One-bedroom for a family?

[BarefootScientist]

Hi! I hang out here once in a while, so some of you may know my back story, but just in case...

We are moving cross-country in about a month. We're in a ~1500 sq ft house right now which is under contract to sell and is pretty empty, comparatively, because I decluttered a ton to put it on the market. I plan to get rid of more to move. We have one almost 3 yo and may plan another child soon.

We have found an apartment building in our new location that we like. It's a ways from DH's work but it's really nice and has a ton of amenities on site, like a playground, swimming pool, and exercise room. And a washer and dryer in the apartment! So that's exciting.

Here's our issue. I'd like to have a 1 bedroom and of course that's absolutely ludicrous to even consider with a family. Ok, I don't think it is, and my DH, to be fair, is considering it, but he also is considering going for the 2 bedroom, and his mom - who looked at the apartments for us - thinks a 1 bed is crazy, plus it just doesn't seem like something you do when you have a kid. We were in a 1 bedroom before we bought this house and I was in a hurry to get out of it before we had a kid because I thought you couldn't have a family with just a 1 bedroom. If I would have known how little stuff and space you really needed with a kid, I would have liked to have stayed there!

Anyway, lots of rambling, sorry, but I just wanted some opinions on this. Is it nuts to get a 1 bedroom, or will it be fun and a good use of space (as in, not having excess)? The 1 bedrooms are 770 sq ft which to me seems huge, the bedroom is as big as our family room is now, and there's a walk-in closet bigger than our bathroom. Really open floor plan. The 2 bedroom we're looking at is 990 sq ft. It also has 2 bathrooms, which I KNOW we don't need. Basically what the 2 bedroom adds is 220 sq ft, a bedroom, bathroom, and two closets, and of course $95 per month.

Please let me know what you think!

[rachelsmama]

it's definitely not for everybody, but it's not crazy if it works for you, I've known several people who have done it. Eventually you might want more space, but it's not like you can't move when that time comes.

[elsie]

Well I suppose it depends on how long you plan on living there and if you are thinking of more children. Eventually, there is a strong possibility that your child will want their own room and not have to share with you. But maybe not, it really depends on the kid. I could not see myself doing it, and my DH could never do it. But are you crazy? I really can not judge based solely on this

[Drummer's Wife]

A lot of places won't let you have 3 people (unless one is an infant) in a one bedroom apt.

I do think it can work out if need be, temporarily. For a while we had five of us sharing one bedroom while the 2nd bedroom was used as storage (we had moved to an apt from a house). While I would never do it again (well, and we have four kids now), it wasn't that bad b/c the kids preferred sleeping in our room anyhow. It's just a matter of having enough space for all their stuff/toys.

[BarefootScientist]

I don't know how long we'll be living there. Obviously it's not our forever home, but it could be several years. I'm thinking we could move if we're really needing more space though...

[Drummer's Wife]

Would you rent storage for the rest of your stuff? I'm just assuming coming from 1500 sq ft that you have too much for a one bedroom apartment. We rented storage (it was about $100 a month), but when we were garnished for a medical bill we had to move it all out, which is why we filled our 2nd bedroom basically with all our excess stuff and slept in the bigger bedroom.

I do think it might be hard to find someone to rent to you once you list all 3 of you on the lease/appication - most areas have housing rules that specify no more than 2 people per bedroom (unless one is under 18 mos). So keep that in mind if you decide to go for it.

[catscharm74]

We rented a 1 bedroom that had an awesome closet w/built in desk for an office. That was enough space for our DS. He was 2 at the time. We just put his mattress on the floor and made it all comfy cozy. We decluttered like mad to fit into that little apartment. What worked was how we used our storage space. You could build a child size platform bed, so you could store toys underneath. I liked it. It was easy to take care of and met our needs at the time. We also had our 75lb boxer with us. It can work. Just really need to declutter and be super organized. Layout of the apartment is important. The first one we looked at was all chopped up, the second was more open layout and it was smaller but felt better and worked out with our furniture and lifestyle. Also, look for one that has a garage. We could store our bikes, extra furniture in there. Good luck!!!

[zoebird]

we live in a 1 br apartment. there are three of us. DS is 20.5 months.

our apartment is probably slightly smaller than the sq of the one you would be renting. we share the bedroom (king size bed) and assume we will be bedsharing until he is 4/5/6--whenever he decides to move out on his own.

right now, we have no furniture in the lounge/main room. we have baskets in cubbies on one side of the fireplace, and on the other, we are putting a desk and two shelves above.

if we stay here into the time that DS wants to move into his own bed, then we will get a murphy bed, so that it can be out at night, and in during the day.

right now, we have decided to not get furnishings for the living room, and instead keep it wide open. DS's toys are kept in there (we have minimal toys), so he can play in the whole area. right now, by day we make forts out of cardboard (from when our bed arrived), and color on that card board. we then put it away at night. clean up takes about 10 minutes if ALL of the toys are out.

we will probably also bring in a few book shelves (the business that we purchase will have some furnishings replaced due to flood damage) which will house our books when they arrive, so the floor area will remain open.

we also figure that if we do move into a house of some sort, we will keep DS's murphy bed so that he can have plenty of room to play during the day in there, if he wishes, but we can take it out for naps and bed time.

we don't own very much, so it's easy to think of it in these terms. Also, we are thinking of staying with one child, but perhaps revisiting having a second when he is four or five, so that we can see how we feel about it at that point.

we are also considering having a family bedroom and using other rooms as play/crafting/library/etc rooms. so, the "master" would have our bed, and the child(ren)'s bed(s) also.

