Browse Forums General Discussion Re: House Sizes 2Mar 21, 2010 3:40 pm Does one person living in a 4 bedroom house mean I have more than enough space? Re: House Sizes 3Mar 21, 2010 4:19 pm I'm about to be a single person building a 4 bedroom house - far more space than I actually need. Re: House Sizes 4Mar 21, 2010 4:39 pm Hey Josh, I am a carpet cleaner, and for 28 years have been going into people's homes of every description. I need to go into their bedrooms and other areas and to discuss their floorcoverings, patterns of use etc. So I get quite a good perspective on how rooms are used. So often, they walk me through the place saying they want me to clean this and that area, but "forget that room, because its never used". Commonly, formal lounges and dining rooms are not used, or they are turned into study areas. It does seems there is often wasted space, or space that could be used better if there was better planning. Other observations are that children are commonly staying at home well into their twenties in many cases, or at least they come & go, treating their parents house as a place to lodge in between their travels or whatever, so there are rooms used on & off. I do remember hearing a radio report few months ago, saying that Australia has the largest homes in the world on average according to some survey. And yes, it does seems that we are pretty spoilt and the average family expects or wants a large home with 4+ bedrooms, family, games rooms, retreats etc. But then, both parents are working full-time to pay for it, so the big home is not fully enjoyed anyways! Noting some of these excesses, when we built about 14 years ago, we bought a smallish battle-axe block, and built a modest sized home, but with lots of quality features. We have one loungeroom, an open plan kitchen/meals area, study, and three bedrooms (two large and one smaller). There's a compact laundry with a seperate toilet off it, and a bathroom with a bath, shower and another toilet at one end. A good sized garage, and a fairly small back yard, as I'm not much of a gardener. With two boys now in their teens, it has been somewhat cramped to be honest. The main thing we could use is more storage space. LOTS of extra storage space. I almost think it's a good idea for homes to all have a good sized room just for storage with racks/shelves built in, or at least plenty of storage areas throught a home. Our boys still share the second bedroom, and I think it can be good for families to live in a compact home in some ways. It teaches them to share and get on, and instills good values into them. Having one bathroom requires a bit of cooperation and means we can't be too selfish. So I don't really have regrets living in a smallish home. It generally means co-existing is a matter of mutual respect and finding some harmony amidst the chaos! On the other hand, with houses being larger and larger, it just seems that the inhabitants move further and further into their corners of the house. I find the word "retreat" sums this up. But then, space is great too. I think its a matter of people choosing to create a home that makes them feel happy and comfortable, and that is within their means. And one thing is constant......CHANGE! People make and break relationships, procreate and die, kids move on and move back. Its a matter of adapting to what our needs are. So when it comes time to sell the big family home, that's what ya do! I think people should be careful of the trap of consumerism, and keeping up with the Jones. If we want too much, we won't be happy. I know generations past have survived happily with far less than what the average family has today. In bible times, they all lived in a common room together with the goats, sheep and chooks, and the 'retreat' was the rooftop! I was born in a little country house with 2 bedrooms and a sleepout. That was with three brothers and a sister. In a later house, my brothers and I slept in a converted garage. Yep, come to think about it.... we're all spoilt! Ash. Re: House Sizes 5Mar 21, 2010 7:40 pm re ^ Despite the seemingly millions of people going out and having a good time in our big cities every weekend, I think people are far more reserved/private/introverted now than what they were a couple of generations ago. No-one strikes up a conversation on the train anymore, for example. 9 people out of 10 would rather watch a BluRay or DVD in their home theatre rooms and lock out the world rather than go next door and have a cuppa. It seems to me that a home is much more of a sanctuary than what it once was and people demand more features in it, not necessarily to keep up with the Jones', but in an effort to bring more comfort to their lives. Even adding a dishwasher virtually demands that your kitchen bench has to be bigger than what it once was, therefore so does the kitchen. Everyone uses computers; if you don't want to clutter up the table with one or use a laptop then you need a separate space in the house for a desk to house it. Small blocks have also forced the relaxation and leisure 'quality time' indoors compared to what was normal a few decades ago, even with alfresco areas. So, it is now normal to live in a large, comfortable, feature packed home