.









Ideas needed- the weather is turning cold. Outdoor temps are in the 40s, warming into the 50s at midday. It's nice, but soon it'll be hard core winter outerwear season. How does everyone handle the outerwear problem?

Our front door (only door) open directly into the kitchen. There are no closets or cubbies, and no real "wall space" near the door (counter top on the left as you enter, shelves behind the door on the right). Last year we hung hooks on the only available wall but it's not a good location (all the way across the ground floor, between the stairs and the bath so bulky coats get in everyone's way assuming they make it to the hooks). We need space for indoor shoes, outdoor boots, snow pants, coats, hats/gloves/scarves for a 4yo, a 2yo, the babe, Dh, and I.

How do other cold weather small house mamas cope? I see these amazing "mud room" articles in magazines and drool...


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## MamaRabbit

As I've said before .... less than 800 sq ft for a family of 6. It felt great when the twins were tiny. But now I feel my home shrinking right in front of me. Today I look around and think: there is not one space that is not cluttered. Just a bad clutter/mess/junk/crap day. And so I feel like doing nothing and looking at it and, well, whining about it.


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## FreeRangeMama

I haven't been on this thread in a LONG time







We are a family of 6 (plus an assortment of critters big and small) in around 1000sqft. I really don't feel like our house is too small most of the time. Only when tripping over something for the millionth time in a day









We are in a bungalow with a basement that is unfinished, so we can only use it for laundry (and litterboxes!). It is cozy, but functional. We could use another bathroom though.

Quote:

How do other cold weather small house mamas cope? I see these amazing "mud room" articles in magazines and drool..
I scored some really old school lockers off of Freecycle. They were being used in a work truck and were really rusty. I repainted them and put them next to the back door. There are six lockers and each is painted a different colour (to correspond to a family member). All coats/shoes/outside necessities go in the locker. On the other side (behind the door) I hung up pegboard. That way we can hang up bags, keys, and other things. It is working really well!


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## wombatclay

dd1's preschool uses the "repainted school locker" idea and I really like it! We don't have the space for it in our house though because of the way the house is arranged.

It's one 20x22 ft room (toilet/shower walled off of this) with a single door and lots of oversized windows. Which makes it light and airy but limits wall space. Upstairs is a 20x24 sleep loft. The ceiling is full height only in the very center of the room and then slants straight down to the floor (the knee walls ar only 18 inches tall). Turns out the previous owner/builder intended to build a house but only finished the one car garage... it's one reason we're putting the addition on. Despite the bank, insurance, and lawyers going over everything, the structure was never approved as a residence. According to the county it is a garage, no one can sleep in it, and they can make us leave at any time since it's not a legal habitation. The addition will fulfill the "convert to residence" requirements. But it's slow going since it's all DIY as we have the budget.

Anyway, the only door opens into the space with the stove and sink (so "kitchen") and you then walk past the wood heat stove and into the "living room" (a couch) and "play corner" (piano, play stove, bookcases). There is no wall area for hooks or shelves, and no floor space by the door (it is in the corner so it can't even swing open the full width... we have to remove it to get large items in/out).

Once the addition is up this wont be a problem... and it's not a problem in warm weather. Just now when I know I'll be pulling out heaps of bulky outerwear and dealing with nasty wet/snowy/muddy boots! It's one reason I rant about planning... this house has plenty of "space", but it's not arranged in a useful way!

Let me see if I can find pictures...


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## Jyotsna

I just got notice that I will need to move from my 1400 sqft rented home.
With three kids, two being girls...I can put the girls together. But my son is 13 and I know he doesn't want to sleep with mom, and he probably needs his own space. I need my own space too. How do you manage it?

I'll be moving into a smaller (possibly 1 - 2 bedroom) house.

Also, how can I find these types of homes? I live in a city.

Thanks.


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## wombatclay

How old are your girls?

In a two bedroom scenario you could put the girls in bunk beds in "your" bedroom with your son on his own. You could put all the children in one larger room using a divider to create privacy (an oversized headboard can create two rooms... one on either side for example). Or you could put the girls in one room, the boy in another, and a futon/fold out/convertable bed in the living room for yourself.

The real trick in terms of creating privacy is to try to see the space as a blank canvas and then focus on function. It may be that a roomy "living room" would make a nice "three kiddo bedroom" and a "bedroom" could be adapted as the tv/media/homework/comfy couch space. If a bedroom is strictly for sleeping it doesn't need to be large, or even private (in terms of private = alone in the room). It just needs a comfy sleep surface and some white noise/light blockers. Recruit your kiddos in the process too... it's possible that your son would enjoy having a murphy bed or lofted bed in what might otherwise be the living room. Or if that gives him too much "late night" freedom, you may find that having your own sleep space in the living room is a better idea (so your "private space" is more based around time... kiddos in their rooms, you have the rest of the house to yourself!).

Books, magazines, and design shows that focus on loft living and open concept design may be a good place to start browsing. They'll show you ways to create themed/private spaces within an open space and even though you'll be working with a smaller footprint, the techniques still apply. Curtains, freestanding bookcases, loft beds, ceiling mounted storage or appliances, area rugs that define specific living spaces, etc can all be scaled up or down to suit a space.

But... a lot depends on how the space is laid out. And I'm not sure how it would work if you could only find one bedroom places... with a single bedroom and the desire to give/get some privacy I think you'd really need to consider the "sleep in the living room" option. (growing up we didn't heat the upper floor of our old farmhouse. So in summer we all had our own rooms but in winter we all slept on fold out mats in the living room... making the beds each night and hiding them away again each morning. It's very Japanese actually, so books on Japanese home design might inspire you and your teen as well!)


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## MPsSweetie

We also had the problem of winter gear.... so we are in the middle of building on an entryway and HUGE closet! It will add about 75sqft of space and its awesome. We plan on using the closet for coats, boots, sports/outdoor gear, gun safe, vacuum, christmas and halloween stuff, and *maybe* a freezer. I can't wait!! We wanted to have it done before it got cold, but we were a bit late starting, and the money issue sucks. Oh well, we have it all dried in, insulated, wire run but not hooked up yet... Now to cover the walls inside, paint, and put in wood flooring.


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## HeatherAtHome

Woohoo! We're finally in our new house! Well, we have the keys and we've been visiting each day to clean up and will start doing some renovation work this weekend. (Hopefully!







)

We officially move in the 1st of October (when the lease to DH's place runs out), but will wait to move EVERYTHING that's stored at my parents until we've done most of the bigger work.

Welcome to my home! It's roughly 935 sq ft on 1/3 of an acre but feels incredibly HUGE after the small space we've been living in.


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## urchin_grey

-waves-

We are a family of 5 (3 adults, 2 children) living in roughly 900sf. Its 2 bedrooms, two bathrooms, which works just fine. We are in need of a MAJOR declutter though. It was originally just DS and I, which was way more space than we needed of course. But then DS's dad moved back in, bringing with him his entire apartment. Then my sister and her DS moved in, bringing in even more stuff. So a lot of things need to be purged, like toys (had that pared down to just the basic good quality toys until they moved in), dishes, blankets, clothes (did I mention DS's dad hasn't gotten ride of one article of clothing in like 5 years?).







I am _constantly_ tossing stuff and bringing stuff to goodwill but it doesn't seem like I'm making any progress! DS and I might be living on our own in an RV around this time next year though so I really have to learn to simplify!


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## wombatclay

Heyla!









I declutter too and yet there always seems to be more.









I sooooo envy mudrooms. We're building an addition slowly but surely and once it's done (or even roughed in) there will be plenty of room for winter gear but till then I'm stuck! I'm planning on hanging hooks for the girls below the shelves, putting a shallow mudtray under that for the really messy boots. Then an over the door hook (fingers crossed the draft wont be too bad) with several hangers for DH and I. Maybe bags to hold hats/gloves/scarves? The girls can't reach the bottom shelf easily so bags hanging with their coats may be easier and visually less cluttered.


