I am getting on an airplane...
tomorrow.
I am leaving my two girls in the care of a friend {and not a family member} for the first time....
ever.
I am heading to Portland, Oregon to visit private school options......
which will dictate where we will ultimately live.
Step one in this move.
We are encouraged by the first couple showings we have had {without officially listing our house, yet}.
One family asked to see a plat survey to see if they could add-on to our little cottage. Encouraging!
I will return next week.....
but as I begin thinking about our perfect "next" cottage......
I want to ask you......
does size matter?
What size home does YOUR family live in? Do you wish it was bigger? Smaller? I would love to hear what you have to say!
* and you thought this post was about something completely different......I am apalled!
tomorrow.
I am leaving my two girls in the care of a friend {and not a family member} for the first time....
ever.
I am heading to Portland, Oregon to visit private school options......
which will dictate where we will ultimately live.
Step one in this move.
We are encouraged by the first couple showings we have had {without officially listing our house, yet}.
One family asked to see a plat survey to see if they could add-on to our little cottage. Encouraging!
I will return next week.....
but as I begin thinking about our perfect "next" cottage......
I want to ask you......
does size matter?
What size home does YOUR family live in? Do you wish it was bigger? Smaller? I would love to hear what you have to say!
* and you thought this post was about something completely different......I am apalled!
Posts
Hi Jill,
ReplyDeleteGodspeed on your trip! Yes, size matters to me in that I would never want a huge house. There are only 3 of us and a dog and we love our 2450sq.ft. house!
It's the perfect size and has wonderful outdoor living space in front and back.
I would hate to live in a house that some of the rooms just didn't get "lived in".
BTW, we live in Eugene, OR and our dd goes to the largest Catholic School in the state (about 550 students), good luck with your search!
Size does matter... when my kids became teens, all of a sudden I felt like we needed more space...
ReplyDeleteWe've discovered there are advantages to both. We love our small cottage (two adults, two babies and a dog in 1200 sq. feet) because it's easy to clean, affordable and cute. It's plenty big for our family. But, we don't host any holidays at our house because our living room and dining room are just too small. I'd love a giant, rambling old farmhouse someday but I'd miss our cute little cottage...
ReplyDeleteDon't get a house so big you "lose" each other. Or that you spend too much time cleaning. I learned while raising 3 of them that sometimes teens can have too much space :)
ReplyDeleteI wish you luck on your school search.
ReplyDeleteI also love your blog and that is why I gave you a Stylish Blogger Award you can check it out here.
http://masonbay-masonbay.blogspot.com/2011/01/stylish-blogger-award.html
I think size does matter- I love the smaller homes. We currently live with 1,500 sq ft and are a family of five. It is "easy" to keep clean, I feel like we have space when we want to be apart but not too much space that we feel far from one another. Even when house hunting recently we keep falling for the small homes. :)
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you!
Blessings,
Heather:)
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteWe are currently in the process of moving....where we live the home are bigger than what I lived in as a child. I am a quaint and cozy type girl our first home b4 kids was built in 1937 and was 1288 sq. feet. we moved about 80 miles away after having our first daughter to a home that was 2 story and was 2466 sq. feet...we now have a home that is 3000 sq. feet and it is to too big and has lots of wasted space. I am pretty sure we are looking to down size to about 1850 to 2000 sq feet :) we have to much unnecessary/useless stuff and I am looking forward to smaller more appreciated/useful stuff in our home.
Smiles,
Sheila
Well, personally I think it's all about how you use the size you have. ;) Our last house was 2400 sq ft not including unfinished 1200 sq ft bsmt. It had a lot of wasted space and did not live as large as it should have. I really think it's all about the layout. Good luck to you. It will be fun to see where you land. I'm just sure your gorgeous house will sell quickly!
