Housing Q: Can 5 people stay sane in 1400 sq. ft?

[WatchingThemGrow]

And for how long??? We like our little house. It is all updated, everything is taken care of for the most part, we have a great backyard, playset, neighborhood. We're just on a busy corner with easy access to a LOT of stuff- parks, specialty stores, a cute little mall, a greenway, library, PO, TJ's, etc. We've always thought we'd try to stay here for several years before moving into something larger, but we go back and forth.

Staying means:
-mortgage is very affordable
-bunking up some DC
-always thinking "we'll move one of these days" (ie, not settled)
-smaller closets, no garage
-roof, windows, HVAC, kitchen, floors, baths, everything is already renovated
-house is all "set" for babies - locks, no stairs, good layout
-cleaning is quick and easy (when I'm not pg!)

Moving means:
-probably double the mortgage
-needing to renovate a lot of stuff (I can't deal with used up spaces)
-a little bit more family-friendly neighborhood/less rentals/ closer to pool
- walking distance to elem. school, granted, DD is 2.5 right now
-upheaval during pregnancy
-have to deal with babies and stairs
-leaving behind our nice fence and all the upgrades
-starting all over making a backyard toddler friendly
-some sort of playroom
-couldn't walk to things we can now
-have more space to grow into

Things that would stay the same:
-We'd stay in the same school district.
-We'd stay in the same geographical area between our church, gym, and grandparents' house.

We'd kinda said that we'd stay here for a few more years, but we're questioning trying to squeeze another person in the space. The kids' rooms are rather spacious, so as long as we plan well for beds, there is room for them to have some toys in their rooms. From what I've seen, anything newer (built in 60-70's) the rooms are smaller.

What would you do? Make it work for now, then move in a year or two? Buy now while the market is down and rates are low? Stay w/in walking distance while DC are strollerable or move now and start working toward making a larger house "ours" sooner than later?

[MamaKath]

Personally I would make it work and bank the difference. Moving will also most likely mean adding on to all your heating and other housing expenses. So financially you would not just double the mortgage, other expenses will increase as well. School age kids will come with school age expenses like dance class, sports and equipment, etc.

Can you add a shed to the backyard for a garage (they have ones that would fit a car, or a double to fit 2)? Or add on to the current house? These things would most likely be less financially, allowing more wiggle room in the long run for things that come along. The economy what it is, I wouldn't move, I'd plan ahead instead.

Good luck deciding!

[ellies mom]

Depending on the layout, it can definitely work. Especially if the bedrooms are fairly spacious. We lived in a 1400 sq ft house before and the main living area felt much more spacious than the main living area of our current 1900 sq foot house.

Personally, I'd make it work. I love being able to walk places. And kids sharing rooms isn't all that bad, especially if they don't spend all day there.

[egoldber]

I would also make it work. Bigger houses just mean more to take care of. I think it's great for kids to share rooms. And being able to walk to things is *huge* in my book.

[Happy 2B mommy]

I'd stay. Personally, I think 1400 is enough space for 2 adults and 3 kids. It sounds like in most respects your home is ideal for you right now.

Do you have a basement? Creating/finishing off a room there would give you a little extra space. Or a shed/garage will give you storage which will open up more of your living space.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Yes!

We live in under 1000 sq feet right now. And if dh gets a job here after he graduates (about a year and a half from now) we plan on staying in this house for several more years. We have a great fenced in yard and we are able to walk to school, the library, pool, grocery, etc.

We deal with the smaller space because we can walk to so many places.

Our closets are small but we have a shed and a garage we use for storage.

Good Luck on your decision!

[wolverine2]

Sounds to me like you kind of want to stay. I'd stay for now and think about moving later. Space is such a relative issue. We live in a city and think we have a lot of space with 1250 sq ft (and 2 kids). Lots of our friends have more kids in less space. In Europe they live in much smaller spaces. The baby won't take up much space or need much at least until it is mobile. Stay until you can't take it any more and make the best use of the space you can- and save some $$ for your dream house later (or vacations!)

[caleymama]

I agree with the PPs - I'd make your current set-up work. Seems to me like the pros of where you are now far outweigh what could be gained by moving (not to mention things like increasing your mortgage, etc.).

We're in 1200sf (up from about 1000 in our last house) and it's fine.

[vludmilla]

I agree with the PPs - I'd make your current set-up work. Seems to me like the pros of where you are now far outweigh what could be gained by moving (not to mention things like increasing your mortgage, etc.).
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ITA. I also think that people tended to live in smaller houses years ago. I think the trend toward 2500sqft and up is a very new thing.

