Hi Marti8a, my house is less than 900sq ft and now it has only 2 bedrooms. Since my son lives at home, I don't have a guest room.
I don't have a lot of overnight guest, but when my DGD comes she sleeps on the airbed in my room. When my sister comes I give her my bedroom and I sleep on the airbed in the LR. (Since I'm single, this is not a problem).
Some years ago we had an 'office in the closet' type of deal and it worked well. The closet was 6' long and had plenty of room to store papers, printers, etc.
But the biggest deal to me is having the washer/dryer outside. Mine used to be and I hated it! I still remember going out in the rain to check on clothes only to find out they weren't ready!
You and your DH seem to be super handy DIyers so I'm sure you can work those issues out. Good luck hunting!
Loretta

Idietolive has a good suggestion with the air mattresses. I remember these from sleepovers as a child and it was sort of like camping out. They can just be collected up and moved out of the way in the morning and brought back out for bed time.

I dont have a spare room to use as a sewing room so I converted this small eating area as a sewing nook just off the kitchen (only place I could fit it) and it works really well. I have a sewing cabinet that holds all my bits and pieces, my sewing machine etc. This area is a main thoroughfare which I have to keep clear so what you see in the photo is almost the amount of space I have about 4ft x 5 1/2ft as my sewing area. It gives me enough space to flip open the cabinet (where the chair is now), a chair and to set up the ironing board on the left but this only works because of the cabinet. I have everything I need at my fingertips to sew and if I need to pack it up it only takes a couple of minutes to put everything away and close up the cabinet and you wouldnt know it was a sewing area. you just need somewhere to cut out the fabric like a floor or a dining table.

Thanks trancegemini, that looks nice. If we do make this move, I really need to pare down what I have - in many areas but especially sewing stuff.

marti--I'm raising my 2 boys in a small cape. It's a three bedroom, but in a traditional layout, meaning that one of the bedrooms is on the first floor off the kitchen. I use this as the computer room, so I treat my house as if it's a two bedroom and my boys share a bedroom.

Because it's a "two bedroom", we use air mattresses for children's sleepovers as well as adults who stay the night. It works fine.

My concern for your situation wouldn't be the lack of a guest bedroom, but that the 2nd bedroom in this house might not be large enough to accomodate your husband's office plus a crafting space for you. Also, the fact that the laundry is outside.

Regarding the laundry--I suppose if you live in a warm weather area it would be okay, but if you live in an area with cold winters it would get old fast.

Regarding the crafting--how often do you do this activity and how much space does it take up?

marti I was a bit rushed when I made my post but I'll post some more photos later with the cabinet open to give you a better idea. I should add I keep things like my fabric stash (we all have one dont we? LOL) and boxes of patterns in a linen cupboard and any patterns or fabric Im about to use I keep in the cabinet above so the area doesnt get cluttered up.

Im trying to pare down too now and slowly working my way through some of fabrics and am trying not to hoard fabric anymore and only buy what I can use straight away. I dont do much crafting though and I think that can take up more space than sewing but I think a cabinet could work for that too.

crystal, I would craft all day every day if I had the chance, but I make myself do other things - like cook dinner and laundry. lol The winters here are mild, but going outside is still a pain. I don't like going out at night, and not just because that's when all the mosquitoes come in. Also, we had a laundry area in an attached garage one time and it was so hard to keep clean around it. If a piece of laundry hit the floor coming out of the dryer, it usually had to be rewashed. And then there was squeezing past the car (or pile of junk) with a tub of laundry. So that is one of my main concerns with it in the garage.

Dh's office is in the garage now, but it's got a partition around it, so it's not like his head is right next to the table saw, or the car door hits him in the back like that tv commercial. Still, I don't like it. He used to have a closet in the house, but his piles overflowed into the room, and then he got Verizon and that crew of people DID NOT follow him out here and he can't get service in the house, only in the garage, so that is the main reason his office is out there.

marti here are some better photos of my sewing nook just to give you a better idea, and Im amazed at how much stuff I fit in there.

cabinet flipped open

I push a lever and the machine comes up, already plugged in and at the push of a button it's ready to go

In the door I have threads, beads, books and assorted things

4 drawers to the right full of sewing bits and pieces. I keep the bottom drawer empty to store fabric etc for my current/next projects.

anyway, I hope this lets you know it is possible to sew in a small space and I love sewing in this area, I can actually do a bit of sewing and keep an eye on dinner at the same time lol :)

Wow, I love your sewing cabinet! And I am trying very hard not to covet your sewing machine.

My mom asked me the other day if I thought one of the girls would like to have her Pfaff, and I said "Them?!!! I want it!" She bought it about the same time I got my new one in 1987, and I think she's used it all of 4 times. She said I could have it, but we'll see.

I have a 720 sq. ft. house with two bedrooms and I'm a big craft/sewing person. I'm also single. My son lives with me and when my daughter comes to visit she takes his room and he sleeps on the sofa. When my Mom comes she insists on sleeping on the sofa too (no matter how much I tell her to sleep in my bed she refuses). Because I'm single I end up eating on the coffee table, and so my small table in the living room is used as a craft space.