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## crazyeight

i am moving into temporary housing with 1ish bedrooms







it's this 100 yr old place on an old ranch that has literally 3 rooms. a "living room", a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. i have 2 little kids and i enjoy my own sleeping space however i have no idea where to start (and no money for stuff). since it's a temp housing thing the owner will furnish 2 twin beds and a futon for us to sleep on (and whatever else but i have my own stuff). i am afraid of sleeping on a futon (it felt better than crap though) as i already have a bad back and am pregnant now. i would love a trundle bed for the kids but i can't afford that. if i use the 2 rooms as bedrooms then i suppose my room will also house the tv or i could put us all in one room and curtain it off, then all the kids toys and media will be in the other space. there's one semi largish closet (2 linen closet size) and i can fit all of our clothes in there however i also have stockpiles...ugh. i am hesitant to part with what i have left (it's all precisely what i want) but i may have to pare it down more. my washer, dryer, couch, bed, and bunk beds i am HOPEING exdh will use/store for me since he has the 3 bedroom house. i'm excited (i've been searching for rentals for too long and this isn't even what i want exactly) but i know i'll be moving again (who knows where) in 3ish months so i don't want to delete my options (i.e. get rid of to much then have a new empty place AND no money). i'd say the place is roughly the size of my 70's single wide trailer i am in now if that gives you any idea on size. i want my home to be homey, inviting, loving...i really need that right now.


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## jojobean

for Dp,myself a 4 year old and a 6 month old. But we live on a rather large farm and have a giant boxcar for a storage container and various other storage units around. It took about a year to get used to but it has been wonderful after the initial shock of it. Because our overhead has been so incredibly low, DP has been able to stay home most of the time and go to school as well. It has been great to have him be able to see and be involved with the kids as much as he is. However, we both know that it will be too much for both of us to have our kiddos turn into teenagers in this space lol, so eventually we will get something bigger. I have to say that even though I fought it tooth and nail at first (and it was a completely VOLUNTARY decision on both our parts), I am going to miss our teeny tiny house days. But that time is far enough off yet that I can still enjoy the fact that I can take 5 big steps and cross my entire place.


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## wombatclay

dhinderliter- Is the closet big enough to be a sort of "snuggle nest" for the girls? Friends of mine turned a large closet into a sleep space for one of their kiddos and although there were a lot of Harry Potter jokes from the older sibs, the kiddo in question adored it. He had sleeping bags and pillows and hooks on the walls to hold special "preschooler treasures". It was more or less just a sleep space, and they replaced the door with a curtain so there was no real risk of him shutting himself in. I don't know if your littles would like it, but if they were snuggled in their "special space" (let them cover the walls with art/pictures/fabric?) then the bedroom could be for you and for the stockpiles/clothing. That would leave the "living room" for living. Especially since it's short term it may work? Good luck! I hope you find a really great tiny house soon.


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## crazyeight

i don't think it would work as a sleeping place. there are built in shelves on a wall (yay) and it's the only closet in the whole place. I'll be cramming it FULL from floor to ceiling I think. here's some pictures to give you an idea...


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## wombatclay

Hmmm. Yeah, that wouldn't really work. How is the weather? Would it make sense to use the "bedroom" as the living room since it has a stove? And maybe the bunk beds in the closet-free bedroom... I know you said you don'tr have the bunk beds right now, and it may be too much hassle to move them, but maybe?

I actually used a futon when pregnant with dd1 and found it pretty comfy. But then, I like firm sleep surfaces and we had the futon on the floor (no frame)... my main problem was getting up and down!


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## crazyeight

this house is UBER cute but uber old. the ceiling is only 5'10" or so and the bunk beds won't actually FIT in the room! haha! i think i'll double check though just in case. it would free up floor space tremendously. i am unsure which will actually BE the bedroom and which will be the living room anyways. i gotta get stuff IN there to see exactly how it's gonna work out but i am totally thinking of wacky ideas. i even thought of making the kitchen also the media room but i think it would be to whacko to be functional. however if i had an old square tv (hows that for irony i just bought a new one cause exbf thought it was a good idea...idiot, me mostly) then it would fit in the "pass through" window course still need a place to put the dvd player and media computer.

about half of my "stock pile" stuff is in the plastic storage bins and we don't have much rain, snow, sleet or precipitation of any kind out here so i'm going to put the one plastic shelving unit i have outside on the back wall however i have more tubs than that and i suppose i do some ugly stacking but the xmas tree is in a cardboard box! ahhh! i have plenty of kitchen space so i won't have to get rid of my lovely new stainless steel sets, huge pans, and assortment of odd/rarely used cooking pieces.







when moving here we pared the kids toys down to barely 1/5 of what they had so no tears there. i think my desk will fit in the kitchen so part of my office space will stay the same. however i have an old filing cabinet that probably half of the (brand new) stuff will have to get sold/thrown out (waahhh). i'm just trying to work this out on paper so excuse the ramblings!

so you know how odd things get stuck in your head....well i stockpiled TAMPONS (the good ones free from cvs) and i have about a years worth in a box....i stockpiled it while pg with dd...3 years ago! (i had 1.5 yrs then lol) so here i am pg again....not going to do any bleeding besides postpartum for almost 2 years so do i keep it or see if a garage sale will sell it?

the house actually has electric or gas heat in it as well as a swamp cooler so warmth/cool factors do not matter. in fact the stove probably hasn't been used in many years! it's more the charm of the place although i am DARN sure i'm gonna use it at least a few times cause it's just so cool!


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## wombatclay

winter outerwear-
Here's what I came up with.

Hooks for the girls and space for their bags under the shelves behind the door. Over the door hooks for DH and I. I moved the shoe shelves from behind the door to the counter side of the door with a drip tray beneath it and set up an entryway station on the top shelf (basket for mail, hand sanitizer, basket with scissors/tape/glue/stamps). And four hooks over the counter for smaller stuff (like hats/scarves for dh and I).

I'd like a place to sit, but this will at least be better than last year!


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## samstress

not sure if any of you read ReadyMade magazine, but there's an article in the oct/nov issue...Small Spaces, Big Ideas! 8 Ways to Turn Your Tiny Place into a Palace.

i noticed some of the article features were available on the website.


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## Jyotsna

Hi mamas,

I am a single mama, and I have three kids, 1 boy, 2 girls.
Can I rent a 2 bedroom apartment or townhouse?

Can I sleep in the living room, son in 1 bedroom and daughters in 1 bedroom?

thanks


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## HeatherAtHome

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jyotsna* 
Hi mamas,

I am a single mama, and I have three kids, 1 boy, 2 girls.
Can I rent a 2 bedroom apartment or townhouse?

Can I sleep in the living room, son in 1 bedroom and daughters in 1 bedroom?

thanks

I would think it would be ok. As for if it's allowed, I have no idea what the laws are in your state.
Sorry.


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## HeatherAtHome

Wow. So I'm trying to fix up the kitchen. To save money, we're keeping the original hardwood cabinets but painting them and adding hardware. I'm (finally!) nearing the end of this. I don't think I quite realized how much work it was going to be, especially considering I had to paint the inside of the cabinets too. It's not even, but there's about 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint on every surface. Every time I paint inside the cabinets, I always end up with paint in my hair then have to hear comments about how I'm turning gray!









When I'm finished, I'll post before and after pics.


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## Marlet

I'm here! I was talking to my sister today about her coming up and helping me decorate so I decided to figure out my sq. ft. (I know I'm in a small space but wanted a number







). I come in at a whopping 572 sq ft.







That's for my 2 bdrm. apartment. Good thing I love it.

What paint colors look good in small spaces? I'm wanting to work on my living room first but don't want something that's going to make it look more cramped. I have 2 windows that get natural light but not a ton.

I was just talking to a friend and her current house (1900 sq ft) is her bare minimum. They are looking to buy one that has 2500 sq ft! That seems so massive to me.







She tried saying it's because they have big furniture but so do I. My personal style sort of lands in the "big, bulky, and heavy (in a traditional sense because everything is solid)" category.







Other's limits are certainly interesting.


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## wombatclay

marlet- colors can be tricky! Some people swear by light colors in small spaces (reflect the light, make the space feel bigger) but others swear by darker or more saturated colors (to play off the intimacy and coziness factor). In general a ceiling color that is a few shades lighter than the walls but not pure white helps make a space feel larger (the ceiling "disappears" instead of being in sharp contrast to the walls). Personally I like to keep the colors fairly light with one or two darker/richer accents.

So our "hearth wall" is a pale grey-green (wind in the willows I think was the color name) but the hearth itself is made from a dark slate and we tiled the slate from floor to ceiling. The side wall (which has both a large window and the underside of the loft stairs) is also painted in the "wind in the willows" green but the underside of the stairs is a smoky blue-grey color. In the past I've painted entire walls in small rooms with really deep colors and then washed a lighter shade across them to lighten it up while adding visual depth.