[BarefootScientist]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

Would you rent storage for the rest of your stuff? I'm just assuming coming from 1500 sq ft that you have too much for a one bedroom apartment. We rented storage (it was about $100 a month), but when we were garnished for a medical bill we had to move it all out, which is why we filled our 2nd bedroom basically with all our excess stuff and slept in the bigger bedroom.

I do think it might be hard to find someone to rent to you once you list all 3 of you on the lease/appication - most areas have housing rules that specify no more than 2 people per bedroom (unless one is under 18 mos). So keep that in mind if you decide to go for it.

No, we wouldn't be getting storage. We can keep a few things at my in-laws house but really I'd like to pare our belongings down so that we fit in the one-bedroom. It's more than half the size of our current house and like I said, our house is pretty empty, so I don't think we'll have that much trouble.

DH decided to go for it. So...wish us luck I guess? I am going to talk to the apartment manager tomorrow. If there is an issue with too many people in a one-bedroom, I guess we will have to go for the two bedroom.

zoe, do you like it? I know I've seen you on the simple living thread and you seem to be a pretty hard-core minimalist. I didn't really think I was one but I am beginning to think I am or there is something else wrong with me not that minimalism is wrong...

I'm just having trouble finding anyone other than Delight, IRL or online, who lives in less than 800 sq ft, one bedroom, with one or more kids and loves it. Anyone out there?

[lookatreestar]

we lived in a 2br/2ba with myself, dh, dd and fil/bil. so essentially we were all in one room and it was great we had the master. now we are in a house so there is more room but all 4 of us are in one room, the master again so its pretty roomy. i would def go for the one bedroom but if we were to move again just us we would go for a 2bd/1ba since most places won't here won't let you have more than 2 people in a 1bd.

[zoebird]

i love it, yeah.

and i don't feel hard core, but i also realize that i'm probably pretty fringe. I mean, i feel normal--but i UC, Exclusive/Extended BF, BLW, EC, babywear, organic foods, blah-dee-blah-blah-blah and *i love minimalism a lot*. LOL seriously, though, i feel *very* normal.

So, probably might be ok to answer what i like about it?

I have to say that i feel very liberated.

housekeeping is one of the things that creates this feeling. I can scrub my whole house (and i do mean scrub) in under 2 hrs. Tidying up takes about 5-10 minutes; 20 minutes if every dish is dirty, every toy out, and the laundry just out of the dryer!

this creates *so much more time* for me to devote to the people and activities that i love.

the use of space is really quite nice. we use the lounge as a space for playing with DS, writing (DH is setting up a writing space in there), and yoga/meditation. We also hang with friends in there, and have a good time generally.

it's also very cosy. i love our evenings together. after dinner, we clean up the kitchen and tidy up the house (put away toys, etc). then, it's PJs, hot camomile tea, and reading stories to each other cuddled up in our big bed. DS goes to sleep around 8:30, and DH and i will talk or what have you until our bed time at 9:30/10.

Overall, i really like living this way. DH talks about wnating a nice big house (family stuff there), but i prefer well designed, uncluttered and well organized. size is only as much space as you need to have some privacy and also closeness. DH can write in the lounge (a door closes) while DS and i are playing in the back, and DS can play in the hall while i'm in the bedroom and DH is in the lounge, or whatever combination. hawk has his hiding places, too, so it works out for all of us.

[BarefootScientist]

Originally Posted by zoebird

and i don't feel hard core, but i also realize that i'm probably pretty fringe. I mean, i feel normal--but i UC, Exclusive/Extended BF, BLW, EC, babywear, organic foods, blah-dee-blah-blah-blah and *i love minimalism a lot*. LOL seriously, though, i feel *very* normal.

Well...I feel normal too. That doesn't mean we are. Nothing wrong with that though. Thanks for your response, it does help to know that others are doing this by choice and liking it. Now I'm very curious to find out if we actually can. I've been thrown off a little by the "most places don't allow it" but I'm going to ask today. I think unless some serious issue on the lease comes up that we don't like or something, we're going to go with this apartment complex. We'll do a one or a two - bedroom, whatever will work.

I'll come back and update.

[BarefootScientist]

Originally Posted by catscharm74

You could build a child size platform bed, so you could store toys underneath.

I missed this the first time, but OMG I love this idea.

