What size is "small"?

[kimberlyf0]

Tiny House Nation defines "tiny" as under 500 square feet, although they mostly help build much tinier homes.

Where I am, many people define small as under 2000 square feet. I don't agree, of course. My 1700 square foot house ("It's so cute!" is what everyone gushes, which means small) is spacious to me, much bigger than the 1000 square feet I grew up in. That house seems perfectly normal to me, not small, so my house feels big. Sometimes I go to huge houses and I am glad that I don't have to clean them, lol. I do know that many people appreciate having very large homes for entertaining guests, so I suppose it is an "to each his/her own situation".

[catherine]

One of the nice points of a small home: I can plug in the vacuum cleaner at one point, and vacuum the whole place. Within ten minutes.

I remember when I was in my tiny cottage, it was SO EASY to put stuff away and keep it neat because it was a matter of walking about 10 steps in any direction! No little piles of stuff to go upstairs or downstairs that sit there forever.

[jp1]

I wouldn't consider 1200 sq feet small. That's what we have now and it's plenty big for 2 adults, 2 cats, and all of our stuff. Of the 4 places we've lived over the past 10 years none has been bigger and I wouldn't really want bigger. We used to think that we 'needed' two bathrooms, but our last place had only one and, frankly, it was fine. Having a second one is nice because it's a good spot to put the litter box, and since we have 2 floors it's nice that dinner guests don't have to come upstairs to use the restroom.

My NY apartment was small. It was 250 sq feet, but served me well. At the end of 12 years it was getting a bit tight because I'd taken up beer brewing, which has an assortment of equipment that needs to be stored, plus by that time I owned 2 computers, with assorted peripherals like a printer and scanner, all of which took up space, and I had two bookcases crammed with books. My upstairs neighbor, in an identical apartment had been there eight years by the time I moved out and he still fit in that space just fine. But he didn't have any space intensive hobbies, didn't own books or a computer. His living room was just a sleeper sofa, a dresser with a tv on it, and a small table for two to eat at. When I moved into that apartment I had also looked at many places that were smaller. In better neighborhoods I would not have gotten an eat in kitchen, just a chunk of wall kitchen on one side of a 10x15 living room. That seemed too small, even for the limited amount of stuff I owned at the time, so I opted to live in a dicier neighborhood where my $650 (pretty much the base market price for apartments in manhattan in 1992) could get me the extra 10x10 kitchen.

[Seven]

I do know that many people appreciate having very large homes for entertaining guests, so I suppose it is an "to each his/her own situation".

We really couldn't have a formal dinner here. We'd lack kitchen space to cook more than one course, have only four soup plates and four dinner plates, and don't have a proper dining table. Inviting friends over for a simple meal works fine, though.
But I can understand that "Two people can sit in armchairs, two on the couch and the others on pillows on the floor" isn't everyone's idea of dinner with guests.

since we have 2 floors it's nice that dinner guests don't have to come upstairs to use the restroom

Most modern houses here have a full bathroom in the upper floor, and a small bathroom with only a sink and toilet (and maybe the washing machine) on the ground floor.

[kimberlyf0]

We really couldn't have a formal dinner here. We'd lack kitchen space to cook more than one course, have only four soup plates and four dinner plates, and don't have a proper dining table. Inviting friends over for a simple meal works fine, though.
But I can understand that "Two people can sit in armchairs, two on the couch and the others on pillows on the floor" isn't everyone's idea of dinner with guests.

I was talking to my teen son and a college-aged friend once, they were playing some mental game where they imagine winning the lottery and decide what they would do with the winnings. My son wanted to buy me a big house and I said I wouldn't want one and didn't see why I would need one. The college-aged friend said that his mother regularly hosts church and/or family groups of 30 - 40 people, and also houses visiting missionaries in the extra bedrooms. I can see why that is important to her.

Recently we've been having team meetings, and our group totals about 40 with the adults, riders, and siblings. Hosting that many at my house is difficult unless we can be outside; we need everyone in one room for the discussions and presentations. I am grateful to the parents with very large homes who have been willing to host us.