Do you have a bookstore or library nearby? The Not So big books have lots of good pictures, and design magazines can provide ideas as well. There are even a few books of "pre-made" palettes that might inspire paint choices. We have one where the author put together 20-30 different palettes and how to lead from room to room using those combinations... of course, we only have one room right now, but that book was a fun jumping off spot when we had a bigger house. As the author pointed out, many times people paint a room without thinking about how that color will "look" against the other colors in the house or how the color will "feel" as you enter the room from other color spaces. In a small space I think it's important to try out a number of combinations to find the one that feels the best to you!

(Our cabin is currently a blend of the "wind in the willows" grey/green, "smokescreen" blue/grey, a very pale "glass slipper" blue in the bathroom, and "cosmic cream" yellow/cream for the kitchen alcove. Since we really just have the one room we used the colors to define areas/spaces.)


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## HeatherAtHome

What are you doing on the fourth page! BUMP!









So, I'll post about my awesome pantry. Still getting to know our house and settling in. The pantry is carved out of the basement stairs/under the stairs going up to the second floor. You can see it in this picture. (It's a before picture!!!







) Here are the after pictures.







I love the way so much can be stored in such a little space that's usually left unused.


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## samstress

ok, so our house doesn't seem so small after all...

check out the "domestic transformer".


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## HeatherAtHome

That place is crazy! I can't imagine living in a home like that...

Seeing this is bumped, I have better kitchen pics. Before, after. Not that my kitchen/dining room still looks like the photos. I keep changing/improving.







We're getting ready for another big push in renovations. I can't wait until we're done! Hoping to add some built in shelving and other space saving ideas.


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## marimara

Wow that domestic transformer is a very creative space!!! I think it's amazing.


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## rlmueller

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
Heyla!









I declutter too and yet there always seems to be more.









I sooooo envy mudrooms. We're building an addition slowly but surely and once it's done (or even roughed in) there will be plenty of room for winter gear but till then I'm stuck! I'm planning on hanging hooks for the girls below the shelves, putting a shallow mudtray under that for the really messy boots. Then an over the door hook (fingers crossed the draft wont be too bad) with several hangers for DH and I. Maybe bags to hold hats/gloves/scarves? The girls can't reach the bottom shelf easily so bags hanging with their coats may be easier and visually less cluttered.

How is it I go to Goodwill every month with a trunkfull of crap. Where is it all coming from!!!


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## wombatclay

I think there must be some sort of temporal/spacial anomaly... a sort of wormhole dumping clutter into dark corners and closed cabinets.









We're still working on the addition... we taped insulation over the weekend. Need to get that inspected, then put up drywall, then finished electric inspection, then....drumroll... DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can. not. wait! We need this additional space because there really is no place to put stuff. I know some of my "clutter" is really just stuff without a home (like winter quilts/coats).


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## mommajb

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wombatclay* 
I know some of my "clutter" is really just stuff without a home (like winter quilts/coats).

Big family, small house,









The shoes were so cute by the door when I had one child that wore a toddler 6. Now that very same boy wears a man's 11, plays sports each requiring special shoes, has three younger sisters, and a little brother that wears a toddler 8 it isn't so cute (and smells way worse than it looks). I have hooks and cubbies and a garage where all the cleats and athletic shoes are supposed to stay but it is still a mess.


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## sweetcheeks

Glad to see this thread bumped back up!









We are in the process of renovating our basement. We did a complete gut and started over. When it's all said and done, we will have added 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom to our house, giving us 4 bedrooms, 2 baths total in our house. DS1 will be moving into one of the new bedrooms right away and in a year or so, DD will be moving into the other new bedroom downstairs. It's been a bit of a challenge only being able to use the main level of the house. Many of the kids' toys have gone into storage and I've had to get quite creative with storage solutions. It's been a slow and trying process (we are DIYing this project... yay for an uber-handy husband and FIL!) but it will all be worth it in the end, when the space is finished and much more functional for us! I will try to get some before and work in progress pics uploaded to my flickr and post a link.


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## wombatclay

Awesome! What a great renovation (and yay for DIY).

Our addition will turn our two room cabin into a 4 room cabin... and allow a sort of "sliding puzzle" reorganization of the current space. It's going to make things much more "usable" and I can't wait. Not up to date, but http://www.flickr.com/photos/briarhouse/ is our Briar House photo site.


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## Pinoikoi

That domestic transformer was pretty cool... I didn't see any guest seating, though.. I think he needed a chair somewhere.


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## User101

Can I join in? There are 6 of us now (Me, DH, 3 boys--11, 6, and 3, and 1 girl) in a 1400 square foot house with one bathroom. And we're expecting twins. *gulp* We thought about moving, but now we're looking at
1. Turning the attic into a bedroom.
2. Adding a toilet in the basement (there's one there now that doesn't work)
3. Doing what we can to waterproof the basement and moving all the homeschool/playstuff down there.

And we have $2,000 to work with.


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## wombatclay

Heyla!









Isn't it fun to play house makeover when the budget is so tight? Same sort of fun as...oh...hauling rocks or something to make a garden. The end result might be fantastic, but the road there is a bit more stressful.

For the basement... the chemicals are ick so you'd need your dh to do it and then vent the house for a while, but DryLock is amazing. Our last house had water problems in the basement and drylock solved it. It's not cheap, but it's the cheapest wet basement solution. Once it's drylocked, rag rugs or other "easily cleaned" floor covers are not super expensive. And you can make your own braided rag rugs from thrift store sheets too. I have one rug I wove that is still going strong 30 years later!

Check with the local code office about a self contained incinerator toilet. The code office here usually gives them a thumbs up if they aren't the primary toilet. There are also "up flush" toilets that lift everything up/over the basement/foundation wall. They're not that expensive (relatively) but you need high ceilings because they do have a "sub floor" component and code requires a certain head room over toilets. In general either a contained unit or an upflush cost less than breaking a foundation to plumb septic lines.

Oh... and if you're handy, PEX is a great option for running water lines in odd spaces (like basements).


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## User101

Sadly, we are the opposite of handy. We are unhandy.









Blessedly, we have some amazing people at church who have said they'll help with labor.


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## alsoSarah

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dhinderliter* 
this house is UBER cute but uber old. the ceiling is only 5'10" or so and the bunk beds won't actually FIT in the room!

Could you maybe have one bed at about three feet high or so, with the foot of the other bed (on the floor) underneath, in sort of an L shape?

alsoSarah


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## wombatclay

Well, drylock is just painting... it's a special paint that keeps water out, but in the end, if you can paint you can drylock! For the toilet, a contained unti (composting, incinerator) is pretty simple. Nothing to connect, just put it down where you want it. However, if you want to wash your hands you'll need to get the sink working.







so handy neighbors are handy!


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## samstress

love this.


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## goldingoddess

subbing.

We're a family of 3 with one on the way living in 777square feet.


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## CultivatingMyRoots

So, I am a single mom of two (3 yr and 1 yr old daughters) in 320 sq ft. Since my last purge the apartment looks very minimalist, we don't have much seating. My only complaint at all is that I wish I had a small loveseat, and currently finances preclude that. But I think when my Financial Aid comes in I will be heading to ikea for one of their $100 futon loveseat things, because I occasionally sleep on the floor to avoid cosleeping on the girls bunk beds. Honestly, though, I have friends over and company and they can appreciate the size and it's advantages, and I don't really plan to 'upsize' considerably. I actually really enjoy the cosleeping bedroom, and even if I do expand to two bedrooms anytime, it will probably mean one bedroom becomes the schooling/crafting room.

They key to living small is definitely planning, though. And purging CONSTANTLY.

Thanks for this thread, it's been an amazing help in organizing my space!


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## MPsSweetie

Ok, I am HATING our small house, someone inspire me...


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## wombatclay

I wonder if it's the season? I'm a bit out of love with our place as well!

Is there something specific bugging you? Clutter or toys underfoot or ? Could you maybe paint a wall, or put down a new throw rug, or repurpose a shelf to hold flowers (or as a nature table)? Or go on a speed purge and clear out some dresser drawers or a toy corner or the pile of shoes (a big problem for me... we have noplace for shoes so they just turn into little mountains of footwear whichh ds chews on. ick!)? Just something quick to change up the energy and bring back the love?

