How small is too small for square footage

KristinaLM · February 2012

A new FC came on the market today, and it looks pretty nice. My only concern is that the total square footage is 1364. That is a reasonable size for just two people, but we plan on having 2 kids starting in five years. I know that much larger families have occupied much smaller spaces, but do you think that this would be too cramped? I would prefer to not move/add an addition once our kids are of an age where you want your alone time to be as far away from them as possible!

angiem33 · February 2012

It really truly depends on what you are comfortable in. I grew up in a house with 2 parents, a brother, a cat, and a dog in a space probably about the same size as your potential house and we were fine.

H and I are shopping for a house now, even though it's just the 2 of us and a cat, with no plans on kids at any point in the next 3-4 years, I still want a minimum of 3,000. But that's my personal preference.

julygal · February 2012

That would be too small for me. I feel like we are busting at the seams with about 2100 sq ft and 5 people. However, I think sq ft can feel different based on layout, and I would take a look if it wasn't that far off from other homes I was considering.

queenbone · February 2012

We have a 4 bdrm house, but one bedroom is DH's office and one is our tv room. DH and I always thought we would want our children to share a bedroom. We wanted a modest sized house. But once we actually had two sons, I started to change my mind. Trying to keep DS1 occupied while DS2 takes a nap is hard because all the toys are in their shared bedroom. And imagining two, possibly three, teenage boys in the upstairs of a bungalow was not looking appealing.

We originally planned to convert the basement to living space to solve the situation, but instead we fell in love with another house.

I'd worry you'll feel cramped in 1364 sf.

cinnamonbears · February 2012

I think that 1364 sqft. may be too small for a family with two children especially if the children would have to share a bedroom. I grew up in a small house and I felt that I never had any separation from my sister or a place for some quiet. It seemed that every room of the house was occupied. As the pp stated layout is important. The right layout can make a small house seem bigger and more functional. I think for a family of four you should have at least 1600 sqft. and two bathrooms. With one bathroom you will never have any privacy.

mxolisi · February 2012

I grew up in a 1400 sf house. There were 5 of us when I was small and then my grandparents moved in and there were 7. 1.5 baths. I even had to share a room with my brother for about 6 years. Horrifying I know. Somehow we all survived and grew up to be normal people. I now live in a 1200 sf house and we have an entire room we never even enter. More than enough space even with a kid or two. And it's a 95 year old house so the closets aren't enormous. You accumulate as much crap as you allow yourself to.

kaylie622 · February 2012

That would be too small for me - I grew up in a family of four in a 1500 sq ft house and that felt cramped. We're looking at 2500+ and hoping for a finished basement (for when the kids are older and we don't want to hear them). Like others have said, it's personal preference and I know there are people who have lived in smaller homes and been fine. Maybe it's worth going to see the house to get a feel for it.

Also, the layout can make all the difference. I've been in 3200 sq ft homes that feel smaller than 2400 sq ft homes.

LadyExtravaganza · February 2012

We sold our first house which was 1,100 sq feet and felt so small and cramped once DS came along. When we were looking to buy, we were looking around 2,000 sq ft because I think that's my ideal size for a small family. We ended up buying a house that is roughly 2,800 sq ft and while we obviously love it, it is much larger than we need right now.

BriGiboo · February 2012

I would feel it was too small...but I grew up in large homes. truely I believe it is all what you are used to and your climate. if you live in the midwest being stuck indoors with 2 kids with cabin fever 1300sqf is not going to work. If you are in an area of the country where you plan to live outdoors mostly then yes it could work just fine

Jliongrrrl · February 2012

It might be tight but think how much easier it would be to keep clean

mica178 · February 2012

A lot depends on layout, how much you are inside the home (there are families that are always out and about, others live in temperate areas and spend a lot of time outdoors), and what the kids are like. My dad used to own a well-laid out 1440 sq ft house when my parents were separated. The house felt fine, but we were only there on weekends. He bought the house from a couple that had two kids, and those kids (reportedly) did fine too.

Juris11 · February 2012

We had started looking at homes with 2,000 sq ft or above, but most of the ones we saw close to 2,000 felt small to me, so we have increased that. I think that the layout becomes super important here. Some homes have a ton of sq. ft. but then the layout makes it feel smaller. And I have seen houses that are smaller but the space is used so well that you don't really notice.

Maybe think about your furniture and the uses for each room, and then base your decision on how well you think it will fit.

lurkergal1 · February 2012

Our last house had 1100 sq feet. It was a very efficent use of space so it didn't feel very small, especially when the children were younger. However, now they are teenagers and have so much more stuff and our new house is about three times that size.

annieu613 · February 2012

H and I bought a 1700sf house, and it's way too big for the 2 of us.

