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1Bookworm
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| Posted: July 05 2005 at 7:47am | IP Logged
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We moved recently. I've noticed that all of my friends in my new homestate with more than 4 children have very large homes...2200 sq. ft or more, with full basements to boot. Its not a cheap area to live in, although its not as bad as where I came from (So CA). Most of them waited and looked for years before buying land and building their own homes.
When we bought the home we live in now (a few months ago), we were focused on living simply, not overloading our budget, with dreams of...just maybe...paying it off a little bit early. We were also thinking that some day it wouldn't necessarily be an advantage to have a huge house to clean without a bunch of little helpers. We have just under 1700 sq. ft and a full but unfinished basement. The laundry is on the main level off the kitchen. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths (one off the master). A good sized kitchen with room for a big table, and a good sized livingroom. Not a lot of wasted space.
But I'm wondering now if there is some sort of "large families" wisdom in larger homes that I don't know about, since we both came from small families. I'm wondering if we were shortsighted? Are we going to go crazy when they are all teenagers and adults (our oldest is 11)?
Before we start making changes and making this home more "ours" we want to make sure we made the right decision.
What do y'all think?
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TradCathMom
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| Posted: July 05 2005 at 8:26am | IP Logged
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I guess my theory is, whatever size you have just don't fill it up with stuff. Right now we live in a 1800 sq ft house (we have 7 children the oldest is 9). We run 2 businesses out of the home. We are now in the process of building a house (and hope to move in by October). It took us 8 years til we bought the land and 2-1/2 to finish building (not our fault just being pushed around by various people on boards!) It took so long to even find land because we wanted to live in the country (top priority for us) in this area (because of DH's work) and then there is that budget thing!! We foudn 51 acres at a steal for land around here and it is pretty too!
Only a few things mattered to me, good closets, a mud room (our current entry into the house is right into the kitchen which as you know is always a very active part of any home!!) and an office/school area oh AND more than 1 bathroom, I'd even have been satisfied with 2 stalls  ! Otherwise I wasn't too picky and would make do. I never wanted high ceilings and that's what this plan has LOL.
I find it very hard to keep things clean in the house we live in because it isn't well planned (built over 100 years ago when people had a couple dresses and overalls on hooks and closets weren't very necessary!) The rooms here are nice (and the land is LOVELY!). Entryway right into the kitchen with no closet for jackets (winters have been a nightmare LOL) So our new house is laid out with eating/sleeping/relaxing/laundry/pantry on the main floor. There is a big loft (the size of 3 nice sized rooms) that will house the school (with play area for littles) /office/sewing/crafts. and the basement will have a large workroom for my husband's ummm.... stuff and boys play room and a girls play room (since my girls tend to like pretty and boys tend to like busting up stuff, both of course enjoying their own sense of messy LOL). The rest I hope to keep empty so the children have a place to run around in the winter (which is very long here in WI!!) It's a simple lay out with a simple kitchen. The mudroom is in the basement with a bathroom nearby.
I guess I see that we can make do with whatever we have and that we erroneously tend to fill up space with stuff. If we have a bit of space we tend to fill it up, we are hoping we've learned the hard way already and won't do that after we move
I don't think it is so much the size of the house but how it is laid out that will make thing easier or harder to maintain. I don't think because a family is large the house has to be a disaster (which currently ours is) but I just want a home that is comfortable (no museum for us LOL) but i would like it to be tidy. (without being a tyrant of course!)
Just my thoughts, it's very common for me to be wrong and idealistic though
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Julie
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Julie's stuff
Trinity Acres
JMJ * AMDG
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alicegunther
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| Posted: July 05 2005 at 8:51am | IP Logged
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TradCathMom wrote:
| I guess my theory is, whatever size you have just don't fill it up with stuff. |
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This is very true. Our last house was 1500 square feet, and we had five children and one on the way when we finally moved. While it was a tight squeeze, the house did not seem claustrophobic, because I kept furniture and possessions to a minimum on the main floor. There was room to walk around and space for company. I realized what a difference this made at a party thrown by one of our local friends. She had the identical home blueprint as mine and only one child, yet her house seemed very cramped. It was all the furniture that did it!
Sometimes less is more!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
     
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1Bookworm
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| Posted: July 06 2005 at 7:15am | IP Logged
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Less is definitely more. We have never really been stuff keepers. I like minimal furniture and a place for everything and everything in its place (with at least a smidge of room to grow). So I do understand what you mean. Right now I am seriously considering getting one of those organizational closet systems to see if we could get away without having dressers in my little girls room (the more floor space the better, as far as I'm concerned). Also, I have found that the more organized their bedrooms are, the easier it is for them to keep it clean themselves!
I appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you.
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alicegunther
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| Posted: July 06 2005 at 10:13am | IP Logged
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1Bookworm wrote:
| Right now I am seriously considering getting one of those organizational closet systems to see if we could get away without having dressers in my little girls room (the more floor space the better, as far as I'm concerned). |
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We had "California Closets" put in to all the closets in our last house, and it honestly bought us at least a year in a space we had otherwise outgrown. It also enhanced the value of the house and gave it one more attractive feature when it came time to sell the place. The closet in our daughters' room actually had a beautiful chest of drawers built right in by the people at California Closets--what a space saver that was.