A pint of good ice cream does wonders to cheer up a small freezer on a summer night and maybe something like that would spill small-space love over into the rest of the home!


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## MPsSweetie

I go back and forth, some days I am ok here, others it just doesn't feel right. We moved from a really nice, not too much bigger house, into here, and 18 months later all I do is miss that one.








This house is a little cabin in the woods, which is what I *thought* I always wanted. Oops. We are having mold issues so the house is completely torn up, not that I have figured out any great organization that helps when its put together. It's been raining so the kids and dog drag in gobs of mud, making it that much worse in here. And I love rain! Urgh! The walls have no soundproofing, so I can't get a moment of peace whatsoever. The front bathroom is practically in the kitchen, ewww. The back bathroom is disgusting and the tile is all riped out, can't find anyone who will work around here to fix it. The washer smells like sewage. I never finished painting last year and now I just don't care anymore. The kitchen table is NEVER clean, no matter what I do, its covered with crumbs and piles of junk. The living room is inches from the table so it looks awful too, along with the torn out walls that were moldy. We hired someone to build on an entryway last year, he did about half the job before never showing up again, so its unfinished.
And thats just the tip of the iceberg. I hate our house!
Oh, and I'm pregnant and may be a *tiny* bit moody!


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## Pepper44

Oh can I join this thread?

Our house is right at 1,000 square feet and it's not big enough. I don't know if it's the square footage or the way it's laid out.

Our bathroom is so tiny there isn't even room for a trash can, no counter space, not even any bathroom drawers because the sink is too small. Our 3 bedrooms are also tiny. We have a king sized bed in our sleeping room and we have to sit on the bed to open our two little kid sized dressers. I'm trying to be happy with what I have, but I get sick of running into the kitchen table when I try to open the back door.









We have two kids, 4 cats, 2 large dogs, and a lizard...


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## wombatclay

Quote:

This house is a little cabin in the woods, which is what I *thought* I always wanted. Oops.
Oh my... are we twins?







I too have a cabin in the woods and...ummm...it's been almost 2 years and it" still feeling like an "oops" more often than not. Can you find one space you could clear? Sometimes I'll literally empty a corner and just look at that corner for a bit.


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## MPsSweetie

Well at least we know we aren't alone anymore!! LOL I keep thinking I will get used to it, not happening... Ahhh, a clean empty corner, that would be awesome! With earplugs!


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## ComplexOphelia

I'd like to join in!

Our house is between 1000 - 1100 square feet, and there are 3 & 1/3 of us (4 in February







). 1 bathroom. 1 dog. 2 cats. And sometimes, I seriously feel like I am going insane. I'm a SAHM in a fairly dead community, so I spend A LOT of time here!

A lot of it, I think, is the colors we painted. The living room is pretty dark, without great lighting. There's a big picture window, so in the summertime it's fine, but in the winter in northwestern PA it gets so dark so early. It's painted a brown called "comforting," which is nice when it's light - but not nice when it's dim inside! In August, before my husband goes back to school, I think we're painting and redecorating the living room. Maybe revitalizing it a bit will help!

I also can't stand the clutter, and have a hard time convincing DH to get rid of it. "That was expensive!" is heard a lot, whether it was an expensive gift (from his first marriage







) or something that was expensive years ago that has been used past us loving it ... he won't let me get rid of it without trying to put it on Ebay first, which means taking time taking pictures and writing descriptions of stuff that I just think is CRAP and needs to be taken to Goodwill!

I also wish we could have company. We've got our sleeping room and then another bedroom where we have a queen sized bed set up, along with our computer - but the bed fills the WHOLE ROOM, literally. There's about a foot perimeter on one side that you can go through to get into the closet, where we keep all of DS's clothes. I proposed revamping that room - turning it into more of an open space where I could do yoga, for instance - and the answer was, "But we spent money turning it into another bedroom!" Yes. We did. And I hate it. UGH.

It's frustrating, because I don't think it's an issue of space - it's an issue of the way our space is being used, which right now is to store old junk (and new junk - for example, my husband's brother makes wooden bowls out of burls off of trees, which are beautiful, but which we are now getting for every. single. holiday.). I'm officially inspired, and going to go clean out a closet! Hooray!

Question for all of you: how do you gently remind people not to give you, well, crap? We've said so many times that what we want for holidays/birthdays are donations (The Preeclampsia Foundation is our pet charity), but people insist on giving us stuff, stuff, and more stuff! And we DON'T HAVE ROOM! And then, if it was expensive, I'm not allowed to get rid of it unless I try to get money for it! Dyah! Do any of you have a great way to remind family of your space limitations around the holidays?


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## AKislandgirl

Great thread! We live in a 2 bed 1 bath house-- 800 sq ft. plus a single car garage converted to storage, pantry, laundry, mud room. With out that space I might go crazy! We just spent the weekend decluttering and brought a whole truckload to the thrift store. It felt so good! We are a family of 3 and will hopefully be growing in the near future! I'll have to spend some time looking through the thread for some creative storage ideas. That is our main problem!


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## wombatclay

Hmmm... as to gifts we can't fit, I usually just say thank you, enjoy the item for a while and then donate/consign it. I think gift giving is a tough one since in many cases the needs of the giver are also at play. Some people don't feel like a donation to a chairty is a "real" gift so even if you'd be thrilled, they wouldn't feel like they'd given anything.

For bulky gifts like bowls that you like but simply can't store... have you tried hanging them on a wall? Sort of grouped like pictures? Our house is small but the ceilings are high and I always have to remind myself to think vertically. Actually, could you hang them up along the ceiling line, sort of like a border, to brighter up the "comforting" living room?

And I'm guessing you're already using them for storage around the house... but perhaps think of other ways to use them? So not just as a fruit bowl or bowl of stones on the nature table, but for earrings in the bedroom or whole spices in the kitchen or qtips in the bath?

And for clutter... can you just box stuff up and then donate them after a set amount of time? Sort of demonstrate that something isn't being used and wont be missed? I like the Arts & Crafts period and the motto about keeping only things that are useful or beautiful is a good "small space" motto. Or offer it on craigslist and the donate?


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## kcparker

Quote:


Originally Posted by *annettemarie* 
2. Adding a toilet in the basement (there's one there now that doesn't work)
3. Doing what we can to waterproof the basement and moving all the homeschool/playstuff down there.

And we have $2,000 to work with.

The best thing you can do to keep water out is to regrade around your house. Get fill dirt delivered and grade a slope so that there's a drop of at least 1"/foot, plant grass so that the roots help slow down water absorption into the soil, keep your gutters clean and direct the downspout outflow well away from the foundation. A good sump pump would be my next line of defense. You can get them for under $100 and install them yourself. Try those before you go for things like paint, french drains, beaver systems and such.

For a toilet, you could consider a composting toilet. They are supposed to work well and be odor-free, and you wouldn't have to have it plumbed.


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## ivymae

Joining. We're a family of 5 (two adults, a 4yo, 2yo and a 3mo) living in 650 sqft (2 bedroom, 1 bath, postage stamp livingroom/kitchen). We're hoping to finish the basement sooner than later, but money and time are always short, aren't they?

We downsized from 3000 sqft last year by choice, and sometimes I wonder what the heck i was thinking as well. We're finally getting around to having a garage sale this weekend, so we can empty out the garage and basement, but wow, stuffstuffstuff. I am both reminded of WHY we wanted a simpler life, but also torn about getting rid of so much. I miss having a playroom for the girls' toys, I miss having a craft room, I miss having enough cabinets for my dishes. As such, toys, craft stuff and kitchen stuff are all going to hopefully make me some money.









What i DON'T miss is the mortgage payment, neighborhood of snobs, or the unworkable yard. I've kind of given up on the inside of my house lately and focused all of my attention on our garden/back yard.


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## goddessjulia

and lol at self, the last time I was signed in was 9/18/09 at 12:11 am-- a couple hours later I was in denial about being in labor with our new guy









random blurbs:

I'm on a decluttering/purging tear right now and I'm even thinking of joining flylady







I really do love the constraints of a smaller space, making me get organized, less upkeep etc. we do have numerous hobbies between the lot of us that have equipment that is hard to find space for, as I see many others here do too. what I am emphatically NOT loving right now is our brown recluse spider problem









with the littles, I keep running into trouble getting anything DONE! who has ideas? I've thought of using friends for childcare swaps, but I have trouble with that since I live really far from everyone else... baby doesn't nap very well lately and I can only wear him for so long because he bites!