Lavendrfem, it looks very cozy to me.

Anic

oh Marti, you must get your hands on that pfaff! no matter what it takes, even if you have to pry it out of your mum's hands, you need that machine! ;) my machine is 10+ years old now and it still drives like a rolls royce. My last machine was a horrible thing and I used to call it my old clunker because it was so noisy and and it used to clatter and shake the whole table, it really was terrible to use and I had it for years but the pfaff is just a dream to sew with. It must drive you nuts that your mum doesnt even use it. Go get that pfaff marti!

lavendrfem, does your sofa make out into a bed? Mine is a double recliner and I don't think it would be comfortable to sleep on as it is with the dips between each seat, iykwim. I thought of an air mattress.

I like your sewing table, it looks like it works out, especially with the cabinet there. What kind of table is it?

trancegemini, if she doesn't mention it again, I thought I might mention how much I'd like to have a decorative stitch on my machine. Mine is fine, runs well, but doesn't have anything fancy except a button hole stitch which was really coming up from my last machine (mom's old machine) which had straight & zig zag only. The one is have now is portable so fairly easy to take to classes, but pretty limited in what fabrics it will sew on. Forget anything stretchy.

We have a 1300 sq. ft. two BR. We use one as the master and the other as my husband's office (he runs his own business).

Our guest solution is to use the basement, which isn't ideal, but there's a half-bath down there and it gets some natural light. There are also windows for egress.

To be honest, it kind of drives me nuts that I don't have my own craft/hangout room. So much so that we're planning to add a small room off the first story that will be mine, all mine.

We'll stick with the basement for our guests.

WE have a 1300 with two bedrooms and a den. I use my den as sewing room and have a futon in it for guests. It is a small room at 9 '4" by 13 . A closet could be added but for me I did not want it. Would rather have the larger room and use my furniture for storage. Our few guests never used a closet anyway. I have a nice coat rack on the wall to hang up something if they want.

I use a cabinet for my sewing goodies and the bottom is for craft books. There is also a small dresser in the room and as soon as I get some tools moved out if it I can put more of my sewing things into it.I am very pleased with how it works for me. I use the vanity table for my sewing table.My machine sits under the vanity stool when I am not using it. I keep the ironing board sitting behind the door. I have a fold up table,the same as I use for our dinning room table when needed to cut fabric on and it just fits in the room opened up.

I also have one whole room just for me. I am spoiled. I NEED this room. DH said when we put this house together to make it what I needed for a change and I DID!!!! My just for me room is 10 '6 by 13 so it is not huge but a good size. And I use every inch if it. It keeps me from making messes I have to constantly clean up all over the house like I used to before.

Trancegemini I love your sewing cabinet. It looks like it has all the right places for things.

Lavendrfem I am eyeballing your nice little stash of farics on the right. Such pretty colors. they could move right on into our house. Hehehehe

Chris, that is so sweet of your dh. You do need the space with big projects. My eye was drawn to lavendrfem's stash too, lol. I was wondering what project they are for, and wishing my stash was where I could get my hands on it instead of being stuffed in the attic. Wish we had basements in TX.

trancegemini, that is a very nice sewing cabinet! I was thinking it was a nice sewing table, but then you opened it up and wow! It holds a lot of stuff. All you need is a place to sit you iced tea and you are set to go, lol

lavendrfem, did you make your curtains and pillows, I see that they match. Its really lovely.

mcgillicuddy, your own room! I know you must be very excited. Have you already planned it out?

Chris, you are not spoiled. Anyone who has talent like you have needs to have a dedicated space to work in. Now just look in the mirror and repeat after me, "I deserve this space". lol

"All you need is a place to sit you iced tea and you are set to go, lol "

oh I knew there was something missing! there should be drink holder in there and then I'd never need to get out of the chair lol.

idie2live - Yes, I'm very excited about my "womancave".

I'm fantasizing about white slipcovered furniture and turquoise walls, and possibly even my own small flatscreen TV, so I can watch HGTV to my heart's content with no spousal commentary.

"flatscreen TV, so I can watch HGTV to my heart's content with no spousal commentary."

Hehehehe Boy do I ever understand this comment. GADS they do like to put in their two cents and even a dime sometimes.

Oh man, y'all are hitting my guilty button! You should hear the things I have said during football games and car races.

Our current house has private space for both of us and I think that's one thing that makes me nervous about moving to such a small space, especially if we get one with open living plan.

We moved from an apartment that was smaller overall, but had more rooms, so we had a bedroom, plus an office for each of us.

Our current house has bigger rooms, but fewer of them, and there's no easy way to divide them.

From my own experience, it's difficult to go without a private space when you're used to having even just a small space to yourself.

Anicee - thank you!

marti8a - the sofa is only a loveseat - it doesn't open up...do they make one that doesn't leave an impression on your back when you sleep on it? :) The sewing table is something a friend gave me - it's the size of a sofa table - it has a marble top and wrought iron legs. It's almost like outdoor furniture. The chair I got at Home Goods for $15 - it has a small chip on the seat.

