Small Home - Organizing and Decorating

[Kate and Pete]

Hi!

I haven't seen a thread like this before, so I thought I'd start one! DH and I own a small (1200ish sq. ft) home. All one level. 3br, 1 bath, no basement. We have one acre of property that's private, and we like our space. (We don't have kids -but do have two boxer dogs!)

Our mortgage is soooo inexpensive (with PMI and insurance, it's $850) and we both have good jobs - so, we've been thinking, we could move to a bigger house (we're looking at two 2,000 sq ft + tomorrow) OR we could just figure out how to work in the space we've got and love. (AND, if we stay here, we're going to get a hot tub....!) We also would save around $400/month on a bigger mortgage...

SO - what tips and tricks do you have for living in a small space???

 

[hsmamato2]

1200 sf doesn't seem small to me....not for 2 people,I mean,who really needs 600 square feet per person?
really though-we're a fam of 4,house about 1300 sf total-add the pets,and well..we're fine! I'd stay if I were you- sounds like you're happy!

 

[Kathi OD]

We raised 3 kids in a house just about 1000 sq. ft. and we didn't have the yard that you do. I'd stay where you are for the time being and save some of that money while you can. When the kids come, then look for a bigger place.

Staying in the smaller house allowed us to do some things that we wouldn't have been able to do if we had a bigger mortgage, like nice family vacations and the nice patio w/ the hot tub

Everyone has their own priorities though, and you are the only ones who can really decide what is best for you.

 

[Poohbug]

I would stay put-it sounds like you like your land and the area you are living in. If you are looking for more space maybe you could put up a building. I have seen some really great barns/outbuildings turned into to guest spaces, art studios, offices, etc. When we needed more room(added three kids) we went house hunting for a while but really liked what we already had-we ended up building an addition for the same or less that moving to a new house.

 

[Danemom]

SO - what tips and tricks do you have for living in a small space???

DH and I have made the decision to stay in our "starter" home. Our house sounds very similar to yours and we are a family of 4 (2 teenagers!) and a couple of Great Danes. It does sometimes feel crowded, but we love the payment and our house will be paid off before we are 50. And we get to vacation a lot!

My biggest tip is not to have a lot of "stuff". I learned from those organization shows - if you don't use it or love it, get rid of it!
As I get older, I care less about decorating the house. It's not unattractive - I just don't care about decorative, but useless stuff just sitting around. That helps me feel like I have more space. Clutter becomes overwhelming too quickly in a small space.

Also, use every space you can for storage. I have shelves tucked in every imaginable space - for example, hanging in my water heater closet. I "store" my extra sheets for each bed between the mattress and box spring - and I only have two sets for each bed. We add storage whenever possible. When we replaced our bathroom vanity, we found one where the very bottom (normally dead space) was a drawer. That practically doubled my bathroom storage.

Also, I don't have a lot of kitchen storage so I use a lot of things for double duty. I use a glass to cut out biscuits or cookies. A wire whisk does a great job "sifting" flour. Every little bit helps!

Whenever I begin feeling cramped, it helps to think of my great aunt who raised 9 kids in a house half the size of mine! There really are a lot of great things about my small space. I know where everything is, I always know what my kids are doing, and I truly like the coziness of it.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Stay put. My apartment is 670 square feet and we do not have any walk in closets or storage units. (We DO have clutter, though! No place to put it...haha)

With a smaller space, you also spend less on utilities and maintenance. I would do what a PP suggested and build a shed or something if you need some extra storage space. If you are going to put in a hot tub, could you put it in a sun room? If you can afford a bigger mortgage but you like your space, why not spend that money on enhancing (and/or expanding) the space you have on your current lot. An acre is a LOT of land.

 

[englishteacha]

We have a tiny house on 5.5 acres of land. I think it's around 800 sq. ft. 2 bedrooms, 1 (avocado) bathroom, and a living/dining room with a galley style kitchen. Every time we think of moving, we realize that there's only 2 of us, our mortgage is unbelieveably low, and we have so much space around us. Someday we'd love to build our dream house on our land, which is a big hill. Our current home is at the bottom. The dream house would go at the top!

