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Do you like my small house? 835 sq feet

10 years ago

Hi, we just bought an 834 sq foot doll house and I love it! If you don't count the utility room, which is a porch conversion, it is around 700 sq feet. Mostly open plan. 2 bedrooms (small ones) TINY bathroom, and wonderful, well equipped kitchen with tons of built in storage.

We got rid of almost everything we owned and could not be happier. I would love to send pictures to anyone interested. My bills are the best! Here are some links to photos. I don't know how to put them here, so you would have to copy and paste I guess. Sorry about that.

I don't know any one who is living the small house life- and it would be great to discuss things with others. Like storage solutions, (we don't even have attic space just 2 small 3X4 bedroom closets) to bills, landscaping, and living with less.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151426349188364&set=a.101 51313659868364.1073741825.674588363&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151414085733364&set=a.101 51313659868364.1073741825.674588363&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151414087678364&set=a.101 51313659868364.1073741825.674588363&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151414083658364&set=a.101 51313659868364.1073741825.674588363&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151414080858364&set=a.101 51313659868364.1073741825.674588363&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151414080858364&set=a.101 51313659868364.1073741825.674588363&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151414076718364&set=a.101 51313659868364.1073741825.674588363&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151414075483364&set=a.101 51313659868364.1073741825.674588363&type=3&theater

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Comments (19)

mchv
10 years ago
AngieP - I had to create an account just to say I love your small house. We moved to a small house last year and it's been a challenge to fit what we wanted to keep into the space. I've come to terms with knowing I need to give up more things.
I love the storage space in your kitchen! Having storage built in is great!
I think our house is about 900 sf - 600 downstairs with an open kitchen/dr/lr, a 10x12 bedroom with one traditional closet, hallway laundry space, and small bathroom. We have an open upstairs loft space we use as a 2nd bedroom/ exercise room / office, etc. We don't have an attic either.
I'm looking forward to more discussions.
1917bungalow
10 years ago
Beautiful!
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So if we were to do a 1.5 story with the master on the main level, where would you put that, behind the garage then? My thought process would be to first determine priority of room placement in the most ideal location for the use of the room and then if conflicts between room placement develop then rank by how much time is spent and how time is used for each room as well as the importance of that use compared to the importance of the uses for the other rooms. If watching the sunrise from your bed pays off with more enjoyment than having the sunrise and morning sun striking your kitchen, then plan accordingly. For instance, do you plan on using your master suite as a parental get-away from the kids, using it during the day or will your non-sleeping uses be restricted to evenings only, meaning that any views from the rooms would be lost to the darkness of the night? If the views are not important, I'd bury the master suite near the garage in the above sketch. 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There are no common walls shared, there is a huge dead zone in between and the goal of reducing noise transmission is, I believe, better served than a downstairs master with an upstairs child's bedroom directly over top, sharing common ceiling/floor as well as sound transmission paths down the walls. Of course, if sound transmission has nothing to do with the appeal of a downstairs master suite, then what I've sketched out is a solution to a problem which doesn't exist, or doesn't matter. I was thinking the master/office space on one side and then the kitchen, dining, great room on the other. That makes sense to me. Would you move the great room from the center of the house below to the front where the dining study is and move the study to where the great room is? Lots of configurations can make sense, but they must make sense in relation to how you envision yourself using the space and the particulars of your lifestyle and preferences. 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A 24 x 24 garage is actually pretty good considering that many designed give a 20 x 23 or something similarly ridiculous.
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Elraes Miller
10 years ago
I love it too. And you have that wonderful porch. You are going to have so much fun doing things with it. And it doesn't have to be now. Loving it as you do there will be so many ideas start to evolve. Have a great life together there.

For some reason I wonder if you have a Sears house. Would enjoy seeing the other homes around you. You can get their old catalog at the library. When I was 3 years old we lived in one and still dig it out to look at the little houses.

OT....link below is of the Sears Archive, a search also has many of the catalogs. Just for interest. Not sure how I started thinking about this.

Nice of you to share your small home with the rest of us smaller home owners.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sears catalog archive
jakabedy
10 years ago
Very cute! Welcome to the small homes forum.
angiepangie
Original Author
10 years ago
Wow, thank you everyone for your kind words!

I don't think it is a sears house. The inspector said it had been added onto many times. The original size of the house must be very small. The utility room was a porch conversion, but I am not sure what the other add ons are.

Regarding what to keep, and getting rod of things- this was a slow process for us. We both had our own 2000 ft homes when we got married. We downzised into a 1350 home, and then the real fun began. With no garage and no attic- allot of things had to go. We had gotten so many posessions- kayaks, junk, ALLOT of furniture, dishes, etc.