that almost touches the fences instead of the small home on a block where you would actually go outdoors and experience the real world. Hi Josh, I've got a feeling that you will get a lot of replies directly on these pages, even if they do not fit your criteria. You should still take them on board though because it will give you a sense of the proportion of people that are happy with their choice of house size regardless. It seems, though, that your proposed article in Domain has a foregone conclusion - there are people happy in small homes and there are people who waste space in large ones (they are the only people that you want to interview, after all). What about the people not happy in small homes but happy in large ones? For the record we are very happy in our 29 square (including alfresco and garage) home. It is not large by some standards and certainly not too large for us, with 2 young adult children still at home. Geoff - Decophile. Re: House Sizes 6Mar 22, 2010 1:49 pm I am a female and 23 years old living in Melbournes West. I am about to build a 22 square home. This is more than I need. I am shocked at how many people build homes to fill the entire bloack and not have enough space for kids/dogs/ outdoor entertaining. I am currently living in a small 2 bedroom unit that I can barely walk around and thats what I hate about it... no sense of space or tidyness. I will be having clean storage in the new home that will be neat and orderly and I will be using everyroom regulary. I hope this information can help you. Re: House Sizes 7Mar 22, 2010 7:52 pm I ended up building a 29 square house even though I live by myself. The reason being is that the major builders tend to price houses in a way that encourages you to build bigger. I could have actually up-sized it to 34 squares for only 10k extra but it wouldn't fit on the land (width ways). For only 10k extra if it fits on the land you'd be crazy not to. I could also have built a house that was about 8 squares smaller and it would have cost maybe 40k less which when you consider that you're already paying over 200k it doesn't make financial sense to do that. When it comes to an investment (which houses generally are these days) you need to consider what you are getting for your money and what the market wants when it comes to reselling. If I had of saved that 40k the house would have suited me just fine but when it came time to sell I'd be in a totally different price bracket - probably 80-100k less. As it is I don't use the parents retreat, the main bathroom, 2 of the bedrooms or the rumpus room. So in effect it is a waste of space but I don't intend to stay here long. I now see new estates as a pretty appauling place to live and can't wait to sell up and move to an older less densely populated suburb with bigger blocks and most likely smaller houses. I think that outside space is much more important that the size of the home if for no other reason than it means your neighbours are further away and you hear less noise and have more room for trees and more privacy. By saying that I don't think building a small house in a new estate is the answer - 600 odd squares is a small block no matter what size house you put on it. Re: House Sizes 8Mar 22, 2010 9:28 pm Quote: For only 10k extra if it fits on the land you'd be crazy not to. Mozzie, I built a 23 sq house on a 707m2 block - I'd much rather have garden space than extra rooms I wouldnt use. Perhaps Im crazy Quote: you need to consider what you are getting for your money and what the market wants when it comes to reselling. No, I didnt really consider what the market want when it comes to re-selling - I considered what I want when it comes to liveing there I do intend staying here though so re-sale value wasnt my priority - and anyway, there are many modest size houses in our development so I dont think selling will be a problem. Perhaps that varies according to your area? Re: House Sizes 9Mar 22, 2010 9:43 pm There are 4 of us in our house, which includes 2 little kids. We have 34.5 squares and we use all of it, plus a big outdoor sunroom on the side which is also chockers. If anything, the whole lot still isn't big enough Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: House Sizes 10Mar 22, 2010 10:37 pm Helyn Quote: For only 10k extra if it fits on the land you'd be crazy not to. Mozzie, I built a 23 sq house on a 707m2 block - I'd much rather have garden space than extra rooms I wouldnt use. Perhaps Im crazy Quote: you need to consider what you are getting for your money and what the market wants when it comes to reselling. No, I didnt really consider what the market want when it comes to re-selling - I considered what I want when it comes to liveing there I do intend staying here though so re-sale value wasnt my priority - and anyway, there are many modest size houses in our development so I dont think selling will be a problem. Perhaps that varies according to your area? Well maybe I should make it clear that my decisions were driven completely by money. My agenda was that I couldn't afford the house I really wanted so I saw building something new as a stepping stone from the cheap main road property I had and the property I eventually