How much space does a family truly need?

[SK in CV]

[quote=all]A recent study shows that an average Californian family need 981sf + 508sf/family member + 91sf/pet (not including garage space) before true happiness can be attained.[/quote]

Is that for real? That would mean my family would have needed around 3200 sq feet. Seems big, at least for me. When my kids were still home, 1/2 the time was in 2400 sq ft, and half was in 3600. Smaller one was plenty of room, even had a room we rarely used, though it was a ranch, so it felt a lot bigger than a two-story with the same sq ft feels. The larger one was just a lot of wasted space where it wasn’t needed.

[bearishgurl]

sdsurfer, how big is your lot (in Encinitas)? Since you are in the family-growing-and-raising stage, I don’t see you being able to stay in your (coveted) Encinitas if you later decide to sell and then shop for a larger house in the future. I see you having to shop in a lesser-desirable community such as PQ, Poway or Esco or the various new developments in SD County’s “lizardland” where you will pay MR into oblivion if you wish to remain in SD North County.

If your lot is adequate for it, it is cheaper to add-on to your present house than move, IMO. I don’t know what part of Encinitas you live in but if your lot is over 7500 sf and you do not have intermittent train noise, then I feel you will be able to recoup the cost of a major remodel or addition in your sales price when or if you decide to retire elsewhere.

[JC]

I don’t know if this helps your survey, but I live in a house that is just under 1300 square feet and it is actually too big for me AND in this space the dogs actually have their own room. (Not what I intended when I moved in, but….).

I love my place but would have been fine in 900 square feet. Just got tired of looking after 5 years and went with whoever said yes to my offer.

Lucky for me I had a great realtor and I really do love my place. (It just seems a total waste that I have one full bedroom that I have never used). 🙂

[flyer]

We happen to have a very large home (mainly because we got a “steal” in RSF many years ago) in which we raised our kids. We all have great memories of everything from birthday and pool parties to graduations, to–you name it–when it comes to our home of 20+ years.

Of course, as many others have mentioned, the lifestyle we gave our kids apart from our home are also memories we cherish, and, IMO, it’s really all about the family, not so much the house–large or small.

For those who still have younger kids going forward, a larger home might be practical, from a multi-generational perspective.

We have friends who have this situation, and have also seen stats that, more than ever, a very large number of families are living under one roof indefinitely–with kids and grandparents–especially in expensive locations. Either that, or many end of up leaving the state for financial reasons.

[paramount]

I went from a 1400 sq ft house to 2400 sq ft and definitely appreciate the space.

But I also have a large family.

I also think the 9ft ceilings in my 2400 sq ft house also goes a long way in making the house feel roomier.

I could make it in a smaller house, but only if I had no other choice.

As far as the beach is concerned I go twice-three times a year and that’s enough for me.

[FlyerInHi]

I have 2 homes. One is a 1800sf house. But i love my small 679sf condo most. It’s modern, uncluttered and minimalist. It’s in a great location walking distance of everything. I enjoy the neighborhood that I don’t even need Internet at home. Too bad I’m not there as often as I wish.

At one point used to live in a 3000sf. But no interest to ever go back.

Spd suggestion of 2bed near Central Park sounds appealing.

[spdrun]

(probably closer to Riverside or Ft. Greene park, since it’s more affordable at least right now. though there is still a section of NYC from 100th to 109th st where you can pick up something with low carrying charges and within spitting distance of CP for a reasonable price)

[cvmom]

One data point: My family (2 adults, 2 kids) lives in 1300 sq ft, 3BR 2BA. Each kid has their own room. We do miss having a guest room, but that is an issue only 1% of the time. The rest of the time it really works for us. We downsized from 3100 sq ft, and feel that we are much closer as a family as a result. And we love all of the European travel, fancy kid camps, etc. that we can afford because we live so modestly.

[scaredyclassic]

our experience, all in the hazy glow of retrospectiveintrospectiveness…..im skipping some years in here cause the numbers elude me…

3 years in tiny student married apt housing. no kids. extremely happy and satisfied.