We sold off things we don't use and don't need- like the kayaks and bikes- we now have a gym membership and we rent kayaks. We now have one set of eating dishes- all white, so if something breaks and I need to replace it, I don't have to get a whole set. I also realized I don't need a set of dishes for special occasions. People can eat off of what I have. The biggest challenge was the clothes closets. at 3x4, we each use one closet. Husband uses the closet in the bedroom we sleep in ( which has a king bed, night stands and nothing else) and we keep my clothes in the spare bedroom. The dresser is also in there. So I got rid of allot of clothes. We use bins under the bed to store winter clothes, and if it doesn't fit in the single rod on the small closet, we didn't keep it.

I missed my furniture for awhile. The chair the dogs used to cuddle up with me on, the pretty antique desk, etc. But the sentimental attatchement quickly faded and now I feel liberated.

One last word on posessions- we can fit EVERYTHING we own onto a 16 foot Uhaul. Moving is easy. And having a smaller house meant a smaller mortgage- at 65k, we can pay off our mortgage in 10 years.

Smaller homes for us is a way of life that allows us to focus on getting out of debt, and having some spare money left over to see a movie, save for emergency, etc.

The town I live in, guthrie, OK has many small houses, lots even smaller than this one right on my street. We sit on two lots- when the lots were sold, the width of my house would have been double to standard. I encourage anyone thinking about buying a small house to visit this town. It is a victorian town, and has beautiful homes.

Thank you for the warm welcome everyone!!!
schoolhouse_gw
10 years ago
I am unable to view the photos :( When I copy and paste the links I get redirected back to this GW post.
angiepangie
Original Author
10 years ago
I am sorry about that. I just tried it and it worked for me. I wish I knew how to post them directly.
TxMarti
10 years ago
What a cute house! Welcome!
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
10 years ago
Here is a link. Just copy the address and past it in the box for "optional Link URL"

You can click through the pictures.

Cute bungalow. I would feel so good if we down-sized, but DH isn't ready yet. I would actually be happy to stay, but would love to get rid of so much stuff! Congratulations to you for doing it!

Here is a link that might be useful: The house
Shades_of_idaho
10 years ago
Your house is darling.
oklahomarose
10 years ago
Hi, Angiepangie....I'm up the highway in Tulsa. I am not a Facebook user so couldn't access your pictures, but it sounds adorable, and I love your approach to your house and life. My house is a Craftsman built in 1924...1050 square feet. All my friends and neighbors have larger houses than I do. I like this forum! It is soooo nice to encounter others who do not have second floors, attics, or, indeed, a garage. I do not even have an outdoor storage bin. I do need one for my lawn mower. Here is a pic of the front of my house.
powermuffin
10 years ago
Love these two homes! Ours looks similar, but has a good-sized addition on the back. The original part of the 1908 house is about 1100 sq ft. I love the proportions of the rooms and the windows. This type home really seems like home to me.
Diane
bicyclegirl1
10 years ago
Hi angiep, what a cute house. I live in 750 sq ft! Personally, if I could dbl that space, I'd be a lot happier! My house was built in 1949 & unfortunately, is not craftman style. Just plain ole '40's - '50's cottage style. 2 bedrm's, 1 small bath, 1 living area, 2 very small closets & 1 small one in the hallway w/ shelving next to the bath, like a linen closet. The kitchen is not a bad size - pretty much sq or a little rectangle! I'm just starting to redo that. I was going to turn my current kitch into a dining rm & add on a kitchen, but I was out of work for a yr & 1/2 & now I'm just able to redo the kitchen only now. Kind of a bummer, but it is what it is. I'll post pictures on here when it's all said & done. Probably will be after the 1st of the next yr when it's all thru! I wish I could say my bills are great, but not so much! I have very little insulation & live in Austin, TX where it's in the 100's this time of yr. They just raised our rates & my last bill was $215!! That also includes water & garbage, but trust me, the majority of that is electricity! Then add a $5000 property tax bill & my small house isn't that cheap to live in! I would definitely not be able to afford a larger house at this point! But, as I said, I've made it really cute over the years & have just learned to make it work.

It's not the easiest thing to live in such a small place, but I've been here for 13 yrs, so have learned to purge a few times a yr! Or, if you're smart, just don't buy new stuff! I have a hard time w/ that, tho! I just wanted to congratulate you on your new digs. You'll figure out how to live in it & be very happy! Good luck!
angiepangie
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi, bycicle girl! Thanks for your post!