wanted. I wanted to make it as good an investment and as possible with a view to selling it when it was finished and the estate was established. I've never seen it as a home as such and don't actually like the area. About 2 minutes up the road from me you can buy a full quarter acre with an established house for about about the same kind of money as my home. If someone wants lots of gardens and a smaller house then they wouldn't be looking in a new estate surrounded by two story 40sq houses that are 1 metre either side of the fence. The people buying here have one main priority - a big new house. In fact most of them don't even own a shovel and the only tree they will ever see is the one the council put on the nature strip. I'm hoping to eventually buy a half acre with a smaller cottage style house so I totally agree that gardens are important. I just didn't figure it made sense to take that approach in the area I built in. Re: House Sizes 11Mar 22, 2010 10:47 pm Thanks for your reply Mozzie - and I agree, your decisions make sense for you - you obviously have different priorities to me and live in a different area, fair enough There are actually no 2 story houses in my development which is a re-development area amongst older established homes, bit different to an entirely new estate. Re: House Sizes 12Mar 22, 2010 10:49 pm It's a shame alot of people see bigger as better. As Australian's have some of the largest homes in the world I think what is often forgotten about is how to maximise space with clever designs using environmentally friendly products. Most people build a home that's energy efficient with a water tank etc. We continue to make larger homes and I can only imagine they will get bigger and bigger. Look at the UK for example-Scotland builds designs to cater for the climate and usually hence why their homes are small or well proportioned for what they need. We tend to spend more time indoors hence why we feel we need more living space internally. Gym rooms, study, spare room, theatre room, butler's pantry, some homes have ensuites for every bedroom. Re: House Sizes 13Mar 23, 2010 6:05 am Helyn Quote: For only 10k extra if it fits on the land you'd be crazy not to. Mozzie, I built a 23 sq house on a 707m2 block - I'd much rather have garden space than extra rooms I wouldnt use. Perhaps Im crazy Quote: you need to consider what you are getting for your money and what the market wants when it comes to reselling. No, I didnt really consider what the market want when it comes to re-selling - I considered what I want when it comes to liveing there I do intend staying here though so re-sale value wasnt my priority - and anyway, there are many modest size houses in our development so I dont think selling will be a problem. Perhaps that varies according to your area? I absolutely agree with everything you just said, Re: House Sizes 14Mar 23, 2010 8:09 am In my experience, people grow into their homes, no matter large or small. We recently went from a 3 bedroom 21 square house to a 4 bedrom 29 square house. It really has not changed how we live at all. The greatest fallacy is "the children's room". No matter how you dress up a room for kids under the age of 10, they will not stay in it if you are not in it. So get all the extra living areas, romper rooms and parents retreats that you want, it will make no difference. The young family will spend most of its' time together in one or two rooms. Re: House Sizes 15Mar 23, 2010 9:00 pm When I was looking for a block some of the estates (in Victoria) had minimum house size covenants - often reasonably large. As I only wanted to build a smaller house (due to energy efficiency requirements and budget considerations) I had to exclude these estates from consideration, even if I liked the general location and estate design. It was interesting that it seemed to me (not a comprehensive study of course) that the price of the land in these estates was not higher than unrestricted estates per sqm (and in some cases was lower - which may reflect the higher build cost of a larger house.) Re: House Sizes 16Mar 23, 2010 10:21 pm 4 bedroom (23.26sq house) on a 609m^2 block. Plenty of room for the cricket pitch! Re: House Sizes 17Mar 24, 2010 12:35 am I currently live in a two bedroom unit which is 62sqm. I am building a 4 x 2 bedroom house 206sqm, on a 368sqm block. There is an alfresco and double garage. Not much room outside at the back. The house has 6.5 metre set back from the verge. I dearly love the extra space, the unit is crowded but has been a good space for me over the past 10 years. Great for one Person and I live only 8km from the CBD, the house will be 16km from the CBD on the eastern side of Perth rather than living North. I have a box of quality drill bits that seem to be new but their engraved sizes covered by rust ,,,,I tried to sand them to see their sizes but still I am finding… 0 1438 You’re on the right track, wire brush in a grinder then a zinc rich epoxy primer then a top coat of some sort, like a waterproofing membrane. Raising the concrete would… 1 7034 How good is Simeon?! Always taking time to help others out! Wish we were building in NSW and could work together. Thanks for all that you do! 7 6576 |