Unfortunately, we inherited a farmhouse worth of furniture from DH's mom, so we have a dining table that can seat 10, a giant hutch, a china cabinet, and a pump organ (yes, a pump organ) all crammed into my 8 x 10 dining space. You have to walk sideways around the table! Every year I sneak more items out of the house so DH won't notice them missing! Something that's worked well for me is to pack up things I don't want anymore and put them in the garage or shed. Then, if I haven't wanted those items in 6 months to a year, they leave forever.

Our house needs foundation work, which may be what eventually leads to our selling (but we'd keep most of the land).

 

[Kate and Pete]

I think you're all right - it's just so hard to make myself NOT want to "keep up with the Jone-es" as my friends are all starting to move from their starter homes to bigger spaces. But, I know that staying put is the best thing for us - just looking for creative solutions!


I've thought about a sun room - I should do some research on this! And de-cluttering - I keep trying - I never seem to make a dent on it - fortunately, all the clutter's in the attic, so I don't have to look at it! But just knowing it's up there....

 

[RNMOM]

Goodnes don't do what our previous homeowner did and leave the clutter for us. We had an entire attic jammed full. She even left her sterling silver, yearbooks and all kinds of valuable stuff. I called her twice and contacted her realtor but never heard a word so this past year we got rid of all that. (I gave her 10 years to realize what she had done.) We sold the silver and just did the best we could with the other stuff.

One thing I did was take an inexpensive 2 drawer file cabinet and put a round wooden board on top, cover with a round table cloth and use as an occassional table. Storage and no one knows it's there. Also remember to buy furniture that fits your space. That is a lesson I learned the hard way.

I prefer my smallish house. We had a 1300 sq ft one till this house which is 1700 sq ft for the 4 of us. Our other house had a basement, this one no.

I really feel large homes are such a burden in a lot of ways. Costs a lot to buy, decorate, heat, cool and feel so lonely when the kids grow up and leave.

 

[tonilea]

Don't forget higher taxes on a bigger home too!

 

[bettyann29]

if it were me Id stay put.. when me and DH moved together we had a small home that we rented.. the rent was semi low.. we upgraded and moved to a bigger house and to be honest I hated it! there was too much cleaning involved we had more room than what we needed such as 2 living rooms.. who really needs 2 living rooms we only even used the one at holidays and thats it..

We just bought our first home 2 years ago and we downgraded from our last home as far as square footage.. it is bigger than our first home, but I absolutely love it!!! my kids sometimes complain when they find out how big of a house their friend lives in, etc.. but me and DH are content and we love love love the huge backyard.. The way I look at it is that my kids are getting older and they wont be here forever.. it'll end up being me and DH and I just dont see the need for a big house...

It'll be nice to have that extra $ to do other things..

 

[twanner]

We also live in a small house. Our 1890's farmhouse was originally built without ANY closets!! (Thank goodness we have some now.)
I recommend using corner cabinets and shelves to make the most of your spaces. Our television is housed in a corner cabinet, as is our computer/office space. Wall sconce lighting can save floor space.
I'm also very selective about what I put in my house. If I don't absolutely love it, then I have to pass it up. One thing we did recently, was replace our sofa and chair with a sectional and ottoman. It added more seating, and the ottoman has storage and can double as more seating if need be.
Small houses can be tricky, but you can pack a lot of personality into a small space with just a few well chosen items. Good luck, and enjoy the extra added benefits of a smaller home like, lower heating bills and property taxes!

 

[ACS228]

Look for a magazine called Cottage Living. We get a free subscription at work so I have been reading it. It's full of storage and decorating tips for small spaces.

 

[cseca]

I've thought about a sun room - I should do some research on this! And de-cluttering - I keep trying - I never seem to make a dent on it - fortunately, all the clutter's in the attic, so I don't have to look at it! But just knowing it's up there....

Just a little FYI about sunroom.
Be careful of bugs.
We put a sunroom in our house but we don't use it because bugs get in from EVERYWHERE!!!!
I tried to make DH seal in everything but he said he can't figure out where they come in from. I couldn't care less. I just want every single stinkin opening sealed !!!!