I've started thinking recently that the opposite of tiny and small homes would be to buy a large house with the intention of extended family sharing it. While I do envision that my FIL or MIL might eventually come live with us, I'm not sure I can convince my children that living with us when they are adults will be a good thing to do. Or rather, they would probably go for it, but I doubt they will find partners who feel the same way

[pinkytoe]

buy a large house with the intention of extended family sharing it.

DD's future father in law is trying something like that however his plan is for family members to build small cottages on acreage he has purchased, so it would be about four familes per 50 acres with shared outbuildings, land for livestock, gazebo for family picnics etc. Not sure if I like the idea but we'll see.

[catherine]

DD's future father in law is trying something like that however his plan is for family members to build small cottages on acreage he has purchased, so it would be about four familes per 50 acres with shared outbuildings, land for livestock, gazebo for family picnics etc. Not sure if I like the idea but we'll see.

I think that's an awesome idea. We've always had a dream of having a family "compound" with separate tiny houses/cottages and then a community space--maybe a yurt or something where we could all hang out and cook and eat and play guitars and sing etc.

[kimberlyf0]

DD's future father in law is trying something like that however his plan is for family members to build small cottages on acreage he has purchased, so it would be about four familes per 50 acres with shared outbuildings, land for livestock, gazebo for family picnics etc. Not sure if I like the idea but we'll see.

I think it's an awesome idea too! I wish land wasn't so expensive where we live (but I love our bike-ability and our walk score). I have been toying around with the idea of building a tiny house/granny flat that my FIL could use now (or soon) and one of my boys could live in after that. Later I could convert the 22x12 master bedroom (currently used as a family room) into another private apartment (it already has its own entrance plus an ensuite bathroom). That would leave DH and I with the rest of the house, which would be two bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, the kitchen, breakfast nook, laundry, dining room, and living room.

People keep telling me that I'm not going to want them here into their 20s, but I disagree. Already, as teens, they are my favorite people in the world besides DH. We've homeschooled throughout, so I spend all day everyday with them and I still like them (and they like me). My reasons are practical as well; I'd rather they live at home while they go to college because it will save significant money, both on dormitory costs and because they can attend community college before transferring to state schools. Plus, I often hear how difficult it is for young adults to be self-sufficient, so why not plan on them being here rather than having them need to move back? Much like co-sleeping, I know there will come a time when they won't want to live with us, so I really don't expect it to be forever.

After that we'd have a rentable flat in the back, and a rentable apartment in the house, to help us with income retirement if we desire.

[SteveinMN]

I think that's an awesome idea. We've always had a dream of having a family "compound" with separate tiny houses/cottages and then a community space--maybe a yurt or something where we could all hang out and cook and eat and play guitars and sing etc.

DW and I bought a PowerBall ticket last night and spent dinner discussing what we would do with our "half-billion". It was a fun conversation (well worth the $2 the ticket cost). One of the ideas we've long bandied about is just such a "compound" for us and family and friends. Figuring the financial and legal implications were an interesting puzzle, as well. Our thinking is that it would require some independent management and, probably, capital. And the "risk" of either carrying empty individual areas or letting "strangers" buy in. But the idea persists after all these years....

[Packy]

Well, what the extreme SL-er would do, to park their $$ in a practical way, is buy a Tiny house in each of various locales around the country--a Tiny House in Aspen, a Tiny House in Malibu, a Tiny House in the Seattle or Portland area, one in North Dakota, and also on the East Coast, and so on. They would all be situated on just enough land to have garden space to raise the crop(s) best suited to the climate and soil conditions. Say, 2,000 acres in N.D., to grow wheat for homemade bread. Also, a storage shed/garage out back that is probably oh, 2,000 s.f., insulated, plumbed, and climate-controlled, to keep all the necessary "stuff" it really takes to lead a normal life. That is because it won't fit into our hyper-idealistic 350 s.f. Tiny House. After that, you kids can buy new shoes for your offspring, maybe warm mittens and coat & hat, for when they walk to school on cold, rainy mornings. Hope that helps you some.