[WatchingThemGrow]

After I posted, I thought, "Man, I need to be concise." sorry

Ok, some things I left out...was just reminded after naptime started...Sirens...that busy corner is a hop, skip, and a jump away from the fire station, the hospital, and the police dept - and public housing, and all the emergency vehicles that operate out of those places. My heart rate goes way up everytime I hear a bunch of sirens getting louder and louder, then they stop at what sounds like right outside our door. Really, it is through the woods behind our neighbors' houses, but still... I'm fine with the public housing, but sometimes it does lead to random 911 calls for people standing on the corner waiting for a pickup, a deal, or maybe a car that parks near our house b/c the driver is not allowed to go into that neighborhood anymore or random whatnot. BOTH days we've brought new babies home from the hospital, we've called 911 b/c of suspicious activity nearby. It is not frequent, but it is a consideration. See...there goes another freakin' siren - maybe leaving the scene. We know some of the residents, so it is a nice way to know some people who aren't in your same socio-economic class without going out of your way.

We have no basement to grow into, and our attic is crawling space only with new flooring (lots of storage for our stroller boxes, rotating toys, off season clothing, diaper deals, etc). Adding on would make our yard less than ideal as well as price us out of the neighborhood. We're one of the few houses that has updated most everything. Maybe we'll look into that again. The one place we could add on would mean rerouting the whole HVAC unit. Still, less $$ than a new mortgage. We put guests (4ishx/year) in our MB and bunk with DD, and we're fine with that. I'm not sure if more space and a guest room would make them stay longer anyway (to help). A shed is kinda, but not really a possibility. We have a tiny one crammed full of bikes and Burleys, golf clubs, and sleds, so we can make do with that if we continue to sell things we don't use.

Thanks for your thoughts this far. I do remind myself that in many other countries or in a big city, this would seem like a normal-sized home for a family, plus we have a nice yard they wouldn't have.

Would hiring a professional organizer help me make better use of the space??

[MontrealMum]

Would hiring a professional organizer help me make better use of the space??
I might be tempted to try that if you really want to stay there. Our home is tiny too, and we are very well acquainted with Ikea and its multi-purpose furniture and small-home ideas.

But I do hear you about the neighborhood issues (sirens etc.). We used to live in a much louder part of town and when we moved down here it was like a weight was lifted. I no longer run to the window all the time, and can consistently get a good night's sleep. If that's a huge issue for you it sounds like your home's location, and not its size, might be the deciding factor. So, I might think on that for a bit. Just my .2 cents.

[citymama]

Another small-home person who thinks you can make it work! Bank the difference - it can't hurt to save $$ in this economy, especially for a family of 5. We're a family of 3 in about 850 sq ft, and while we definitely need more space, we are also just barely able to keep this one clean and livable. ;) I dream of 1400 sq feet - but it ain't going to happen, even if we had 2 more kids! So count your many blessings. :)

I think the idea of some help to organize your space is GREAT - the Container Store and IKEA are invaluable resources as well. Good luck figuring this out!

[WatchingThemGrow]

So we just went to look at another 2500 sq. ft house. Blech. It just looked like SO much work - redoing the kitchen, all the electrical outlets, the HVAC (ancient), nasty yellow siding that just looked old, the same old school windows we just replaced, bathrooms that needed a lot of love, and a brown and orange paneled basement that came straight from 1967 with water damage in the corners and all, a sloped backyard covered with ivy, a broken cracked kid unfriendly driveway, and a w/d hookup 2 floors below the bedrooms, and it too is on a cut-through street. Going at 5 pm really tells you how much of a cut-through. DH kept trying to figure out if we could do it. I just felt like throwing up and coming back to my couch where we just have some minor maintenance issues and reorganizing to do.

I guess we'll stay for now until he finds something else that looks inviting...

Thanks for your encouragement. I'll start asking more questions about space saving and bunking up.

[MommyAllison]

I also think that people tended to live in smaller houses years ago. I think the trend toward 2500sqft and up is a very new thing.

This is my thought as well. 50+ years ago, families were bigger and houses were mostly the size you are describing or smaller. I think it is definitely do-able. Disclaimer: Obviously, lifestyle has also changed a lot in the last 50 years, people tend to be inside mostly, rather than outside and visiting with neighbors, etc. so they naturally want more room inside. Personally though, I'm a throwback to the "lets have a smaller home and bigger yard!" mindset. GL deciding!

