Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › Will we regret downsizing??? Help me think this through
New Posts  All Forums:
 

Will we regret downsizing??? Help me think this through - Page 2

post #21 of 38
3/2/10 at 4:25pm
just another BTDT, i have 4 brothers and i shared a room with one of them until i was 15. we always shared spaces and grew up in little houses, never more than 4 rooms. when i was 15 i hated sahring a room, which was why i finally got my own room, but up until then, we didn't care. my dh grew up sharing his room with his two brothers, and they didn't care. if you are used ot it, then it doesn't bother you. i think that it helps foster closeness and also teaches kids good habits/manners about considering others. if i wanted to stay up later than my brother, i HAD to use a flashlight to read in bed. we didn't fight much and we have always been really close. no matter how many bedrooms we have in my own family, we planno on our dds sharing a room until they are much older.
i don't think it is helathy or realistic for kids to grow up with so much space available to them. really- how are you teachiing your kids to be thankful for what they have and to live a simple green life when you have so much unnecessary space?i say go for it!

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby
post #22 of 38
3/2/10 at 7:24pm
I think it sounds wonderful! Don't let the doubters get to you! We are planning to move to a much smaller place (we have three kids, with a hope for a fourth) and every time I have doubts I remember that my grandparents raised my mom and her two siblings in a two bedroom house with one bathroom. And they were not poor or crazy or pioneer folks. They just had a tiny house in what is now an outrageously expensive section of LA. And my mom had a great childhood and never felt deprived or squished in her house.

Oh, and I grew up with four siblings and shared a room with one of my sisters until I went to college. I loved it.

I think sharing space in a smaller house teaches kids to be better "citizens" - not the "my space, my stuff" kind of kids.
post #23 of 38
3/2/10 at 9:26pm
Do what feels right!
post #24 of 38
3/2/10 at 10:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rachel_eva View Post
i don't think it is helathy or realistic for kids to grow up with so much space available to them. really- how are you teachiing your kids to be thankful for what they have and to live a simple green life when you have so much unnecessary space?i say go for it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by berry987 View Post

I think sharing space in a smaller house teaches kids to be better "citizens" - not the "my space, my stuff" kind of kids.
So,I'm sure you aren't trying to be insulting but as the mother of an only child I have to believe that children can grow up healthy and good citizens even though they have their own room.
post #25 of 38
3/3/10 at 12:27am
Wow, it sounds ideal. It's hard to imagine anyone naysaying that! Maybe you should share some studies on the psychological benefits of roomsharing. It's much healthier for kids to share rooms w/ siblings when possible. And w/ your dd having a smaller room, it's likely to feel cozier. We know some families with enormous homes and they feel so hollow. Our birth class teacher actually bought a 4 bedroom home to give each of her 3 sons a separate room...but they wanted a triple bunk bed instead!

I say GO FOR IT!
post #26 of 38
3/3/10 at 12:29am
.
post #27 of 38
3/3/10 at 2:35am
I think it's great to hear all the downsides so when you jump in, you don't have surprises later on that you might have seen! Life is too short to not take some chances.
post #28 of 38
3/4/10 at 7:30pm
I think it sounds like a great solution for your family. If I were you, I would:

1. Definitely add the bedroom and bath in the basement. When you have 4 teenagers you'll want a second bathroom.

2. Can you add a door to the boy area of the attic? I'm thinking the noise level in that room could get a tad loud as they age.
post #29 of 38
3/4/10 at 10:00pm
I love craftsman style houses!
It sounds fabulous!!!!

I also think you should follow your dream-

and also that there are trade-offs no matter what decisions we make,
nothing is perfect~

but a craftsman house on 5 acres is awful darn close LOL

And if it is your dream, you can always make it work...you'll be inspired and light hearted!

Good luck!!!!!!
post #30 of 38
3/4/10 at 11:18pm
Do it! We went from 3300 sq. ft to 2600 to 2150 and we're very happy. Sometimes I miss all the sprawling space but this "sacrifice" is enabling us to reach our goals and get us a few steps closer to our dream, which is also to get some property.
post #31 of 38
3/5/10 at 2:42pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the awesome comments! It is looking like everything will work out just as we hoped for this place, it is just going to be a very slow process.

