My husband and I currently live in an area where living in a home with a minimum of 3,000 square feet is normal. Our current house barely squeaks out at 2,100 square feet with no basement and no outside storage building such as a shed. We are a family of five plus one dog. We are well aware that in some parts of the world, this is an enormous amount of space for a family of our size.
We are not immune to the desire of more space. We know in some aspects more space would be easier. At the moment, we are content with our space, and we will only move if it is the right time, a house has the right lot, and it falls within our set budget. Currently, we love our yard, and the love of our yard has kept us from moving.
For us the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
Advantages:
*Less house to clean and less time cleaning a house: Almost all house expenses relate back to the size of the home including a basic house clean, if a cleaner is utilized.
*Lower utility bills: As long as there are not significant leaks throughout the house, a smaller home typically results in lower heating and air bills.
*No rooms left unused: Our house has 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms, one kitchen, one family room, one dining room, laundry and one small flex room. Every room is used on a daily basis. Larger homes often have formal living, dining or basement rooms that may only get used on a rare occasion.
*Less to replace when renovating: As with cleaning, almost all project budgets are based on the size of the home, and costs can escalate based on the amount of something needed. Renovating a smaller home could be less expensive based on the choices of finishes, but some people may choose higher end finishes because there is less to buy.
*Unexpected shopping savings: With a smaller home, there is only so much that can be purchased because there is limited amount of space. There are numerous times I see cute items and pass on them knowing there is not one spot in our home that we can make it work.
Disadvantages:
*Less space: While obvious, it is an disadvantage. I never feel this more than when family comes to visit or we have really cold days during the winter keeping us trapped in our home. Working from home can be a challenge with kids because there is limited quiet space.
*Everything has to have a place: This is often difficult with kids and often requires periodic reorganization and purging. Without giving everything a home, a home becomes a cluttered mess quickly.
*Lack of storage: My husband and I are learning to use every space as efficiently as possible and are building organization to utilize every nook and cranny where needed.
*Limitations on gifts: We have to set size limitations and the amount of gifts given to our children. There simply is no room for some toys. Many toys are very large, and with three kids, our home can only hold so many. It has not always been easily understood but has been honored for the most part.
Writer Bio: Summer Bolte
I spend most of my time and days with my three kids, husband and dog. My kids frequently play near me as I garden, cook, DIY and volunteer. My most unusual paying job has to be feeding fruit flies in a research lab, and my most fulfilling job was being an oncology nurse for seven years.