I'm thinking of holding myself to getting a storage unit-- meaning, if I think I have to keep it and store it, I should be willing to pay for that. it gets my brain wrapped around putting a price on the keeping of things, kwim?

my biggest issue is what you might call "green guilt"







-- I feel terrible throwing things away! giving away, recycling, selling, burning, composting all are great, but if I have to send something to the landfill I really struggle. I guess for this I should remind myself that a landfill at my house is no better than the county landfill, and it doesn't weigh me down or trash my aesthetic









looking forward to continued reading...


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## treehugz

Our house is ~650sqft... it's me, dh, and 2yr old dd. We're on 16 acres, and the house was built by my grandfather and great-grandfather. Before we moved here, I had a 1300sqft apartment for just me, and dh had a 3000+ sqft house. Now we have storage in 3 different cities!! Hoping to find a way to consolidate soon.

Can't wait to read through all the pages of this thread!


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## kimmom

I wrote WAY back in the thread somewhere too.. We have been in our 220 square foot fifth wheel for almost 2 years now, one plus of them we were travelling though. We are building a passive solar cob home and will be done enough to move in before winter YAHOO!!!!!! I am very excited to have a bigger space. Our new place is 1000 square feet interior, 1285 exterior cause our walls are 2 feet thick and we have an 1800 square foot roof to give overhangs to protect the cob. So depending on who asks I give them one of the three square footages







People who understand smaller space living I say 1000. We have 4 kids and another due in December, our layout is awesome and we will have no problem in the size we have built. We have built no hallways or wasted space at all. In the future we will build another cob "recroom" when the kids get older!


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## Paxjourney

Currently we live in a home that is 1850sq feet. DH, Me, and two little girls. A fairly traditional home of 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a living room, Kitchen/with a dining area and then a LARGE 600 sq foot area that we call the "family room" its where we spend the bulk of our time. We only use one bathroom as the one in the master bath is a postage stamp, poorly laid out and always forgotten about. DH and I look at our home and think our space is more than we need. We both grew up in home this size but with double the amount of ppl.

We will be selling our current home and moving to a 2 bedroom apartment. DH is taking a new job 4 hours from where we currently live. We hope to buy a new home with LAND in the next 18mo/2yrs. We'd like for our new home to be around 1000-1400sq feet.


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## dmpmercury

I live in a 1050 sq foot place with 2 kids and another one here the end of September. I want to live in a small place for environmental reasons but sometimes it feels so cluttered and small and my dh is always complaining but the least willing to part with stuff. He doesn't think you can live in such a small place and I tell him that if the whole world tried to live in a typical American house there wouldn't be enough resources.

A big problem is layout. We have hallway that is wasted space and too much bathroom. The kitchen is tiny. I gladly sacrifice some living room for more kitchen. We have 2 bedrooms which work for now but since we have opposite sex children I don't know if it will work forever.

I was doing really good with decluttering then I got pregnant and slacked off. I feel I can't keep up on the house. I really wish I had family around here or someone who could watch the kids to get stuff done without a wrecking crew defeating the purpose.

We get lots of gifts too I don't know what to do with. My parents and his send lots of clothes and toys but I like a few quality second hand items from rather than a large amount of cheap stuff.

I go back and forth between wanting to be really minamalist and hanging on to things. I too feel bad when I purge stuff and fill up garbage bags but it not doing any good when it causes so much clutter. We have a storage room that is hepful but it needs a serious purge. We had mice and it needs to get cleaned out but my husband won't let me because of the mouse droppings.


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## Pookietooth

We are in a 1000 sq ft apartment, and find that it has a lot of wasted space (long hallway, lots of poorly placed walls, etc.). I think the hardest thing is just keeping up with the clutter. I so hate to do that. I don't like piling everything in the same bin but on the other hand hate sorting things. Am I lazy or what? I wish I could afford a professional organizer.
Kimmom 100 square feet sounds cramped -- does that include the bathroom and closets? Or is there a bathroom?


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## treehugz

Still reading back through this thread's pages... awesome to read about everybody's small houses! We're planning to rearrange, remodel and/or add on to our house, and my dh drew up the floor plan... thought I'd share: Floor Plan. There's a wood cook stove connected at an angle to chimney in the kitchen/dining that eats that whole corner and another wood stove for heat in the living room (also at an angle) that eats that whole corner. If anyone loves playing with floor plans I'd appreciate any ideas! I love looking at floor plans in magazines, but I've stared at our house plan so much, I'm having trouble seeing any new ideas!

The house was originally four square rooms inside a big square, but later a bathroom and expanded kitchen were added. My dad's family of 9 lived here, and usually they had two relatives that stayed with them during the summer... that was before the addition, so I guess they all 9+ lived comfortably (or so they tell me) and without a bathroom in about ~550sqft. Whenever I feel like I need more space, I remind myself of that.


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## treehugz

Whew, just made it through all the pages of this thread. AWESOME stories, ideas, and pics!

One idea to add... a friend of mine used to have a very tiny bedroom. She had two dressers that she put side by side and then put her full-size mattress directly on top of the dressers. It worked great.

Has anybody read A Pattern Language? I stumbled across its suggestions for using alcoves and nooks, and love it ... especially for bed clusters for kids, so they each have their own bed/private space but not their own room. Here's a link: http://vasarhelyi.eu/books/A_pattern...e_book/apl.htm


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## kimmom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pookietooth* 
We are in a 1000 sq ft apartment, and find that it has a lot of wasted space (long hallway, lots of poorly placed walls, etc.). I think the hardest thing is just keeping up with the clutter. I so hate to do that. I don't like piling everything in the same bin but on the other hand hate sorting things. Am I lazy or what? I wish I could afford a professional organizer.
Kimmom 100 square feet sounds cramped -- does that include the bathroom and closets? Or is there a bathroom?

I meant to say 1000 square feet not 100


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## Pinoikoi

I have a fairly long hallway too.. I am thinking though that once babygirl is ready for a fullsize bed, and I have to move her from the nursery (which is too small) that I might make the long hallway into a walk in closet, and knock out the wall between the nursery and my bedroom. This would make my bedroom much bigger, give me a walk in closet, PLUS then I could knock out the wall between the existing walkin and my bathroom and remodel my bath into something bigger.. but that would take a whopping amount of money.


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## momofmine

I am struggling with wanting to move to a larger space, or add on to our existing space. Our boys are getting older and I just want elbow room. I want them to have room to spread out, for them to have their friends over and have space to play and hang out. I want to be a house where their friends feel comfortable hanging out and just spending time. I want them to have a place that they feel is their own. I want to be able to have people over and not feel so cramped. Our house also has zero storage, and we spend a lot of time here because we homeschool, so I want to have space to store the things that we actually use, and to use them too. I really just want a bigger house, or at least a garage or attic, or just one extra room. But at the same time, I feel it is only for a short time. I want a bigger house now, but then my kids will be grown and then what would I do with a bigger house? Plus, we have such a reasonable mortgage, so it gives us money to do other things that I like about our life. I could go out and earn more money and buy a bigger house but then that would be money that we could spend on travel, college, or other things that enhance our lives. Although, I also feel that having a bit more space would enhance our lives too.

Just venting out loud here, because I've really been considering the possibility of adding on a room, and in the process I've thought, well maybe we should just move to a bigger house. DH thinks everything is fine here and we just have too much stuff. But he leaves and goes to work every day. For us it is more than just a place to eat dinner and sleep.

I absolutely am happy and grateful to have a home, in the market where we live!







Just kind of struggling right now with whether or not to consider either moving, investing in our home to add on, or just staying with how things are.


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## goddessjulia

Pinoikoi, that depends-- a sledgehammer doesn't cost much







as long as you're not knocking out supporting walls, you can do all that wall work you described for very little cash and a big mess to clean up







even trimming out the walls isn't that bad (this from a farm wife homeschool momma who is very, very seriously broke!). the bathroom redo could get costly, but you could do the other stuff and postpone the bath part, if you were really feelin' the call









momofmine, what about something temporary, like a cabin tent in the yard? or what about enlisting a friend to help you do a tremendous purge, then see how much stuff you have? what about more clever storage solutions, dual-purpose furnishings, going vertical with stuff? in other words, how far towards the space you want can you go without having to build more space? imho, better to reduce needs to the minimum before expanding unnecessarily, kwim?