Get many different estimates though. I think we paid too much for the California Closets. I wish I'd had time to shop around.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
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alicegunther
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1Bookworm wrote:
| Less is definitely more. We have never really been stuff keepers. |
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I would love to be able to say I'm not a "stuff keeper." My problem is sentiment. I have boxes and boxes of sentimental items I can't bear to part with, yet I know I'll never really have time to organize it all in a usable form. What do you all do with the baby shoes and drawings and first craft projects?
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
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TradCathMom
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| Posted: July 06 2005 at 10:29am | IP Logged
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alicegunther wrote:
1Bookworm wrote:
| Less is definitely more. We have never really been stuff keepers. |
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I would love to be able to say I'm not a "stuff keeper." My problem is sentiment. I have boxes and boxes of sentimental items I can't bear to part with, yet I know I'll never really have time to organize it all in a usable form. What do you all do with the baby shoes and drawings and first craft projects? |
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I went to get out some "new" clothing for my 2 year old and all I could find in there was old grubby clothing, why do I keep those things?!
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Julie
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JMJ * AMDG
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JennGM
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There was a great article in the Wall Street Journal from last Thursday (June 30, 2005). Homespun Expertise on the Web by Kara Swisher. One of the items that caught my eye was the Drawers in the Stairs reference. I thought this would be a great idea for organizing a home!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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1Bookworm
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***I have boxes and boxes of sentimental items I can't bear to part with, yet I know I'll never really have time to organize it all in a usable form. What do you all do with the baby shoes and drawings and first craft projects?***
Have you ever read Clutter's Last Stand (Don Aslett, the cleaning guy)? Its a great book. I think the author is Mormon, but the stuff I learned was easily appliable to any Christian.
So anyway, we allow 2 big rubbermaids for each child's childhood sentimentals...the stuff I can't bear to part with, like my first son's "engineer overalls" that he practically lived in when he was 4. :-) Thats about 1 Rubbermaid for 9 years of stuff. If it fills too soon, then something has to go to make it all fit.
For stuff thats too big to save but we want to remember it, we take a picture before getting rid of it, and make sure it ends up safely in a scrapbook.
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As you enter this life, I pray you depart with a wrinkled face and a brand new heart.
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Elizabeth
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In our first house we had three and one on the way in 1500 square feet with no yard. Our second house we had six in 2100 square feet with my dh working at home fulltime. Now, we have a big house and still a fully functioning fulltime home office--I think the house is about 5,000 square feet with a full finished basement. We bought it on the advice of a mom with the same number of girls and boys who were just a bit older than mine. She warned that teenaged boys are BIG--their friends are BIG, their stuff is BIG. BIG, BIG, BIG! We really lucked into this house and I'm grateful for the space.
That said, I'm a huge de-clutterer. I'm constantly culling. And I would some California Closet magic!
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM
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Elizabeth wrote:
| That said, I'm a huge de-clutterer. I'm constantly culling. |
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But the decluttering has to be constant...we are always adding new things to the house, even if it's just mail and newspapers. Two of the old ages are so true: a woman's work (aka, housework) is never done, and you can't rest on your laurels. (Do I have those right?)
Elizabeth wrote:
| And I would some California Closet magic! |
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Wouldn't we all? I was reading yet *another* article in the Washington Post about organizing last week, mentioned Elfa from the Container Store, but also CA Closets and such. It made me so wishful for that kind of organization and clean lines. Alas, tight budget!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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Meredith
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Well, we have a large house as well, ranch style, so no basement, but a large loft for storage in one of the garages. I still have eight large flip-top plastic storage boxes filled with all of my daughters clothing. I guess the hoping for another girl thing has gone on long enough considering she's 9 and our newest little guy is only 2 months.  Time to CULL! But how do you part with it, and how much??
I've just finished reading MROL and she has some great culling ideas not only for the soul but for the house. Time to get busy.
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Meredith
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momwise
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happyheartsmom wrote:
| I still have eight large flip-top plastic storage boxes filled with all of my daughters clothing. I guess the hoping for another girl thing has gone on long enough considering she's 9 and our newest little guy is only 2 months. |
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Meredith,
My 2 dds are 15 yrs. apart . We recently moved but for 11 years we were in a 1700 sq. ft. house with no basement and I had one Rubbermaid container for each child's off-season clothing. I finally did get rid of dd's clothes after 2 boys came along after her. I'm a pretty dedicated de-clutterer.
When dd was born 9 mos. ago, there were tons of people more than happy to give her clothes. It seems that all mothers and their girls love to have an excuse to go buy girl clothes .
Right now I have 3 portable plastic drawers under her crib for her clothes and another plastic bin in my closet for her pajamas and socks. I'll worry about more storage when the time comes 
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Big houses/smaller houses