[alexsmommy]

This is my thought as well. 50+ years ago, families were bigger and houses were mostly the size you are describing or smaller. I think it is definitely do-able. Disclaimer: Obviously, lifestyle has also changed a lot in the last 50 years, people tend to be inside mostly, rather than outside and visiting with neighbors, etc. so they naturally want more room inside. Personally though, I'm a throwback to the "lets have a smaller home and bigger yard!" mindset. GL deciding!

I agree. In the same floorplan our family of five currently lives in, I had many friends who grew up in families of 8 or more. We almost bought a larger home and I am SO happy we didn't. If we have another the boys will have to share a room for a few years, but I just don't see that as a problem. More house means more to clean, more to maintain, more repairs, more mortgage, more property taxes, just more - not necessarily better. I think so much of it is layout, space planning, usage, and storage.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Ok, it sounds like we should just stay put and be thankful right now.

Tonight was an exceptional night on our little corner or the busy road. DH and I were in the living room and grunted when the sirens stopped right outside. Usually I don't go out there, but this time I walked closer to the scene to see what happened. Imagine my shock when I learned one of my former students (was 8, now 16 yo) was struck by a car! I prayed with the mom standing on the side of the street, drove over to the grocery to give the older brother a ride home, and took the family (with 4/5 kids there) some BBQ sandwiches when they were waiting in the ER. I knew they hadn't had dinner yet per the 7 and 9 year old girls. Ugh. The whole thing just broke my heart, but I was glad to hear the initial report that the girl's femur was broken, but that she seemed like she was going to be okay.

The mom asked me if I would contact the mayor for her (per the police officer's prompting) about getting better lighting, more strict pedestrian markings, and a better stoplight/signal on our corner. So, I guess I'll be off to take care of that now...

[citymama]

Ok, it sounds like we should just stay put and be thankful right now.

Tonight was an exceptional night on our little corner or the busy road. DH and I were in the living room and grunted when the sirens stopped right outside. Usually I don't go out there, but this time I walked closer to the scene to see what happened. Imagine my shock when I learned one of my former students (was 8, now 16 yo) was struck by a car! I prayed with the mom standing on the side of the street, drove over to the grocery to give the older brother a ride home, and took the family (with 4/5 kids there) some BBQ sandwiches when they were waiting in the ER. I knew they hadn't had dinner yet per the 7 and 9 year old girls. Ugh. The whole thing just broke my heart, but I was glad to hear the initial report that the girl's femur was broken, but that she seemed like she was going to be okay.

The mom asked me if I would contact the mayor for her (per the police officer's prompting) about getting better lighting, more strict pedestrian markings, and a better stoplight/signal on our corner. So, I guess I'll be off to take care of that now...

Hope she is doing OK! That is so scary - sounds like you have been a great support to them.

[vonfirmath]

My sister and her husband and three kids lived in 950 square feet (a trailer) for 5 years.

Yes, they eventually got stir crazy and built their own house. But it lasted a LONG time.

[KBecks]

I've been thinking about your question -- there is no doubt you can do it, it will be tight, I mean, cozy, in the teen years. Dave's grandma raised 5 kids in 3 BRs, 1 BA.

It sounds like you might want to move. How about checking out the market and other neighborhoods and researching all of it? By doing some homework you will know whether moving now is realistic or desirable and you can try to plan ahead.

It also sounds like you have the luxury to take your time deciding. As long as your neighborhood is safe and I don't see a reason to rush out of it.

As far as wanting things remodeled, that gets very expensive!

[WatchingThemGrow]

Oh, I've done the research. Interestingly, I'm really good at that stuff. The stuff I knew about this house before I bought it (talked to people in the neighborhood, internet research, etc.) blew the realtor's mind. Same goes for the next neighborhood up when we go to look at those. I have to know ALL the facts first.

I think we'll definitely plan on moving before the teen years if not near the beginning of elem. We'll give it a year and see how it looks when our 4.25 ARM is getting closer to expiring.

The expense and trouble of remodeling just overwhelms me right now since I feel like I'm doing good to keep us all fed and somewhat clean.

Thanks for all your suggestions so far. It's funny because as I sit here on our busy little corner, I look out and see nothing but trees and greenery. That's not real common from looking at all my friends' larger houses. They just look at the sides or other houses.