I can't remember if it was this thread or the purge one, but someone recently posted a video of this guy's apartment... darnit, I can't remember the details. I *think* it was in tokyo but I'm not sure. anyway, it was super tiny, about 350 sq ft, but he had built these amazing rolling walls so rooms essentially collapsed away when not in use. I'm thinking of getting dh to build a double-sided bookshelf wall on wheels modeled after that idea. if it's done right so the shelves are adjustable, it can hold all kinds of things which can change as the kids' needs change, including lots of homeschool supplies, toys, collectibles, and obviously books. thinking of your boys possibly wanting a little more privacy, I wonder if something similar could work in your house? a rolling wall that might close off an area in a room where there's a tv or game console, for instance, where they could hang with their friends with a little extra privacy? have they asked for this privacy? maybe they have ideas about how it can work in the space you already have.

just brewing ideas along with my decaf


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## goddessjulia

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treehugz* 
If anyone loves playing with floor plans I'd appreciate any ideas! I love looking at floor plans in magazines, but I've stared at our house plan so much, I'm having trouble seeing any new ideas!

treehugz, I take it this is the plan as it is now? what sort of changes do you think you want to make?


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## goddessjulia

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimmom* 
In the future we will build another cob "recroom" when the kids get older!

I would LOOOOOVE a cob recroom! I think about doing that all. the. time. or maybe an earthbag studio just for me


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## maymay12

hello,
i would try to search some information for you..


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## treehugz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *goddessjulia* 
treehugz, I take it this is the plan as it is now? what sort of changes do you think you want to make?

Hah! What changes DON'T I want to make! That is the current plan of the house. Here are some of the main changes we want:
1. the living room only connects with the kitchen/dining through a small doorway... we'd like it more open to help the flow of traffic and make it possible to have guests.
2. the living room is very cramped, with three doors, two low windows, a wall heater, and a wood stove. We'd like to expand this area... I also have an antique wall piano that we'd like to create an alcove for in here (it's in the bedroom now).
3. stackable washer/dryer and water heater are now taking up real estate in the kitchen... they need their own space.
4. only one closet in the house and it's small and in the bathroom. We want to add closets for the bedrooms... perhaps adding another bath if we expand those rooms.
5. make better use of the south side of the house. We want to do some passive solar. Right now the south entry sun is blocked by a screened porch (currently our workshop for the renovations we've done so far)... we've talked about reconfiguring the main house layout or adding on to put the living room on the south side of the house.

The house has significant family historical value to us, so we don't want to make any radical changes that alter the original look and "feel" of the house... i.e. no huge two story additions that dwarf the house. We have TONS of wants and ideas, but can't seem to figure out how to make them actually work. We're only seeing the constraints right now... no solutions.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momofmine* 
DH thinks everything is fine here and we just have too much stuff. But he leaves and goes to work every day. For us it is more than just a place to eat dinner and sleep.









... that's us. And yet most of the stuff is his and it's such a challenge to get him to get rid of anything!!


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## MamaRabbit

Haven't posted here in awhile! We are a family of 6 living in 800 sq ft. The layout is not good at all. It's 2 single apartment units combined. One tiny bedroom for 4 kids to share and we literally do not have enough bed space for them now. We have been eyeing our nextdoor neighbors apartment for a couple years and last month approached them with an offer to sell to us... and they were about to put it on the market! We signed papers today







So now we will have 1200 sq ft. My mind is spinning on how to combine these units together to make it workable and look nice with certain walls having to stay put. We also have some stuff in storage so I'm now going through it all to see if we can get rid of our storage space. So exciting, but daunting at the same time.


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## wombatclay

We're still sanding drywall









I'm hoping that we'll be cleared by the code office and moved into the addition by Yule. I'd LOVE to have a holiday tree that can "use" the high ceiling! For now we're still a family of 5 (and a cat) in a two room cabin of roughly 850 sq/ft. Once the addition is done we'll be a family of 5 (and a cat) in a four room cabin of roughly 1100 sq/ft. So not exactly "tiny" but still "small".









For those looking for space... vertical space rocks! As does the space between wall studs. An interior wall (so no insulation) might have 12-18 or even 24 inches of space between the studs. Just open up the wall (check for wires as you go!) and install shelves. It's not a lot of space, but it adds up!


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## brennatsi

Hi there!
We are a family of five in 1460 s.f. I don't know who takes up more space: the 14-year-old or the two- and four-year-old?








This was supposed to be the two year house and it has been six years. And, now that we are looking seriously at a child in college, this might be it for us.
I regret that it is a townhouse and we have no yard, no playroom, no room for guests to stay over, little storage. However, we are in walking distance of downtown, we can pay our mortgage, we are always keeping an eye on the kids and spending time together, our yardwork is done for us.
I am trying to love this space. We moved in feeling like it is temporary, and we have treated it as temporary for six years. It is cluttered and not rationalized.
I am on this thread for inspiration! Help me take good care of this!
(If I can really love this house, we may not need to upgrade, and I can stay home with my babies longer!!!)

Thanks, mamas!!


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## brennatsi

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momofmine* 
I am struggling with wanting to move to a larger space, or add on to our existing space. Our boys are getting older and I just want elbow room. I want them to have room to spread out, for them to have their friends over and have space to play and hang out. I want to be a house where their friends feel comfortable hanging out and just spending time. I want them to have a place that they feel is their own. I want to be able to have people over and not feel so cramped. Our house also has zero storage, and we spend a lot of time here because we homeschool, so I want to have space to store the things that we actually use, and to use them too. I really just want a bigger house, or at least a garage or attic, or just one extra room. But at the same time, I feel it is only for a short time. I want a bigger house now, but then my kids will be grown and then what would I do with a bigger house? Plus, we have such a reasonable mortgage, so it gives us money to do other things that I like about our life. I could go out and earn more money and buy a bigger house but then that would be money that we could spend on travel, college, or other things that enhance our lives. Although, I also feel that having a bit more space would enhance our lives too.

Just venting out loud here, because I've really been considering the possibility of adding on a room, and in the process I've thought, well maybe we should just move to a bigger house. DH thinks everything is fine here and we just have too much stuff. But he leaves and goes to work every day. For us it is more than just a place to eat dinner and sleep.

I absolutely am happy and grateful to have a home, in the market where we live!







Just kind of struggling right now with whether or not to consider either moving, investing in our home to add on, or just staying with how things are.

Basically, everything that she said!







I am so grateful for what we have.. except when it seems overwhelming and miserable, blah blah. I think I need an attitude adjustment because it doesn't look like I will be getting more space anytime soon- lol!


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## rightkindofme

I posted waaaaaaaaaaaay upthread.







We have ~950 sq ft. It's a three bedroom/one bath 1950's tract house. I never wanted to move into this house because the layout sucks but I didn't bully my partner into selling before marrying him so now that the housing market crashed I'm probably stuck here forever. We like being in the bay area and we really can't afford a better house here. Like a year ago I refinanced to a 15 year mortgage and cut 8 years off the life of our mortgage and we are paying it down aggressively. I'm really hoping that we have our mortgage completely paid off before I'm 40 and my husband is 45.









I've done a lot to make our house better for me. I painted the walls super bright cheerful colors (PURPLE! BLUE! GREEN! RASPBERRY!) and I finished the two car garage with the help of a friend and turned it into a playroom/pantry. It has helped a lot in terms of making the house feel less crowded (so really I'm probably up to like 1200 sq ft of livable space). I declutter constantly. I'm always trying to get rid of stuff and find a way to make our house feel more cozy. I don't know what my next move will be, but I'm feeling discontent with the space again. I want something to change. I probably should hang out and wait a couple of years and save money but it's hard. I would really like to have more usable space in the backyard and I can't do most of that work by myself and my husband has zero interest in house improvement stuff. So I have to save up and pay for help. And we just had an expensive year because of the new baby. Money is the eternal limiting factor.


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## nina_yyc

I love reading this thread so I guess I should just get it over with and post









We are a family of 4 living in a 700sf apartment style condo. Location is very important to us and we are just outside of downtown. It is a really modern and stylish layout, very open, no hallway. One of the big selling points of the place was a walk through closet between the master bedroom and bath - perfect!