[catscharm74]

We built a platform, his clothes are in the basket underneath his bed and then we placed a wicker toy chest at the end...with a mat on top...this fills up the whole space from wall to wall, so he can sit on the wicker basket with his book (mounted on a shelf above said basket) but then he can remove the cushion and get his toys. It's fun!!! We also made a "canopy" out of strong muslim to make a tent at the top of his bed. He it!!!

[BCFD]

We are a family of 5 living in a 1700 sq. ft. ranch style home on a postage stamp of land (NorCal for ya!). It's a 4 BR 2 BA house and I have 5, 4, and 3 year old girls. We still co-sleep, so technically we all sleep in one room. We have a king and a twin next to each other which literally takes up the ENTIRE room. The only other thing in the room is a dresser with a TV and a small bookshelf.

From that perspective, I think if we had to live in a 1 BR apartment, we could do it. One of our BR's is an office (and it looks more like an office than a BR since it's in the front of the house with double doors) and the other two are technically the kids' space with their own beds (for when/if they want to sleep there). Mostly they are used as their play rooms and their clothes. So, from a space perspective we'd have to seriously cut down on clothes and toys.

Not sure if that helps or not. Can you rent month to month in case it doesn't work out? Is a 2BR that much more expensive? Good luck with your move!!!

[BCFD]

Originally Posted by catscharm74

We built a platform, his clothes are in the basket underneath his bed and then we placed a wicker toy chest at the end...with a mat on top...this fills up the whole space from wall to wall, so he can sit on the wicker basket with his book (mounted on a shelf above said basket) but then he can remove the cushion and get his toys. It's fun!!! We also made a "canopy" out of strong muslim to make a tent at the top of his bed. He it!!!

Ohh...I'd love to see pictures of this! Sounds cute!!

[BarefootScientist]

Originally Posted by BCFD

Not sure if that helps or not. Can you rent month to month in case it doesn't work out? Is a 2BR that much more expensive? Good luck with your move!!!

It's really not that much more expensive. $50-95 a month more depending on the two-bedroom. I was just preferring the 1 bed because I really think that's all we would NEED and I guess I am a minimalist. But I did talk to the apartment manager and Drummer's Wife was right, 2 people per bedroom, three if one of them is a small nursing child. Which DS is not. So I think we might be going for the 990 sq ft 2 bedroom 2 bath. A little too much space for us but I'm sure we'll still manage to make it cozy and nice. And we might have another kid and "grow into" the space so to speak.

I'm just not looking forward to having to clean two bathrooms. Well, I do it now, but I was hoping for a reprieve.

The libertarian part of me is still bristling at the fact that they feel they need to regulate how much space we need to live.

[zoebird]

yeah, those laws are kind of nuts.

we were in denmark about 4 yrs ago or so now, and had a great time. we stayed in an apartment there that was about the size of the place we are in here. the apartment was owned by a family who lived in the mirror image apartment next door.

that family was a family of 6.

in the bedroom, they had two bunk beds and two large wardrobes. each child had her own bed, and the two wardrobes were shared.

the entry hall had a huge wardrobe for shoes, coats, hats, bags.

the lounge or main room had a large table with benches, a sofa with hide-a-bed (for parents) a second sofa across from it, a window seat, book cases with TV, dvds, books, and baskets for the children's toys across from the window seat (the two sofas were perpendicular to the tv/windowseats, creating a box shape). the window seat had storage for the parent's clothes and bedding. there was a rug between the two sofas to lounge on the floor as well.

we stayed in the neighboring apartment, sharing it with another family of three (so there were five of us, total, staying there), and really enjoyed spending time with our "host family" in their home. it was clean and neat, a place for everything, and--i would say--quite comfortable.

it really inspired me in a lot of ways--as to what is really do-able.

i look forward to traveling in mongolia to see how families share yurts!

[mamadelbosque]

Hi there. I would *not* rent a 1br apt with a 3 yr old. I just wouldn't. Especailly not if your considering more kids anytime soon. We have two bedrooms right now (one for DH & I & DS2 and one for DS1, soon to be sharing with ds2), and thats plenty, but I can't imagine having ds1 in our room still. Just can't.

I grew up in a house where me, my dad, my mom, and my older brother all lived in a loft above the kitchen/living room till I was 9 (brother was 11). It was OK, but getting our own rooms was *AWESOME* (for the record, my old room is now ds1's room and we're in my brothers old room - my dad still has the old loft as his room ). If your doing it out of absolutely neccisty, no choice, thats one thing. But to conciously choose to share a room with a 3yr old, unless it was a truely HUGE room seems just silly.

[BarefootScientist]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

But to conciously choose to share a room with a 3yr old, unless it was a truely HUGE room seems just silly.

Hmm well...we are (hopefully) getting the 2 bedroom instead now. But the bedroom in the 1 bed we were considering IS a huge room - 11 x 17. Seems giant for a bedroom to me anyway. Right now he sleeps in our room which is much smaller and fine, and his toys are in his own room but he never plays with them because he only wants to play in the living room. Being as the living room in that apartment is like twice as big as our current living room, I really think it could have worked.

Oh well.