Is your house smaller than you thought it would be?
We are building a 2100 sqft chalet, 3 bed, 2.5 bath. like everyone else that is building, we try to get to the build sight as much as possible especially now, while they are framing. When the foundation was poured, our initial reaction was "this looks really small". Out came the tape measure, thinking the foundation guy screwed up the dimensions. Lol. Nope, all was correct.
Then the framing started and things were looking more "normal" with respect to size. The 26' tall prow wall looks awesome and really gives the house prominence. Yesterday, we went back and more walls had been put up. We quickly realized things were yet again too small. For instance, our large couch won't fit comfortably in the great room as it will be too close to the sliding doors. The loft area upstairs, where we figured we would put the computer desk also likely won't fit. Seems like we should have designed our house around our furniture. It's not all bad as we wanted to replace some of the furniture with something a bit nice and mature. This is our 1st house build and according to my wife will be our last:).
Anyways, it's funny how things on paper look so much bigger. We're very excited and know everything will work out, but just wish things were a bit larger here and there. Coming from a 3700 sqft colonial, we knew we wanted to downsize and have an open floor plan, but this seems to have gone almost too far towards the smaller size. Looking back, we probably should have visited more of the builder's homes in progress and brought a tape measure to get a better idea of how our house plans would compare. It will certainly be a cozy house and very energy efficient.
Comments (16)
megamorph
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Things you thought of after your home was built
Comments (27)BIG ONE that I've never seen: -Pay a little extra for a quieter bathroom exhaust fan, especially in the powder room. Ours, and those in almost every house I see, is so loud that anyone would be embarrassed to use it, or leave it on afterwards. Others: -Framing in wall next to where desk is to hold up desk -Having air returns and ducts in conditioned space (never asked about it) -Make sure can lights are sealed or in conditioned space (climbing into attic this weekend to fix) -Have gas fireplace box protrude into room, and put bookshelves next to it, rather than have it bump-out into the outside, where it is difficult to insulate. Although we plan this to be our only house until our little ones are grown, my wife smiles at me when I discover problems and reminds me that this isn't our "forever" house (that's heaven, y'all). :)...See Morehouse seems smaller than it is
Comments (6)Completely normal: When the concrete is poured and the framing goes up, we look at the space with 'outdoor eyes': the interior spaces seem tiny because we are comparing them to the horizon-- the sink wall seems very close when we compared to the mountains in the distance. Once the drywall goes up, the spaces seem much lager, often ridiculously large, because we have no furniture to give it a sense of proportion. We don't really know how big the spaces will live until we move in. Usually seems to work out, though....See MoreHow do you decorate your smaller home?
Comments (65)Sunrochy - I don't really know anything about Morganton, but on the map it doesn't look too far from Asheville. I just LOVE North Carolina! The only problem is we can't move there full time for several years because hubby wants to stay at his job here in Fla. to build up his pension. So I get to go up to my little Asheville pad for a month or two at a time and we come up together for long weekends, etc. It has been sooo much fun to be remodeling this little house - it's so easy to do when you have a small space to do over. I think I spent less on the whole remodel than some folks in the kitchen forums spend on their cabinets! When I get back up there and finish the remodel I will post some before and afters. This was just a bland little prefab house that was built in the 70's, no personality at all, and a lot of funky old carpets and chopped up rooms. We opened it all up, put hardwood floors and sparkly chandeliers, and painted bright colors (different for each room) and it's like a new house. I think I will name it "Birdsong Cottage" because each morning there are hundreds of birds singing around there. Can you tell I love it - hehehe...See MoreWould Like to Have Your Thoughts About My Home
Comments (45)sable, as you'll see I followed your suggestion about adding some books to the mantel. I also hung up the picture instead of just putting it on the mantel and now I'm not sure which version I like best. My husband, who has a good eye, has been hounded so much about the decor in the last few days that he told me he was no longer able to care. He's a man, a little of this stuff goes a long way, and he's been tested beyond his limits. The roses in the garden are from at least two years ago and are from early June, after we had some rain, I think. We did have 3 inches in the last storm but nothing since, although they promised us one storm after another. I think most of El Nino is going to happen in the more northern parts and up into south Oregon. I still hope for more; the rainy season isn't over yet. You might get more than I will here. That's a really nice area where you live. patty, I'm glad you like the flower picture back on the mantel, and I hope you'll also volunteer whether you like the picture better propped up or hung on the wall, and the area with or without books. These are important decisions! I'm with you about agonizing more about the little stuff, maybe because there are so many more ways to move small pieces around than large ones. I like your idea of a blue/cream theme, which would look very fresh and charming. Putting it all together, of course, would take some thought and work, but if it's something you're enthusiastic about it could also be a very creative, enjoyable process. If you collect blue and white porcelain that is European it is much cheaper than the Chinese stuff, which has gotten very pricey and you have to really know what's genuinely antique, because there are tons of fakes around nowadays. Mt. Helix is in west San Diego county whereas we're in northeast San Diego county, in a rather rural area, which we love. Mt. Helix is a very beautiful area to live in but I work nearby so this was the logical spot for us....See Morelavender_lass
11 years agoUser
11 years agogaonmymind
11 years agojzinckgra
11 years agoXclusive
11 years agotnanock
11 years agomichoumonster
11 years ago
Annie Deighnaugh
11 years agoI didn't have that issue. I had spent so much time in our house in my head before we built it, that it all seemed exactly right as the framing and then the sheetrock went up.
The only time the space felt huge was when the hole was dug as they had to excavate under the garage as well. Then the place seemed ginormous.
Especially with the mountains of material that came out of the hole.
brickeyee
11 years agothreeapples
11 years ago
Beth Parsons
11 years ago
wellis01
6 years agoDavid Shawver
5 years ago
niteshadepromises