Actually, since the accident last night, my neighbors are on fire about getting our pedestrian crosswalks beefed up quite a bit. I have to stay for this fight now.

[mommy111]

Stay! You have a community here.
The only thing that would make me consider moving is the loud noises, but they bother some people and others not. We used to live in the city in a tiny apt with a hospital, fire station and a police station/prison nearby, sirens all night and I swear, after a couple of years, I wouldn't even hear them. I could sleep through the night with them as could DD, and not even know that it had been noisy last night. But if you're really, really bothered by the noise.....

[WatchingThemGrow]

I can tolerate the noises, for the most part, I just get anxious when they stop nearby, just thinking they are for someone I know, which was true yesterday. We all sleep juuust fine, so no worries there. I just have to be prepared for "event" nights. Not sure if NYE will be a big night, but I think so. We're in a popular college town, so things can get out of hand on certain basketball nights, Halloween, the town's yearly festival, etc. It's kinda fun to be "near" the action, but sitting at home while the kids are sleeping knowing a lot is happening nearby. We'll often turn on the TV to see what's going on a mile up the street, LOL.

[ThreeofUs]

I agree with many of the pp's: Stay. Both DH and I grew up in smaller homes and think longingly of them.

But if you want to expand, you don't have to add into your yard. You could push up under your roof.

Make the best use of your space that you can, maybe by getting a couple of friends to come over and help you brainstorm organization. Professional organizers, unless they're really super experienced moms themselves, really don't have much more to give than a few friends with good heads helping you think about your house.

[brittone2]

I'd stay. We don't know where we'll be living when DH finishes his PhD, but we're strongly considering staying in our 1800 sq foot home even though we'd be able to afford to upgrade. I don't even know where he'll be getting a job, but if we do stay in the area, we're definitely considering making 1800 sq feet work.

I'd toss around the idea of having a professional organizer and/or consult with a carpenter about adding a lot of built ins, etc. if you don't have them already. 10K in built-ins can buy a lot of storage and is much cheaper than a bigger home, kwim?

For inspiration, have you ever looked at the Not so Big House series of books?

eta: and agreeing w/ several PPs...I like reading books about consumerism, etc. and some books I've read have really given some interesting historical perspective regarding how much the median home size has increased, etc. 1000-1100 sq feet was considered more than enough space for a larger family (3+ kids) back in the day. We just keep accumulating more and more stuff, and needing bigger and bigger homes to hold lots of unnecessary things IMO. I'm often tempted and think about a bigger home, but then I realize we'd just fill it with more stuff...all of which costs money and takes money to maintain, time to clean, etc.

[Neatfreak]

I miss my 1400 sq foot house, to be honest. When we moved overseas, we ended up in a community with gigantic homes, and we're in the smallest place available - a 3500 sq ft apartment. The upkeep is overwhelming for me. I wish that I was back in my comfortable home of 1400 sq ft because I'd have way more time to spend with my kids instead of spending more time with a mop or duster.

So, I'd also vote for staying. Being close to a hospital isn't all bad.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I have checked out the Not So Big original book, but it seemed to be all about small, custom million $ homes, which made me lust for new. I need practical diagrams and how-to steps. This book appeared on my Amazon search for a Lauri number puzzle http://www.amazon.com/Downsizing-Your-Home-Style-Smaller/dp/B001F0R9JO/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2DD0M1SXISLV&colid=12D9CGD4621YW and it looks promising. Now I'm off to find out if I can read it somewhere else instead of buying it.

Pushing up under our roof would look weird in our 'hood since all the houses are the same basic footprint - single story ranchers. I guess someone will eventually do it, right?

Today will be a redeeming day here since Chick-Fil-A is directly across the street and they're giving out free sandwich today! We never miss thoseAll we have to do is get out the double stroller and pull ourselves up to a table. Yay!

You know...thinking about how families have done it in the past here...I guess I can ask on our neighborhood Google Group to see how other neighbors have made raising a family in a smaller space work. A family with 3 boys (17, 14, 11) just moved recently, and I bet they'd be willing to share what they did. They did have a small addition and a basement, though.

Thanks again for the encouragement and the ideas. It makes me feel so much better that I'd probably be trading up for more maintenance and housework and less time with the kids.

[Sugar Magnolia]

We live in a college town, less than a mile from campus. We are surrounded by students, but would not have it any other way! We have babysitters all around us. Also we live on a "main" road in our town and all the firetrucks and police cars come down our street. The kids love watching it.
On nights that we know will be noisy (last night) we make sure we have fans going in all the rooms. Basketball season is the worst around here. I am not looking forward to March!