ReplyDeletecouple things
ReplyDeletefirst, i agree with jen. layout is very important.
our home was built 28 years ago so it has the typical four individual rooms on the main. we seldom use our living room/dining room and wish we had one large living space and a ginormous kitchen.
upstairs we have 5 bedrooms all of which are obviously used.
we have a large backporch which we use very often.
we have 2700 square feet & especially now that the girls are big we need the room...
i guess i could make the dining room an office or reading room....
good luck on your search!!
how exciting
I don't know that size matters as much as intelligently designed spaces and great storage. Our house is 1237 square feet. Until my oldest left for college, it was me, my husband and our two boys, and we were fine here. We have collections, hobbies and all manner of things that take up space, but we're pretty organized. When my son was home for Christmas, our little house felt snug and just right for our family of four. I think it just depends on what you think you need. Good luck on your search for your new forever cottage.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, we're a family of 6, eldest starting high school, very active children & i know teenagers want their space. We live in a very big 4 bedroom home, still not big enough for us, my husband has a lot of Army gear & we have zero storage (it's an Army house) & i have a large studio for my work. So we're buying 50ha of land & building a big 6 bedroom homestead with guest room, rumpus, the works. Keeping it simple but large, spacious, clean lines etc.
ReplyDeleteWe're staying where we are for private schools (in Australia's capital city) & for that, i have to spend 3 years without my husband as he lives interstate, alone, but he's mainly on course, exercise, training or deployment, so he's not around anyway. Only 2 years to go, then we're building!!
Good luck with your plans. FYI 35% of Australian children use private schools, is that the same in the USA?? Love Posie
I think its more about function and flow. No matter how big your house is, if it's not functional for your family, it just won't feel quite right. Personally, I much prefer a warm and cozy smaller home. Huge houses often feel cold, sterile and a bit pretentious. When walking through a house, think about the way your family really lives. The right house for one family won't necessarily be the right house for another. Have fun and enjoy the adventure!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I are
ReplyDeletein complete agreement
that we like smaller and
are probably in the
biggest house that we
care to own...Okay, unless
we win the lotto and can
afford a staff, maybe!
And, our house isn't even
that big by many other's
standards....4k SF. But
I like cozy and and I want
a place where we really
USE each and every room...
No special occasion rooms
for us! In our {many} moves,
we have found LOCATION trumps
SIZE. Can't wait to find
out what YOU found out...
xx Suzanne
Hmm layout is key. I have been in homes that are half the square footage as ours but function and live so much better. Our house is 3200 and it is too big. I have 4 kids- ages college, high school, 2nd grade and daughter kindergarten. We have 4 or 5 with one having no closet bedrooms. 3.5 baths a kitchen a big formal sitting room, a small family room a good size kitchen that is closed off from everything and a huge dining room that never got used. A big front porch and back screen porch.
ReplyDeleteThe little kids use their rooms to sleep in as they like to be with us so they bring their toys downstairs to play. The teen we never see.
So, basically we don't use half the house and it is a lot to clean. I vote smaller and works harder. That is our plan- we plan on selling this in two years and buying a better laid out- smaller home.
tammy
Have a wonderful time on your trip!
ReplyDeleteWell..lets see...in terms of size, we are living in the smallest home, yet, in the 12 years we've been married. Honestly, we've recently moved from a 3000 square foot house (easily over 5000 with the basement) into a 109 year old farmhouse that is...NOWHERE near that. But ya know what, I absolutely LOVE IT! When we had our large home, the entire family would congregate in the same rooms all the time. Here, we are definitely more "cozy", and we do need to add on a little bit, but I think what is most important is how EFFICIENTLY a home is used. Organiziation is key and having a place for everything makes things so much easier to live with.
Have fun...and enjoy finding your next house to make home ;o)
Simply Jen
Have a safe trip! I must say, size matters to me right now because my husband and I (newlyweds) live in a 2 bedroom apartment in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. All of our stuff is out in the open, exposed and cluttered because we have nowhere to store it! Our closets are maxed out and it drives us crazy. We're looking to buy a home in Louisville, KY where he is from and with our budget, we can actually get a pretty big house. We don't want anything too big - too much cleaning! But we want something with charm that will provide tons of storage and give us a happy life. Good luck with all your future endeavors!