We bought 2.5yrs ago when we had one 18mo child. I grew up in a house but have lived in apartments for 11yrs. DH and I have been together now for 9yrs. For the past 5 we have shared a car and DH works downtown, which meant that the price of living in the inner city was more worth it for us than for some. Before kids we scorned the whole idea of buying a home and cruised through many happy years of a renter's market, living cheap, traveling and paying off debt. Sigh, the old days









I can easily see the practicality of a larger space now...more room to entertain, backyard, home office. As much as I'd appreciate these things I don't ever think I could live in a really large house - who would clean all that?? I also don't want to trade the neighborhood - by far the most walkable place I have lived, even by 3yo standards. I think about 1000 sf with a small yard sounds perfect


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## momofmine

Thanks for the suggestions to my lament! I do think we could probably get rid of even more stuff, it's just that we actually do use these things because we homeschool and my kids are tinkerers. They are project happy.









I feel like part of this is sort of a huge dilemma in feeling like I am shifting away from my previous values. I used to value simplicity, staying home with my kids, not consuming more than what I need for the basics. Now, I look at other homes and feel a twinge of jealousy. I want a neighborhood where my kids can go out and ride their bikes, I don't want to be so close to a busy street, I want a second bathroom! LOL. I am grateful to have what I have, so when I talk to DH about this, I feel like I am being greedy or something. He is more of a "making do" personality. When it comes to life in general, he just kind of rolls with it, whereas I tend to always be like "okay, what's next??" I think I need to get myself busy thinking about other things and get my mind off of this. But part of me is just feeling so stuck in this house. The clutter is overwhelming and making me feel like I just can't focus on anything else. I keep thinking things like, I just need some more bookshelves and then I could put some of these stuff up and out of the way. But then we are waiting to fix the floors to get any more shelves. It seems like everything is waiting on something else. So it makes me want to just make a decision and do something about it. Either put my energy into making this home what it can be, or look for something different.


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## nina_yyc

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momofmine* 
I feel like part of this is sort of a huge dilemma in feeling like I am shifting away from my previous values. I used to value simplicity, staying home with my kids, not consuming more than what I need for the basics. Now, I look at other homes and feel a twinge of jealousy. I want a neighborhood where my kids can go out and ride their bikes, I don't want to be so close to a busy street, I want a second bathroom! LOL.

I totally feel your pain on this. The social pressure to live in a bigger house is really prevalent here. Virtually all of DD's friends have backyards and I am embarrassed to host playdates and parties, except for our very close friends. I know most of these people are in debt up to their eyeballs but I still feel like a bad provider







The only children in our neighborhood are those of recent immigrants who are renting for a couple years before they get their big single family house. It is a weird vibe...I feel that walkable/central location vs. 'neighborhood feel' is a pretty close judgment call and it's odd that we are the ONLY ones with children who picked location. I think that personally I need to find some middle ground. A 3000sf home out in the sprawl would make me hate mysef too.


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## EmTheWife

Can I join? Oh the dilemmas and joys of a small home!
We are myself, DH of nearly 5 years, and our son who's 4 months. We bought our home a year before getting pregnant, when we still had two incomes and before pay cuts. The house is a 1100 sq ft duplex on a 6600 sq ft lot, just at the edge of downtown, our ideal location. We own the whole thing, so the plan was to combine the units when kids came along, but with pay cuts we can't afford that, so we are living in the back unit, which is 500 sq ft, with a nice back yard and a 1.5 car garage. It's a bit cramped with only one small bedroom, but we fit! We love it that it takes 20 minutes to clean, you don't have to shout to be heard, and you don't have to have much to make it homey


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## sweetcheeks

Bumping this thread back up to show off our basement renovation.







Our house has 850 sq. ft. on the main floor -- 2 BR, 1 bath -- and the full size basement, pre-renovation, had a storage room, a large open area we used as a playroom and computer area, and 1 bedroom with a window that barely met code. Which meant we were not comfortable having our oldest down there. With the 5 of us squeezed into the 2 small bedrooms upstairs, it was getting cramped. Moving to a bigger house was out of the question, as our area has not been affected by recession and housing prices are very high compared to when we bought 5.5 year ago (we could easily sell our house now for double what we paid for it).

So in late March of last year, we gutted the whole basement down to the concrete walls and started over. We DIY'ed the whole job, including cutting out openings for and installing 2 new windows in the 2 bedrooms, we even did all the plumbing for the new 3 pc. bath and all the electrical. We now have a basement with 2 bedrooms, a 3 pc. bath, storage/utility room and a lovely family room. Our home is now a 2+2 bedroom, 2 bath home and it will allow us to stay here in our house for years to come.

As I said, we started in late March of last year and the major work was done and the basement was habitable by the time the big kids started school in September. I'm not going to lie, it was a very long, tiring and trying project and I had more than one hissy fit about not having a usable basement for such a long time. But it was worth it in the end. Each of my kids has their own room and they love having their own space!

Finally a link to my flickr with before and afters... don't mind the dates on my pics, I never set the correct date on my cameras! LOL!


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## samstress

wow, great job!

quite an undertaking. i wouldn't even know where to begin with such a project.

what a great feeling to finally have it done. kudos to you!


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## justmama

love the basement renovation. great job. we have that exact same kitchen set. My kids use it on a daily basis.


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## HeatherAtHome

The basement renovation looks great!


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## JesKace

Wow, what a great use of all the space you have! It came out great!!!


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## EmTheWife

Beautiful renovation!

We are considering buying a larger home (1000 sq ft vs our current 500), but it would need to be totally gutted and renovated...Your project gives us hope!


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## GearGirl

Wow, great renovation with the basement, it's so bright and pretty now!


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## katiecat

Gosh I love this thread though I've never posted. I haven't felt our space is "too small" until just recently as we are planning a kitchen renovation and I just don't have big enough areas to do what I want!

We are three: dh, me and ds who is 8 in a house that is I think total 1100 sq. feet. The basement is not finished and used only for storage. Can I ask...what do other people have as far as an eating area/area to sit around a table and play a board or card game/workspace (non-computer) and workspace with the computer? I am trying to figure out how to fit these areas into our eat-in but small kitchen and living room area. We don't have a dining room. The areas can be combined - like I do plan the eating area can be the game playing and non-computer workspace but I am having trouble fitting in a table that will sit even as many as 4 as well as have a computer area. (Currently the computer is in the living room which totally works for us.)


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## nina_yyc

Quote:


> We are three: dh, me and ds who is 8 in a house that is I think total 1100 sq. feet. The basement is not finished and used only for storage. Can I ask...what do other people have as far as an eating area/area to sit around a table and play a board or card game/workspace (non-computer) and workspace with the computer? I am trying to figure out how to fit these areas into our eat-in but small kitchen and living room area. We don't have a dining room. The areas can be combined - like I do plan the eating area can be the game playing and non-computer workspace but I am having trouble fitting in a table that will sit even as many as 4 as well as have a computer area. (Currently the computer is in the living room which totally works for us.)


I have spent the past 2.5 years trying to figure this out. Seriously.

We have a kitchen/living/dining room in a 700sf apartment. I will try to describe it for you and let me know if you want a pic and I will post it when I'm at home.

The west half of the room is the living room with a flatscreen TV and cabinet on the west wall. The couch faces the TV and divides the room. The east half of the room has a kitchen 'peninsula' coming out from the east wall. One side is kitchen and the other side is dining room/computer area. Basically the dining room is a skinny rectangle.

Our computer is a laptop and it lives on a console table against the back (east) wall of the dining room. I couldn't find a skinny desk when we were furnishing but I've seen great options since. Under the console table we also have two stools which we bring out if we have company. I have a rectangular dining table along the side (south) wall with its end to the wall. We have two chairs on each side. The other end goes out into the room. There's just enough room between that end and the 'peninsula' to walk through and sit at the chairs.

For the longest time I tried to put the table lengthwise in the dining room - it seems so intuitive! We even bought the narrowest table we could find. I had the table's side against the wall, which worked fine as long as we were seating three (one end has a leaf so you would have to sit sideways.) Then came baby  I tried to put the table lengthwise in the middle of the room but there wasn't quite enough clearance for chairs on both sides and I was always having to get out if our 4yo had to go pee etc. Putting the table END to the wall actually created a narrower space to walk through, but since there are no chairs there it works better. There is tons of space now to pull the chairs in and out.

