What's the smallest home you'd live in? - Page 2

[Tumble Bumbles]

We are a family of four in about 1000 sf. I don't feel it's very well laid out though. Given our amount of 'stuff' though (very little), I think we could happily live a significantly smaller space. I could probably go as small as 400-500 sf -- especially with sufficient outdoor space/outbuildings. I ♥ small, intentional spaces.

[Thursday Girl]

the storage is especially a problem in our small house b/c it was built in 1928. No pantry, no coat closet, linen closet and very small closets in the 2 bedrooms. So with 5 people currently 2 small closets just doesn't cut it, especially when you consider our 2011 possesions vs what a person in 1928 might have had.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

Originally Posted by Thursday Girl 

the storage is especially a problem in our small house b/c it was built in 1928. No pantry, no coat closet, linen closet and very small closets in the 2 bedrooms. So with 5 people currently 2 small closets just doesn't cut it, especially when you consider our 2011 possesions vs what a person in 1928 might have had.

That seems to be a common theme with old houses.  They either have too much storage, with all sorts of built-ins, pantries, nooks, and closets, that a minimal-ish household could never fill...  Or they have one teeny closet.  My house was built in 1925, and we actually have enough storage.  Each bedroom has a decent closet, and we also have a large linen closet.  But there is no storage on the main floor, and our vacuum is always sitting out because it has no home down there.  I keep trying to think of a way to add in a closet, but haven't come up with anything functional yet.

[LVNTEXAS]

My son and I are in a 650 and a little more apartment. What sold me on this was the layout and the large walk in closet in the bedroom. We also have a nice pantry, which houses the washer/dryer with shelving about for all sorts of things. I do so enjoy it. I, too, had a problem finding a small but comfortable couch to fit but I did eventually find one.

[inky leeuhhh]

we are a family of soon to be 5 living in about 900 square feet. i am desperately trying to get rid of junk before this baby comes. we will actually hopefully be moving into a bigger house this spring, but the plan is to have an in home daycare, so our actual family living space will probably still be small. we'd be using the living/ dining area for the daycare, and probably an extra bedroom as a "family" room. and of course after hours my kids could play in the daycare space, which would be helpful.

i feel like we could be doing find in this apartment if i could just get the clutter under control. i hate feeling like there's always something under foot. i've been looking through this forum today for some inspiration!

[Mommel]

I have friends (a couple) who live in a 60 sq ft tiny house with their two cats. I think it's amazing. 

We live in 700 sq ft, but my mom lives with us now, so it works well for us.

[amautik]

We currently live in a 650 sq. ft house, and we are admittedly bursting at the seams.  I think it would be a LOT better if we had some storage space!  The only closet can barely be called that, and it's in the unheated porch.  (I live in northern Canada, so in the winter, it's too cold to keep our coats and boots out there.)  We live pretty simply, but we have a lot of books and craft supplies of various kinds.  Storage space and built-ins would be great!  If we had better storage or had a very slightly larger house, it would be great.  The second bedroom doesn't get used much yet as a bedroom anyway as DD sleeps in our room.  I would also love some place to do laundry, as we installed a washer in our kitchen so we could wash diapers (no dryer so they get hung up in the living room) and it takes up valuable space in there.  

But our house isn't really worth working on, since it's in bad condition and wasn't well-built to begin with, not to mention incredibly energy inefficient.  I can't wait until we can build a house that we can grow into as our family expands!

(There are three of us and a sizeable dog.)