Right now we are focusing on drastically downsizing our possessions so that it will make life easier as we go through this journey. I've already decluttered a good portion of our "stuff" in the fall, so this is a more radical step. It is a tiny bit scary, but in a good way
post #32 of 38
3/6/10 at 12:46am
Our family is of a similar mix: one daughter and three boys (16, 12, 9, 6y). Due to the age "gap" between the first two children they shared a room for a very short time only. Our set-up so far was DD has a bedroom of her own, 2 DSs share a bedroom and 1 DS has a bedroom of his own. So, we obviously have more space than you.
As my daughter is at a different stage than the rest of our gang I think it's important that she gets to have a break from "too many boys around".

We had to downsize a bit when we moved here from Germany last year. I still feel we have too much stuff. That's your big advantage there: you can really prioritize what's important for you as a family.

As you're homeschooling much of the reading / crafting etc. "stations" will probably be more in the kitchen / family room area, right? That'll save on needed space in DCs' bedrooms. If they're more on the smaller side you and your children will be less tempted to drown the place in toys.

Another idea: my husband and I left what was designed to be the "master bedroom" (with walk-in closet and a full bathroom) to our 2 youngest boys. After all, we only use the bedroom for sleeping (and some sewing on my part) while our children play and read in their rooms. Maybe that's a suggestion that could work in your house, too.

Good luck, sounds like this house has been waiting for you!

(Could this be you? )
post #33 of 38
3/6/10 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by proudmomof4;[QUOTE
15151286]

As you're homeschooling much of the reading / crafting etc. "stations" will probably be more in the kitchen / family room area, right? That'll save on needed space in DCs' bedrooms. If they're more on the smaller side you and your children will be less tempted to drown the place in toys.
It sounds like we have a lot in common! Yes, the homeschooling stuff is in the living room/dining room only at this point, except for a small collection of favorite books in both kid bedrooms. I realized a couple years ago when we first started looking for a house that it was unlikely we'd have enough bedroom space for a separate homeschool room so we set up a nice system in the dining room. I actually prefer having the homeschool stuff in the main part of the house anyway. Their bedrooms are very simple at the moment.

I actually went through ALL of the toys yesterday with my oldest's help and took out most everything. We kept just their very favorite items (mostly open ended natural toys) and the rest are going to live in a bag in our basement for a month or two and see if we miss any of it. I already notice they are playing together much more nicely and that they have no problems cleaning it up in just a minute. I wish I'd done this ages ago! I think this was a good thing on many levels, but it will be much easier in the farmhouse if they aren't swimming in toys (even if they are nice ones). This is me today:
post #34 of 38
3/6/10 at 7:15pm
awesome!
post #35 of 38
3/10/10 at 8:00pm
My dad is #2 out of 7 kids...first 6 are boys and youngest a girl. He grew up in a house that had a big attic "dormitory" where all the boys slept, and the girl had her own small room. They had bunkbeds and not too much "stuff". He lived in that attic room all the way through college too (lived at home while going to school and working to save money), and he said the one thing that was challenging was finding a quiet place to study. So in college, sometimes he would just do that at the school library instead of at home. They did not have a lot of money (grandma stayed home, and grandpa was a mailman), so a bigger place was not an option. Dad says sharing space never bothered him growing up, and I know my mom appreciates the fact that my dad is tidy with his things (clothes, shoes, etc.) because he HAD to be growing up, whereas MIL always cleaned up after my DH so he is not so good at keeping his things put away.

Sounds really cool...good luck to you!
post #36 of 38
3/12/10 at 3:13pm
We live in about 1700 square feet (no basement) and I'd say when the kids were younger we had no issues with space. But, as they get older, since our children have such vibrant personalities I think personally it would be easier if there was more space in the house with regard to that.

There are other benefits to having a smaller space. Though even my DH brings up the 'new house' idea from time to time now. Sigh.
post #37 of 38
3/12/10 at 3:22pm
If you have 5 acres you could put up a yurt or dome for extra fun and quest quarters.
post #38 of 38
3/12/10 at 4:27pm
you had me at craftsman i'ld do it in a HEARTBEAT! fwiw i have 5 kids in under 900sq ft (we do plan to add on in the future though )

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby
Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › Will we regret downsizing??? Help me think this through