How Many Square Feet

Brooke&Ryan · February 2009

DH and I are looking at houses and I just don't want us to out grow a house to fast. What do you consider to be to small square foot wise that would eliminate a home from your list of ones to view?

We are looking at one tomorrow morning that is only 968, it just may be to small for us.

jcra05 · February 2009

Our house is that big and right now it is perfect for the 2 of us (2 bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, kitchen, and sun porch plus a full unfinished basement) - now we also bought a house with an acre and a half of land so our main plan is to expand in the next couple of years and add another bedroom, great room, and full bathroom. We are in love with our yard though so I think we might be there to stay for awhile.

RaeAnt · February 2009

under 1000 sq ft is tiny to me. Dh first apartment was about that size. For us, we wouldn't look at anything less than 2000. We are currently living in a rental in TX with probably 1200 and have absolutely no room. But then we're coming from the 1900 sq ft in PA. It's a personal thing and layout as well. I'm sure most people are perfectly fine with 1200-1500 or even less. Dh and I personally are not. If you are unsure about whether your furniture will fit, measure the length/width and write it down. Then take a tape measure along to the houses. That should give you a rough estimate of your "breathing room".

MillersXing · February 2009

I personally wouldn't go below 1500 sq ft now. We came from a 1200 sq ft townhouse and DH were on top of each other (and not in the good way *wink*).

But even with a good amount of square footage the layout can stink. We're at 2700 sq ft now which is great, but it's an old house with itty bitty bedrooms, tiny kitchen, and one bathroom.

Futuremrssoll · February 2009

Ours is about 1300 and we feel just about grown out of it. ?We could have like one more kid here, but we are actually looking to move! ?We have 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. ?

tmp-246476500003346 · February 2009

I think it depends on what you are used to and what you anticipate you will need. Our apartment was extremely tiny and when we moved into our 960 sq ft home, it seemed huge. Now, it's about the perfect size for us, with room if we wanted to have 1 child. If we have more than that, we would need a bigger home.

ntnylizard · February 2009

Ours is 2200 or 2400 (I can't remember), and it's a perfect size for the two of us, the little bit of entertaining we do and the first baby we're planning for.

Since DH works from a home office, our 3rd bedroom is taken, so we imagine moving into a bigger home before a second child.

lindyanne · February 2009

It's not necessarily the sf as how the house is laid out. That being said, 968 would be too small for us but when we lived in CA we did live in about a 1200 sf house but I don't think I could have lasted that way for long either.

jjenkins · February 2009

I think the layout has a lot to do with it but that would definitely be too small for us. My first apartment on my own was about 860 and our last apartment was about 1000 or so. Our th is 1600 with 2 large bedrooms (our master is 21 ft long), 2.5 baths, and an open floor plan. That doesn't include the unfinished basement. We can easily have 1 child here and be ok especially considering the economy/housing market but I definitely want a larger home.

LClaire · February 2009

Ditto the pps that said a big part of it is the layout. I would honestly never have even gone to see our new house if I had looked more closely at the square footage info, but DH saw it in the paper and we went on a whim without me knowing that stuff and fell in LOVE with it. We're definitely already planning how we'll probably remodel(adding another bath and bedroom and potentially a family room), but we bought it know that we would want to do those things but that we can comfortably live in it how it is for now, too. So that's something to think about - like someone else said they're planning to add some space, too, if you love the house and could live in in long-term, is there potential space for you to do some adding onto it if you really wanted to or at that point would it just be worth moving to a bigger house and not dealing withconstruction, etc? that's completely a person choice, but something to think about:)

TheLinkBride · February 2009

Our is 2200 sq feet and I think it's a good size for now. In the future, I probably want a larger house or at least a better layout. I think the real key is layout and having enough usable space for what you want, including storage and closet space.

Brooke&Ryan · February 2009

The one we saw today was to small. The layout did not make it feel small, it actually felt larger than some houses we looked at with larger square footage. It was actually a bank foreclosure (we didn't know this until we got there today) and it was disgusting.

On the way home we made the decision to stay within the square footage we have now (around 1600) to schedule a showing.

bridz2be · February 2009

At least today helped you to know what size you're looking for! Our house is 1400 sf and we're outgrowing it fast. We have a narrow "cozy" house. It is three floors including the finished basement, but each floor is small. We have 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, living room, kitchen/dining room, and then the finished basement. We'd be ok with one child here, but not two which is scary if the economy continues as it is! We definitely bought with a 3-5 year plan in mind, but if things continue, it may be longer unless we take a loss.

Our next home will probably be at least 2000 sqft, or at least that is the hope.?

GL with your search!?

mikenlinds · March 2009

Where did you get the info on the square footage? We found that the square footage listed on some real estate websites were not always accurate- some didn't include basement, garage, etc. I would check it out anyway!

May242003 · March 2009

I agree with pps about the layout. Our first house was 1500 sq ft with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Our current (and hopefully forever unless job changes) house is 2003 sq ft with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and an extra game room upstairs (that could be walled in as a 4th bedroom). We're spoiled now and know that we wouldn't want to go back to our old set up. The rooms and closets were much smaller and we like the extra bathroom for guests and our future kid. However, if we had stayed in the 1500 (or somewhere smaller), we probably wouldn't miss the space that we have now! Like pp said, basement specs aren't often included and that might help you feel like you have more room. :-) good luck!

KellyND04 · March 2009

We have 1250, but no basement. It's okay for now, but we could use more living area for toys and play! Ideally, for our next house, I'd love to have 2000 sq ft and at least 2 full baths, but we could probably make do with several kids in 1500 as long as there is a basement and a yard to play in! (Remember that basements aren't included in square footage in listings).

How Many Square Feet

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