I wanted to have the capacity to entertain in our place which is why we have a leaf table and the console table also folds out into a 4 seat dining table. When I had 9 for Thanksgiving I pushed the couch into the dining room and had the dining table and console table set up in the living room. Totally worked!!

The previous owners of the home had a round dining table in the same space. It looked OK but not a huge amount of clearance for chairs and no capacity to entertain.


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## katiecat

I am glad I'm not the only one trying to figure it out. Thanks Nina! I can picture what you are saying and can see how turning the table made a difference. I am toying with the idea of a wall of bookcases (I like that look) with a desk that comes out at right angles for the computer. I do need something that can accomodate a printer and we have a big monitor (I'd rather have just a laptop - so much more convenient).


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## treehugz

Katiecat, we have a floor-to-ceiling wall of bookcases... it rocks for space-saving. BUT right now it's gotten cluttered with games and a few boxes and books wedged in on top of books standing up and some other miscellaneous stuff shoved here and there, and there's not one free space to put one more thing... with the clutter it's a really imposing eyesore, and it's really affecting my chi (or whatever that is). I MUST declutter and organize it!!!


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## katiecat

I think that is a common problem with open shelves!! Are the bookcases built in? I am just thinking to buy 3 bookcases or something like that. I know I love pictures in magazines of a wall of books but in reality it's easy for it to get too cluttered and filled with other things that don't look so nice.


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## chel

i agree bookcases either look nice, but then are just full of dusty nicknacks or are full of stuff and look cluttered. maybe try ikea, they had lots of shelving units where you fit bins or baskets which would look much neater


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## treehugz

Well, the shelves are in our kitchen... there's a built-in upper/lower kitchen cabinet in the middle of the wall and then we put matching floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on either side. They aren't custom (dh made them, but not specifically for this space) and aren't built-in, but they fit pretty well. It's just so easy to put stuff on them!! And when it's a whole wall that looks cluttered, it can really make a huge negative impact on the room... and our kitchen is the first room you enter when you enter our house, making matters worse.

We have another small wall of bookshelves in our bedroom (2 matching shelves side by side between a wall and the door) that I bought a few baskets for. The baskets look great, but they were expensive to find the right size... so everywhere there's not a basket, it looks cluttered. If we used the shelves for just books and anything else was in baskets, it would probably look good. But we have so much other miscellaneous stuff that doesn't have another home! Think I need to do some spring cleaning!!


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## kerc

just found ya'll (again?). We solved the small house issue 3 years ago by doubling our square footage (754 above ground to 1200 above ground). There are still issues.

I'm so impressed with the basement work. I'd LOVE to do that to our basement -- it could mean we have the tv not in the living room and my husband's "office" space could move there as well.


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## ShellieC

We're a family of 4 (soon to be 5) and a cat. We currently live in a horribly layed out 4 level split that totals 2215sqft including the basement (furnace room & cold room included). There are 3 br upstairs, and 2 more on other levels, and FOUR bathrooms! Oh and a huge hard to maintain lot & double detached garage. My bro-in-law has lived with us most of our time here (and we renovated the basement for him to live in) but he's moving out May 1 and we're itching for a smaller place.

We're considering moving to a 3 br & 1 bathroom 1000sqft house in a small town within commuting distance to dh's work. It would seem like a crazy move to most of the people we know (esp my mom!) but is actually exciting to think about. We'd find it so fun to sell our furniture & start fresh with new stuff to fit. It's a 100 yr old house but recently modernized so quite nice and fresh looking. Anyway, I just wanted to say that this thread is motivating me to do this & we are having a viewing of the house tomorrow.


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## Momsteader

Shellie, that sounds wonderful to me too! A fresh start is always so freeing


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## sabrinat

I haven't posted on this thread in ages. Life has changed a lot over the time. It's just me and the kids now. Still in the house, but I've been thinking tons about downsizing from 1700 to this cute little fixeruper cottage. I want to live in house that doesn't have an HOA and I'd like to reduce my expenses since I'm in Grad school now. I've been working on my ongoing effort to declutter and let go of stuff. It's definitely a process.


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## Paxjourney

New to this thread (I think). We moved from our 1900sq ft home to a 975 sq ft apartment for 6mos while looking for a more perm. place since moving 5 hrs away. Our new home is 1200sq ft. 2 bedroom 1 1/2 bath place. It's a perfect fit for us. 975 sq worked fine but it was a bad layout and we prefer our townhouse over having upstairs, downstairs and side neighbors.


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## Paigekitten

What a cool thread! We have a 880 square foot house for the four of us, two cats, and a dog, but we are trying to downsize! One of the bedrooms is completely empty, the living room just has my piano in it, which we may sell, and I prefer having our dining table in the kitchen instead of the little dining area. We have a full and two twin beds in one room with a bookcase, and then a chair, side table, desk, tv, and all the toys in the third bedroom. I really like living in less space, and keep thinking if we had a loft for the beds, all we'd really need is one room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.


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## accountclosed3

that sounds awesome, pax.  i love when families have only as many bedroom as needed. two daughters in one, you and your partner in another, and the rest of the house a shared space. sounds lovely to me. 

paige:

we have considered the idea of a 'sleeping room' and in fact have sort of ended up that way (for now). We're not sure where it's all going to go long term, but we do know that we can stay in this cottage for quite a long time -- until ds moves into his own bed, and who knows how long after that. we have a day bed in the living room, which is great for guests as DS still sleeps with us but he can move in there when he is ready. this, of course, is completely open to our bedroom, which makes the cottage kind of "loft styled" in a way.

so hard for me to describe.

our "second bedroom" (10 x 7.5 ft) is essentially our closet. I plan to curtain off the closet part, add book cases along the remainder of the long wall, and potentially use it as a "reading room." currently, DH sits on the floor in there and reads, so it may end up being that anyway. LOL

we work in our kitchen (which is where our dining table is), and we hang out a fair bit in our living room (DS's toys are there) and we need a book case in there for our day-to-day things: DS's toys, the books that are "in use" and also a place for our computer while charging or what not. something simple anyway.

i look forward to "moving into" this cottage in these ways. And, we can bring our boxes over from the US.

we work in our kitchen, so it wi


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## captivatedlife

We just moved from a 550 sq. ft. condo to our first house at 1080 sq. ft. When you almost double space, it feels amazing - but our last space looked like a hoarders place so this place actually fits all our stuff - with room - plenty of room - to spare! I can have my sewing machine out where it is handy! I can have my yarn where I can actually get to it! We stockpile food and we can actually have a stockpile! This size is perfect for us because of the layout - 2 bedrooms, living room, family room.

We are still small, but now we are happy with our small. It works for my very crafty, very handmade, which also means very fu8ll of craft supplies, life.


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## accountclosed3

it's so nice to have a place for everything and everything in it's place.


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## samstress

they had a tiny house challenge on design star. it was fun to see what the three final designers could do with 110 sq ft of space.


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## larablue

We currently live in a 580 sqf apartment (living room, bedroom, kitchen, bath).

At the moment, we are 3, but next year, we will have another little one with us.

I guess, that will make a bit of a challenge.

The thing I miss at the moment is that our balcony cannot really be used, because the street is so noisy.

I would never have thought that it could be possible for me to live in such small circumstances, but it works pretty well for us at the moment.


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## kitchensqueen

This is a great thread.  Small homes are the way to go - I like things are human scale.

My husband, baby and I currently live in a one bedroom apartment - not sure of the square footage, but it's under/around 600 square feet. We have a nice layout, so it feels like a little cottage and not so much like an apartment, which I like. We have a semi-private deck out back too, so that's been great. In the nearly ten years my husband and I have been living together, this is our first place with outdoor space!

It's our goal to buy or build our own small home in the next few years. We won't go over 1000 square feet. Ideally, I'd like to buy a bit of land (1-5 acres) and build the Tumbleweed Enesti 3 bedroom model. If we go that route, the downstairs bedroom would actually be a dining room and the dining nook would get turned into a pantry. The other option we're considering is the Country Plans Universal Cottage. If we don't get to build, I'd like to buy something that has a farmhouse look and feel to it, or a bungalow.

I'm curious - why did you decide that living small was the way to go for your family?


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