5 years in 1400 sq ft super nicely renovated mobile home, with 2 kids. extremely happy and satsified

4 years in 1500 sq ft prefab house. 3 kids extremely happy and satisfied.

3 years in 3300 sq ft mansion. 3 kids, one leaving for college. extremely happy and satisfied …but it’s kind of a pain to sweep and mop the damn downstairs tile floor….

[bearishgurl]

sdsurfer, I’ve owned several homes in SD County and all of them have been about 1750 – 2200 sf (all 4 br/2 ba).

All but one were on oversized lots and all were big enough for my family.

However, I am considering moving out of SD County and downsizing next year, when my youngest leaves for college.

I myself plus my pets can easily live in 1300-1400 sf but I really think 1700 sf is the smallest I would want for two people. In any case, for me, a one-story with two-car garage and at least 6000 sf of the lot being flat and entirely useable is mandatory (incl a completely flat driveway). In addition, I want at least 18 feet between my future home and my neighbors on the same side of the street and wouldn’t mind if I didn’t have any close neighbors.

For a variety of reasons, I never have and will never accept a property which is a PUD, condo or has Mello Roos.

For just myself, I wouldn’t mind an (SFR tract) HOA as long as the dues are payable on an annual basis and do not exceed $400 per year.

[spdrun]

^^^

I have no problem with well-run condos where the board isn’t composed of petty wannabe gestapomen. The condo I bought in SD falls into that good category, though I can’t say the same about the managing agent.

(One employee of the management co actually told me that I “should have bought it to live in it”, despite there being no rules against renting. I asked him whether he’d rather it have sat vacant in dilapidated condition.)

[CA renter]

Totally agree with paramount regarding higher ceilings making a difference. They can make a small place feel airy and open.

We’ve lived in a <1300 sf house with two small kids and were totally happy in it. Currently, our house is just over 2,200 sf, and we have three older and larger kids, and are exceedingly happy here, too.

We work and school at home, so are here pretty much 24/7. This takes up more space because the family room is a dedicated school/play room, but even after accounting for this, the house feels perfectly spacious and well-sized for our family.

As another poster already noted, you can have a well-designed 1,200 sf house that feels spacious and open, and you can have a 4,000 sf house that is poorly designed and feels totally claustrophobic. It's not the size that matters as much as the layout, orientation (sunny or dark), location/size/number of windows, ceilings, etc.

Nothing beats a nice place to play or hang out outside, IMHO, especially if there are nice trees and other types of attractive vegetation. Throw in great neighbors and a nice, walkable neighborhood, and the size of the house becomes less and less of an issue, especially in Southern California where you can be outdoors most days of the year.

[sdsurfer]

Right on! Thanks everyone who contributed on this one. I’ll have to go over this with the wife and talk about some of the points raised. We do sometimes wish our ceilings were a little higher for that roomy feel. I like how someone mentioned the minimalist aspect that we could have more space, but it might just end up being cluttered with a bunch of stuff we do not need anyways. Reminds me of backpacking when I was younger and how it is so hard to pack and figure out what is necessary and what is not, but once you are gone a couple months you realize you actually do not even need everything that you have in your bag. We are actually on an 8900 square foot lot so we might go the route of adding on one day, but who knows. I know I’ve learned a bit here and appreciate all the comments. Thank you!

[all]

[quote=SK in CV][quote=all]A recent study shows that an average Californian family need 981sf + 508sf/family member + 91sf/pet (not including garage space) before true happiness can be attained.[/quote]

Is that for real? That would mean my family would have needed around 3200 sq feet. Seems big, at least for me. When my kids were still home, 1/2 the time was in 2400 sq ft, and half was in 3600. Smaller one was plenty of room, even had a room we rarely used, though it was a ranch, so it felt a lot bigger than a two-story with the same sq ft feels. The larger one was just a lot of wasted space where it wasn’t needed.[/quote]

Ah, sorry. It was supposed to say ‘a recent made up study’.

[all]

[quote=6packscaredy]but it’s kind of a pain to sweep and mop the damn downstairs tile floor….[/quote]

Get roomba at Costco. It won’t mop, but it will get off the charging station, sweep and go back.

[Author]

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