We are working on getting the striped wallpaper out of the dining room, and the wallpaper borders (elderly woman floral style) off the walls. It looks so much better.

Please post some photos of your house!

I could live in a bit smaller- we don't use that second bedroom at all. There is a spare bed in there, and since there is no room for a dresser in OUR bedroom ( because we have a giant king sized bed- if we got a queen, a dresser would easily fit). But we have tiny, tiny closets like you do.

The funny thing is our house has been expanded on a few times!

I love my house- but it has gotten a bit steep in the bills, too. Not enough insulation, and summer (oklahoma) heat like yours- texas I think is a bit worse tho.

It tickles me when people say they could never live in a house my size with a husband, that maybe it would be ok for a single person....when we had a 1400 Sq ft house I had three bedrooms, two living rooms, and I felt like we were drowning in space. And people call a 1400 a small house!

Why is your property tax so high?
texasgal47
10 years ago
Yes, bicyclegirl, why is your property tax bill so high? I live in Houston and know something about what property taxes bills should look like in this state. I don't understand why yours are so high with such a low sq. footage.
bicyclegirl1
10 years ago
I see you guys think my property taxes are out of control, as much as I do! Welcome to Austin! Actually, I live in Central Austin & it's all about location, location, location. I'm 15 mins from Townlake & downtown. And, my lot is actually a large lot. My lot could hold a 2000 sq ft house. My neighborhood is hot & everyone wants to buy here because of the size of the lots, & the location. That being said, our property taxes are outrageous here in Austin, no matter where you live. It's an expensive city to live in. Of course, if you're further out they would be less, but I love the location, so am doing my best to be able to stay here. I worry about my taxes being raised a lot once the city knows I've redone my kitchen. I'd love to do it w/out them knowing, but it's not a good idea to do that. I don't doubt that at some pt. I'll be priced out it, which I think is sad. Texasgal, my guess is in some of the neighborhoods in Houston, such as the Heights, would be very close to my property taxes, if not more, for a house similar to my size. Since we don't have state taxes here in TX, that has a lot to do w/ why our property taxes are high thru out the state. I just hope I can stay in my little house for quite awhile.
Carol_65
10 years ago
OhhhÃ¢ÂÂ¦what a beautiful house you have. I love it. And that's really great that you have built in storage facility to store things other wise it becomes difficult to manage things properly. I would just like to say thanks for sharing your experience with us.
eclecticcottage
10 years ago
I couldn't see the first photos, but the second one is a cute house! I just found a place with higher property taxes than NY, I didn't think that existed! holy moly!

We live in just under 700 sq ft, but we have an attic and sheds. Sheds are mostly for the tractors, etc. The attic...is where the stuff we haven't gone through from moving from 900 sq ft yet went, lol. We also used to sell vintage so we have left over inventory to finish getting rid of.

We built our bed so it has plenty of underbed storage (standard beds are so low, we can fit two of those "underbed" storage totes stacked up under the bed.

We got rid of most of our old furniture, and got pieces that fit the cottage. We kept a few small things with family history-1950's bird prints from my grandparents, a lamp from my other grandmother, a small side table from dh's family, one of our dinign room chairs (all mismatched and painted different colors) came from our set at our old house. Otherwise, if it didn't fit, it went to the goodwill or on craigslist or two a friend that had just bought a HUGE 5,500 sq ft Tudor Revival. Our bedroom had a closet, but it was built into the livingroom space so we removed it when we rebuilt the livingroom (from the sill up). We've now built in closets (I need to finish painting the shutters we're using as doors than I can post pics).

I have pics from the Cottage on my blog below. There are some from our old house (900 sq ft) too, but no finished ones since we ended up renting it and I didn't get time to take them before the tenants moved in.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cottage blog with interior pics
OklaMoni
10 years ago
I am another one with the picture problems. Can't see them at all.

I bought a small house March 2012. LOVE IT.

There was a lot in storage I ended up getting rid of, but I also bought...

First a futon couch/bed for my daughter and husband when they visited... but it is really to short for him. Now it lives in my living room... and I am still not sure, if I will keep it.

I replaced it with a wallbed. Best decision I made since I bought the house.

My house is 1150 square feet, and actually a bit bigger than I need for myself. But the price was right, and I was able to pay cash.

Now, I am faced with the need for insulation and new windows. Both will have to happen before next winter. My heater is on to much.

Selling off the big dining room table and 8 chairs was the first sale, and buying a super single size mattress that sits on a waterbed base (good storage use under there) was the first bought item.

I sold off or gave away lots of "stuff". We really hang on to too much at times.

The size of your closet mirrors mine... and I am glad I have access to both closets. :)

Moni

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