Comments on: 12 Virtues of a Smaller Home http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/12-virtues-of-a-smaller-home/ Wise Choices. Improved Finances. A Better Life. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:01:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Life as a Family of Five http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/12-virtues-of-a-smaller-home/comment-page-1/#comment-21570 Life as a Family of Five Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:09:48 +0000 http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/?p=762#comment-21570 [...] 12 Virtues of a Smaller Home [...] [...] 12 Virtues of a Smaller Home [...]

]]> By: Downsize Your Home and Upsize Your Wallet http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/12-virtues-of-a-smaller-home/comment-page-1/#comment-19813 Downsize Your Home and Upsize Your Wallet Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:46:45 +0000 http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/?p=762#comment-19813 [...] home may be a challenge, but if you’ve made the decision and can find a buyer, moving into a smaller home can take some of the uncertainty out of your personal economy. Scary home prices, scary energy [...] [...] home may be a challenge, but if you’ve made the decision and can find a buyer, moving into a smaller home can take some of the uncertainty out of your personal economy. Scary home prices, scary energy [...]

]]> By: Rejuvenating Your Budget http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/12-virtues-of-a-smaller-home/comment-page-1/#comment-14387 Rejuvenating Your Budget Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:46:24 +0000 http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/?p=762#comment-14387 [...] – move to a smaller more fuel efficient vehicle, downsize to a smaller home,  downsize the clutter in your attic, your furniture, your lifestyle in [...] [...] – move to a smaller more fuel efficient vehicle, downsize to a smaller home,  downsize the clutter in your attic, your furniture, your lifestyle in [...]

]]> By: Barbara G Meyer http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/12-virtues-of-a-smaller-home/comment-page-1/#comment-11055 Barbara G Meyer Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:55:29 +0000 http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/?p=762#comment-11055 What is big enough for one is too big for another, but these days we tend to think (as Ron says) bigger is better and it isn't. I worked a rich party where I overheard one woman saying to another, "We have 6,000 square feet, we should be able to find space for everything." It wasn't a matter of space--she has that in plenty, I bet it was a matter of design. She didn't have places for what she wanted. Sarah Susanka's Not-So-Big House book has been a favorite of mine since it came out. I don't always like her alliance to St. Frank Lloyd Wright, but she talks of rethinking our houses in terms of what we need, not what we think we are supposed to have. So a person may actually NEED 6,000 square feet. More power to them. Others may need 2,400 square feet. Still others only 500. We find what we need by thinking of what we do first, and then designing our houses to fit our lives. Not some image we think we must adhere to. Yes, this is a Wright-ism: form follows function, I never said he was always wrong, but I want softer and more comfortable design. The big is bad in building (except in the profits for the builder) is something I have seen first hand: a woman had me over at a HUGE house she lived in. She put her friends in a cavernous ballroom sized living room and they looked lost. Swallowed up by the sheer size of the place. She was one older woman, she didn't need all that space and would never use it. The house was like a museum, and about as warm. Another place I saw in a magazine has SEVEN BATHROOMS in a rambling apartment--all on one floor. Seven. This is mad. But even I (who live alone) could use a second toilet, and if I buy a new house, I will probably get one. If I were building, I would probably NOT put in a dining room (I don't plan on having big formal dinner parties) but that great room (an open plan kitchen/family room) that others have spoke about. It is so much nicer for informal entertaining. Right now, I live in 900 sq foot condo and it is MORE than enough. Probably if I built my own, it would be 1200 square feet, maybe less. (I would want that "half bath" toilet and a laundry area.) The point is not to make it as big as you can, but as big as you need. If that is large, you will still be comfortable. If that is small, well, you still will be comfortable. What is big enough for one is too big for another, but these days we tend to think (as Ron says) bigger is better and it isn’t. I worked a rich party where I overheard one woman saying to another, “We have 6,000 square feet, we should be able to find space for everything.” It wasn’t a matter of space–she has that in plenty, I bet it was a matter of design. She didn’t have places for what she wanted.

Sarah Susanka’s Not-So-Big House book has been a favorite of mine since it came out. I don’t always like her alliance to St. Frank Lloyd Wright, but she talks of rethinking our houses in terms of what we need, not what we think we are supposed to have. So a person may actually NEED 6,000 square feet. More power to them. Others may need 2,400 square feet. Still others only 500. We find what we need by thinking of what we do first, and then designing our houses to fit our lives. Not some image we think we must adhere to.

Yes, this is a Wright-ism: form follows function, I never said he was always wrong, but I want softer and more comfortable design.

The big is bad in building (except in the profits for the builder) is something I have seen first hand: a woman had me over at a HUGE house she lived in. She put her friends in a cavernous ballroom sized living room and they looked lost. Swallowed up by the sheer size of the place. She was one older woman, she didn’t need all that space and would never use it. The house was like a museum, and about as warm.

Another place I saw in a magazine has SEVEN BATHROOMS in a rambling apartment–all on one floor. Seven. This is mad. But even I (who live alone) could use a second toilet, and if I buy a new house, I will probably get one. If I were building, I would probably NOT put in a dining room (I don’t plan on having big formal dinner parties) but that great room (an open plan kitchen/family room) that others have spoke about. It is so much nicer for informal entertaining. Right now, I live in 900 sq foot condo and it is MORE than enough. Probably if I built my own, it would be 1200 square feet, maybe less. (I would want that “half bath” toilet and a laundry area.)

The point is not to make it as big as you can, but as big as you need. If that is large, you will still be comfortable. If that is small, well, you still will be comfortable.

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]]> By: Christine http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/12-virtues-of-a-smaller-home/comment-page-1/#comment-10479 Christine Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:33:51 +0000 http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/?p=762#comment-10479 I wish we had purchased a smaller house, but it is a bit ironic - all the smaller homes we were looking at cost $50-70,000 more! So we went with the smaller mortgage and larger house -- but it means higher electricity bills cooling it in the Houston never-ending summers. There are always trade-offs, but I wish we had a *home* instead of a house with so much extra space. I long for a comfy, cosy bungalow! I wish we had purchased a smaller house, but it is a bit ironic – all the smaller homes we were looking at cost $50-70,000 more! So we went with the smaller mortgage and larger house — but it means higher electricity bills cooling it in the Houston never-ending summers.

There are always trade-offs, but I wish we had a *home* instead of a house with so much extra space. I long for a comfy, cosy bungalow!

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