Good locations are hard to beat!

[WatchingThemGrow]

We live in a college town, less than a mile from campus. We are surrounded by students, but would not have it any other way! We have babysitters all around us. Also we live on a "main" road in our town and all the firetrucks and police cars come down our street. The kids love watching it.
On nights that we know will be noisy (last night) we make sure we have fans going in all the rooms. Basketball season is the worst around here. I am not looking forward to March!

Good locations are hard to beat!

Wait...do you live on my street, LOL?

Just sitting in DD's room playing with the kitchen and the doll nursery, I figured out how to get either a crib back in there (with her complete Stanley YA full bedroom set) or where to put a small toddler bed/mattress on the floor for DS if sharing with the baby doesn't seem ideal when he's ready to move out of the crib. Now, if I can just prioritize our closets and make them better able to accommodate some of the toys and things, this will be good. When IKEA opens closer to us, you better believe I'll be down there looking for even more ideas and tools.

I'm also considering a new paint job for the outside(and some inside) to make it "seem" newer and more appealing to me. I think the "sanity" part I'm seeking is partly organizational but partly having things LOOK serene and well-maintained. If I can get some of these nesting-type tasks accomplished during this trimester, that'll be wonderful. I'm getting excited about declaring our family "settled" here for a few more years with your collective encouragement. Thank you, thank you, friends!

[ThreeofUs]

Pushing up under our roof would look weird in our 'hood since all the houses are the same basic footprint - single story ranchers. I guess someone will eventually do it, right?

Eventually! Maybe.... DH's parents (who raised 5 kids in 1100 sf) pushed out the back to double the size of their rancher. A few people in their neighborhood went the roof route.

When my Aunt and Uncle did this, they said they saved quite a bit of money as they didn't have to dig for a basement and pay for a new foundation. They put a whole new second floor on a rancher.

I know other folks who just made dormer bedrooms up top - some people in our neighborhood did this. (Guess 4000 sf wasn't enough, eh? lol!) When you do that, you keep the existing roof line, but push up on either side either the entire length of the roof or just for a part.

Good luck! Sounds like you have a great neighborhood.

[fivi2]

We live in an area with single story ranchers, and people have pushed back, up, wherever they can!

We sort of have the same dilemma as OP. Our house is a 2/1 with right around 1100 sq feet. We have no attic to speak of, no garage, and no basement. There are two closets in the house. (we have an offsite storage unit) We currently have 2 dc (3yos) and debating a third. My house drives me insane - it is old and things fall apart. Our insulation is awful (my sister's new house which is literally 3 x bigger costs less to heat and cool).

But we are in a great neighborhood, have lots of friends here and are close to dh's work. To afford a new house we'd have to move out to suburbia and at least double dh's commute. Even so, I think about it regularly.

If I could have designed and built my house with custom cabinets and built ins - I would say 1100 square feet is doable. But with the layout as it is, no storage, etc, it is really, really hard. I dream of a 3/2 with about 1700-1800 square feet.

So, no answer for you, but I feel your pain!

[vludmilla]

I've been thinking about the thread and just had this thought. 1400sqft had better be doable because that is about the size of the house that DH and I plan to buy in the next year. We are looking at an "affordable" neighborhood in a very expensive town where the average home price is well over a million. In the "affordable" neighboorhood, homes are several hundred thousand cheaper (600-700k) but the homes are 1300 to 1500 sqft with one car garages. So, I really hope a small house is livable because it's what I expect to be living in. I can't possibly afford more house in that town but I love the school district.

[egoldber]

My parents raised 4 kids in a 1000 SF house with 2 bedrooms (they created a third bedroom by walling off a dining room) and one bathroom. I always shared a bedroom with my 2 sisters. I had lots of issues with my childhood, but a smaller house was not one of them. While it may have been hard on my parents, I honestly never really noticed or was bothered by the fact that the house was small.

[o_mom]

Our former neighbors put a second story on their ranch. There was already a mix of 1 and 2 story houses, so it wasn't quite the same. Anyway, you would never know they had done that from looking at it. It was very well planned and done. The contractor worked the upstairs first and built a temporary entrance there until they were mostly finished, then cut through for the stairs very last thing. She said it was minimal disruption that way. They also put in a second HVAC system instead of rerouting and replacing what they had.

If you really like the neighborhood, it might be worth talking with a builder/architect to get ideas.