EastCoastBride · February 2012

I agree that layout plays a role. We sold our 1500 sqft row home, but it was a narrow, 3 story house that just wasn't easy w/ a child. For the 2 of us - perfect.

now, we have a 2100 sq ft home and it's perfect.

SaraRN12 · February 2012

That is about the size our current home and we are desperate to get out of here because it is too small. It was fine when it was just the two of us and it was fine when our son was a baby. Now that our son is four though and we plan to have another, we are bursting at the seams! It all depends on your life though and the layout of the house.

sratsey · February 2012

I think a lot will depend on the kind of home you grew up in and the layout of the home.

I grew up in a 3200 sf house, so when we built our first home, it was comparable in size. It was by no means, small, but in hindsight, I would have liked a designated office and playroom on the main levels as opposed to having to finish the basement. We had 3 huge bedrooms and one medium sized one.

My GF lives in a 2200 sf home, but all the doorways are extra wide and because of the layout and the wood running same direction throughout, it feels bigger and has a nice flow. The rooms feel small to me, but that's only because I was used to huge bedrooms.

I would feel cramped in 1300 sf.

CCinLove · February 2012

mxolisi:
I grew up in a 1400 sf house. There were 5 of us when I was small and then my grandparents moved in and there were 7. 1.5 baths. I even had to share a room with my brother for about 6 years. Horrifying I know. Somehow we all survived and grew up to be normal people. I now live in a 1200 sf house and we have an entire room we never even enter. More than enough space even with a kid or two. And it's a 95 year old house so the closets aren't enormous. You accumulate as much crap as you allow yourself to.

I would have said something similar, until I had my second child in a 1500 sq ft house. It seemed huge when there were 2 of us, and we would make it work if we had to. Layout IS the biggest factor. Our house only has a living room (no den or family room) so it sucks not being able to segregate the kid gear and toys from our entertaining space. We really just need a few hundred more square feet, or a basement. I grew up in an 850 sq ft home with 5 other people, so of course it can be done. That doesn't mean it's ideal.

JoeLies · February 2012

I grew up in a 1,700 square foot home (with only 1 full bath) and there were 5 of us PLUS my Mother ran her day care out of the house. Totally do-able but it was CRAMPED. Bedrooms had wall-to-wall furniture or built-ins where normal sized furniture wouldn't fit. We were always on top of each other and it was tough growing up with little personal space or privacy. And even cleaned up, it always looked so cluttered.

No surprise that we're looking for 2,500 - 3,000 square feet!

MMRoberts11 · February 2012

I think a lot of people brought up valid points. I personally think it really depends on the layout more than the actual number. I grew up in homes around 1100 sq ft with a massive dog and slew of other pets and was fine. I now live in a house about that size with my FI and our dog and it's more than enough space for us.

jdbmjm · February 2012

I agree that it is both the layout, and what you are used to, that makes the biggest difference. I grew up in a 1600 sq ft house with 4 of us plus a dog and my mom had a daycare when we were younger. Never felt cramped to me at all. XH and I bought a 1000 sq ft house with 2 large dogs and it was more than enough room- we never even went in one of the bedrooms. I think we could have easily had one child in that space. I'm currently renting a place that's just under 500 sq ft ith 2 big dogs, and it feels fine. But I live in the city and always have, keep doors open a lot, have always been very minimalist with furniture, never have clutter, etc.

3000 seems downright massive! But, depending on layout, your life styles, etc, 1300 could either be just right or too tight. And keeping in mind that you might have different gender children/ different temperament children and sharing rooms might be a bit tight for the long run.

toothpastechica · March 2012

As mentioned, layout is huge. Our place is 2100sqft but we are renting out the basement, so our 2 floors are only about 1400, we have 3bed 3 bath in that space and an open floor plan so it really doesnt feel that small. For the 2 of us and the hedgehog its perfect, maybe even a little on the big side...we have an extra bedroom thats acting as storage and the other bedroom is the office. We plan on staying here for a good long time and once we have kids we will reclaim the basement if we are finding upstairs isnt enough room. But that probably would be until either A) we have more then 2 children or

the kids are school age or close to school age and harder to keep entertained in the same space. Either way with 3 bedrooms upstairs we could be comfortable in the top 2 floors for quite a while if we needed to be. (The rent is to help with the morgage)

marriedonmaui · March 2012

MMRoberts11:
I think a lot of people brought up valid points. I personally think it really depends on the layout more than the actual number. I grew up in homes around 1100 sq ft with a massive dog and slew of other pets and was fine. I now live in a house about that size with my FI and our dog and it's more than enough space for us.

Agreed. Our house is about that size with an unfinished basement and 3/4 acre lot. We also have 4 bedrooms, one of which is our computer room, and of the other two those will be saved for children.

Our house isn't huge but there is plenty of space and we love it.

How small is too small for square footage

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