ReplyDeleteI am now small convert. We moved from a large home to a very small one in August 2010. It took some getting used to but the family is closer (not just physically) and less stuff to clean and clutter and more time to enjoy life. I must have gotten rid of 3 households of "stuff" when we moved ! Mel xx
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely! Function and layout come first though. I've lived in a tiny house (1000 sqft), a mid-size home (1600 sqft), and now live in a 2400 sqft home. Though it's wonderful having the extra footage, the layout isn't conducive to entertaining at all. Being a 1800 farmhouse, the rooms are many but small. I would love to build a farmhouse someday that is all open with a huge kitchen equipped with an island, because that's where the heart of the home is.
ReplyDeleteIf the house is smaller, tall ceilings are the answer to spaciousness - as well as a lot of white paint. Have fun with your search! We're all anxious to see what you find! :)
xoxo laurie
First of all, lucky you....Portland, Oregon is fabulous! I li
ReplyDeleteved there for the first year of marriage and have nothing but great memories. It is a clean little city that allows for such great experience. Size, well I guess it depends on the person (and storage). Love grows BIG in little houses is my best advise.
All my best,
Molly
at this point as long as we are together and somewhere warmer i'd be happy!
ReplyDeleteJill,
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in over 19 homes in our marriage, I'd say we would look for something with an open plan kitchen/living room. Don't want that empty living room where no one ever goes. Might even ditch the formal dining room that we only use a couple of times a year and have the big table in the living/kitchen area. We do like a basement for storage and recreation possibilities. Number of bedrooms depends on your needs. We would opt for lower ceilings to be energy practical. Definitely smaller than what we have now. Selling the behemoth at this point isn't possible.
I know you got rained on as we're sitting in the Portland airport headed to a Mexican cruise, and it's been raining forever. But you know all about that. Good luck in your search.
Fondly, Grammy (Pat)
I'm not so sure if size matters as much as the layout of your house. You have to be able to function within your walls. Our last three homes were roughly the same size, but our current home is my favorite because all four of us have our space in which to function together and apart! Plus it has a big laundry room! Size matters there!
ReplyDeleteIm here to say "Size Matters"
ReplyDeleteI lived in a small home with two kids. It was cozy and cute but I never got over the SMALL.
I moved to a larger home. More than double the square footage. Im at about 4,200. It's really nice to have the space. Yes we would be fine with less. I would love a smaller heat bill in winter for sure. For us 3,800 would be perfect with a family of 4.
I think a home needs to have small cozy rooms you can 'get away' to, and large rooms in which to gather. My husband has a large family (7 siblings besides him) and our home is the only one big enough to get them all in for holidays. But we still have rooms that each of us can go to when we what quiet time. I agree that it is all about the layout. When the kids are all gone, I plan to use the extra space for a studio, and of course, a guest room.
ReplyDeleteIf you buy a small home you may be wishing for more room later. Good luck!
I used to have a large house and there was a lot of wasted space. Now have 1500 sq ft and it is tons. You can't have space just wasting away for when you need two guest rooms ... or the day you have 30 for dinner ... Buy what is good for your current family. Space to be together and to be apart. and if you don't have space to have a 30 person sit down family dinner ... do a buffet!!
ReplyDeleteLayout over size any day! We have 1900 square feet plus finished basement and two young teens plus a HUGE extended family. No way do we need a living room and a family room and a basement tv room. I would prefer bigger rooms vs. quantity. The biggest thing I will not do without in our next home is a mudroom, a large area for coats and all that gathers in our small entry. If it wouldn't wreck our home value in this suburban neighbourhood, I would so change our front living room into a mudroom. Good luck on your trip!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and 1900 sq ft plus, with 4 bathrooms. Way too much to keep up with as I also work outside the home (school hours.)
ReplyDeleteAll that matters is that your happy. If you are happy in a small home or happy in a big home that all that matters.
ReplyDelete