 

[neatokimmo]

My house is small too, 3 bedroom, 1 bath, 1050 SF.

In the back of my mind I do all remodeling and decorating like I am staying here forever. Unless I want to "upgrade" to an avacado green 70's split foyer, the next house for us would be 200K. With the additional taxes, power bills and maintenance, I would have to work for an ADDITIONAL 9 YEARS! to make up for it!!

That just isn't worth it for me, I want to retire young

englishteacha - our foundation is messed up too, the people that repaired it, repaired it crooked like 15 years ago. It's solid as a rock but an inch off in the back bedroom. Not everyone notices it but I do, drives me nuts!

 

[battricia]

My advice would be to go through your house and purge everything you don't want or need. If you have to, rent a dumpster. We did this in our 900 sq foot house and I can't tell you the difference it made. We had so much space. We now live in a 1300 sq foot house (3 br) and we use exactly 1 of the rooms as our bedroom. I don't like to keep a lot of stuff so i go through often and throw out things I don't need. It's hard to throw things away but I feel like I've really accomplished something whenever I do it, even if it's just 1 trash bag full.

My next advice would be painting with lighter colors. We painted the whole house in lighter colors and it seems so much bigger and brighter.

in our dining room we went from this:

to this:

And I can't tell you what a difference it's made. Also a tip: paint with flat paint in all rooms except bathroom and kitchen. Anything other than flat paint will show the light as really small globes of light rather than spreading out the light across the walls, this makes the room look darker and smaller.

hope these tips help.

 

[terri01p]

My house is pretty small too..somethings that have helped in the kitchen I no longer have 100 plates, cup, bowls etc...if you don't need it get rid of it, this has saved me a lot of cabinet space...pot and pans too.

What-nots and small trinkets : I no longer keep 100 small things around to look at. I have some favorites and that's it.

The same with towels, sheets, blankets etc if I don't use it, I have a few extra and that's it, I don't keep 30 bed sheets around anymore.

I would rather live in a smaller place with a decent mortgage than a bigger house anyday...we have money to go and do more.

If you don't use it...sell it !

 

[weazel28]

We also live in a smallish townhouse. Many of our friends live in these 2200+sq ft houses. Too much to clean!

Here are some links to small space living...
http://www.cluttercontrolfreak.com/
http://unclutterer.com/
These last two are more about modernist homes but great tips on small living.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
http://www.dwell.com/

Enjoy!

J

 

[Danemom]

the next house for us would be 200K. With the additional taxes, power bills and maintenance, I would have to work for an ADDITIONAL 9 YEARS! to make up for it!!That just isn't worth it for me, I want to retire young

9 years! That is something to thing about! I always look at it that we would have to go into a minimum of $100,000 more debt to upgrade to what I'd find worth moving for. That stops me - I'll have to do the math to figure it in years for more incentive!
Other posters have pointed out another great thing about small spaces. They cost less to maintain - beyond heating and cooling costs. Having a small house has saved us a fortune when we got a new roof, replaced our windows, decided to put laminate flooring through the whole house, etc. Plus, I feel good because I am doing something to help the environment by not needing two AC units to cool my home.

de-cluttering - I keep trying - I never seem to make a dent on it - fortunately, all the clutter's in the attic, so I don't have to look at it!

flylady.net is a good site for help decluttering. Good for motivation and tips. I think she recommends 15 minutes a day. One thing that helps when deciding whether or not to keep something "in case I need it later" is something I saw an organizer on TV say once - something like keeping a lot of stuff for the future is a sign that you don't believe in your ability to provide for yourself. It may be silly, but it really does help me get rid of stuff and I've never wanted anything back.

 

[kaf7878]

If I were you I would stay in your current home. I mean, that's a lot of room for two people. I'm not even sure what the benefits would be to move into something larger (aside form more to clean and more to buy!).

Here's a post on "Staying in Your Starter Home" that I wrote on my blog recently. I think you'll find it interesting.