When I mean stepping back, I mean stepping away from the bar set by the increased comfort and standard of living most people have been known to expect with regard to housing. But I'm actually learning about the rewards that stepping back can have. I'm actually wondering why more people don't live like this.
For instance: small square footage. I am not finding anything at all difficult about living in 700 square feet. In fact, it's SO EASY. So easy to clean, so easy to tidy, so easy to live in. So comfy and cozy.
Another example: we only have one bathroom--an adorable one with a clawfoot tub and a stained glass octagonal window. But it's hard to shower. Like, impossible. So, the plumber is coming on Monday, and I'm going to ask him about installing an outdoor shower. That's fine for me.
Another example: We have an extremely small kitchen and a wonky pantry/microwave/refrigerator area. But it works. I can make the same stuff I've always made. It's easy to clean, and we have a multi-functional chopping block/island/dining space.
Another example: No air conditioning. We have ceiling fans and we're on the lake, so there's a breeze. Yes, it's been hot a couple of nights, but not unbearable. I have no intention of buying an air conditioner.
I adore this house. It's just what I need, and no more. It's adorable, it's quirky, it's got character. And so I wonder why people feel this type of a home is good enough for a lakeside cabin, but not for a "real" house. I know my realtor, who has a half-million dollar house that she renovated to look like an HGTV showpiece, shakes her head when she sees me effuse with love for this house. She's already advised me to shut off a door, move the LR/DR area, paint all the espresso-stained woodwork white, paint the whole house greige. In other words, turn it into another HGTV/Joanna Gaines cookie-cutter house. Nope.
But will guests get it? Will they want to go outside for a "real" shower? Will they talk about us on the way home about how they had to "rough it" and they can't wait to get back to the 21st century comfort of their own homes? Not that I worry about that a lot, but I think about it. I'm getting better about worrying about what others think, but I still have some insecurities there.
So my question is: what is your comfort level? What do you NEED to have in a house--otherwise, you feel like you're roughing it?