What do you consider a large house?

[NotUrsula]

I'd classify anything over 2500 sq. feet as being in the large category. I think that (at least in all the markets that I would be interested in living in) that seems to be the general consensus, as there tends to be a big price bump once you hit that point, b/c the finishes are usually more expensive.

My house is 1100 sq.ft. heated; 2 stories. It has one large and two very small bedrooms (w/ no closets); the bathroom measures 7' x 6' INCLUDING the bathtub, and the kitchen would be a respectable 11' x 11', but it has three doorways in it.

 

[Eeyore98]

To me, I would personally consider anything over 3 bd, 2 bath to be a "large" house. But the American average is somewhere around 2500, so you'd probably have to be in the 3000+ range to have a truly, statistically "large" house.

I have always lived in places considerably smaller than the norm, so that's why my opinion is slightly skewed. And honestly, the livability of a smaller place is very dependent on the layout. Having a basement can make ALL the difference. The place with the largest "feel" to it where I've lived was an 1100 sf duplex with a shared unfinished basement, and a nice big open living room. Next was the 800 sf house, with full unfinished basement, but teeny living room.

And our current place is technically the largest but has the smallest "feel. It's 1600 sf, but NO basement, and an "open" floor plan that means there is just no good way to lay out furniture in our living room (FIVE exits from that room, and a fireplace on the only long wall left).

Part of the "extra" sf in this house is taken up by a laundry room (w/d were always in the basement at our other places), and the 2nd/3rd bedrooms are filled with storage stuff (Christmas decorations, off-season clothing, etc.) that was always in the basement at our previous places. We were able to have a fairly functioning office in the 2nd bedroom at those places, but here even though we've added a bedroom, we've effectively lost one where usability is concerned.

 

[carrie1626]

1400 sq ft for me ( with a 1400 sq ft unfinished basement). Anything over 2000+ would feel large

it means:

we live well within our means
when hubby gets laid off, it's not a major hardship
we can afford the taxes every year
both my kids are in college, with the first two yrs on us
5 cars , yes 4 in the driveway and 1 at school, all paid for. newest one is 7 yrs old

and I have friends who get a new car every other year, run out and buy every gadget as soon as its in the store, live in 4500+sq ft homes and wonder "how can I afford to go to WDW " as often as I do. they think we're poor, I know they do

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

The house we live in now is a 2400 sf 3bed/2 bath house but it is not that big. We fill it all the way up and could really use a few more rooms or about 1000 more sf. If I ever move I will definitely look for a bigger house than this.

I don't think I have ever lived in a house smaller than 1800 sf even when I was a kid.

I would suffocate in a house that small or smaller.