Shades of Ohio - lol! I work at a fabric and crafts store part-time (as a second job) and for me, it's a little like an alcoholic working at a liquor store!

idie2live - I did! I made the curtains from a tablecloth - just simple cafe style with ribbon tabs. Two of the pillows I bought at TJ MaXX as is - and the other two came with the sofa and I covered them. No man in my life so I can make it very girly! :)

Estelle

That's so funny Estelle because I am about to make tablecloths from curtains! Boy would I love to work in a fabric & craft store, but I wouldn't have any money to pay bills if I did.

marti8a - I love making curtains from things like that! I made kitchen curtains from napkins that looked vintage. $8 from Home Goods. and I just put a calico fabric edge on it - and ribbon to hide the seams. Simple and cheap! :)
Working there is a little tough because there's always something I see that I'd love to buy. But I wait for clearance and I talk myself out of a lot! Would love to see your curtains when you finish.
Estelle

I loaded the pictures on my blog too big to copy here without blowing up the page, so I'm just going to link to the blog if that's ok. You can click on the pictures & make them bigger, but for some reason they are grainy when I do that. I'm not a good photographer.

Here's the entry with the window & the panels

Before & during

And here's the entry with the valance. I don't like the end pieces and plan on either shortening them or recutting the angle. I might just do that today since I can't get excited about working in the yard. I guess I'd rather rip out stitches than rake leaves.

After

Marti8a, I love your curtains! You did an awesome job on matching the valance. What color is your room painted?
Now if I'm not being too nosey, is that the only window in your room? So the wall behind the bed is not an exterior wall? Just curious, it seems like such a large room would have more windows.

Thank you. I am working on the valance ends now, shortening them. It's easier and looks better than recutting the angle. I made the valance so I can change out the patterned pieces, not that I've ever changed out my bedding or colors, but who knows.

The color is PPG Brandied Pears. Yes, that is the only window in the room, and the wall behind the bed is an exterior wall. I never have figured out why that is the only window either, or why it is so small in that size room. Oh except that Moe had just heard of green building and thought that was the answer to cutting energy costs. The wall behind the bed faces south which would be the perfect place for a window. There was only one window in every room in the house when we bought it, except the garage which had three and the bathrooms which have none. Now the garage is the den.

Here's the valance redone. I'm not sure I like it better, but there's no changing it now. Sorry it's grainy, either the lighting or the battery. When dh gets home, I need him to help me take down the panels to iron, and then I'll take a good photo.

{{gwi:2074949}}

I love the curtains - and the contrasting fabric on the valance is beautiful with it. The color really warms up the room - and the size softens it! Wonderful!

Just to make it interesting, when we build our house, it will probably only have one true bedroom! We will have a walk-out basement, so there will certainly be room for guests, though. We're also planning to have part of the barn partitioned off to make a great room for entertaining, since the main house will be so small. I'll put a bathroom out there as well, so overnight guests could have their own place to stay. The best part is that we only need to heat/AC this room when we actually use it, so it won't add much to our daily living costs. Many family members are allergic to pets, so the barn great room will be a 'no pet zone', so we can entertain and house family members. My mother's tiny little house has this same set-up, and I always thought it was a great idea, if one has the land for a second building.

That's a great idea flgargoyle. I have often wondered if I could put beds in our detached garage for company. We have a bathroom out there but would have to put a space heater or something. Call it the bunk house with running cold and lukewarm water. lol

Thank you lavendrfem. I don't know if it's that great or if I've just been staring at a blank wall for so long, but I love the look & feel it's giving the room. Course anything beats the miniblind look.

Marti8a you really did a great job on matching those 2 fabrics! And the color goes great with the walls.

flgargoyle, have you ever posted your floor plans? I'm going to try to do a search to find them.
A walk out basement sounds like heaven. Here where I'm living, the water table is so high that you usually get damp/wet ground on a couple of feet down, so basement are not common.
Loretta

Basements aren't common here either, but it's because our ground moves too much I think.

Basements aren't real common in SC, either, although once you get up in the mountains where we are, you see more of them. Our property slopes just the right amount for a walk-out, so a crawl space would cost almost as much without the obvious advantage of potentially doubling your living space.

I don't remember if I've posted my plans here or not, but I did post various iterations over on Building a Home. Most of my previous ideas will likely go out the window now, since our budget continues to shrink in FL's hostile real estate market. Predictions are for it to continue downward, so we're going to try to get on the market this spring and see what happens. Our son graduates college next month, which was the only thing keeping us here. At this point, I'm seriously considering something in the 800 sq ft range, since it will be just the two of us. We lived for about 10 years in a house that size, without a basement, so I think we can be happy in that again. In this economy, we don't have much of a choice!

I'll have to go look. I know what you mean about changing your plans. We had plans drawn for our first house, then had to downsize, and then downsize again. By the time we finally built, we built an enlarged garage to live in, thinking we would build one of the other houses later. It really wasn't that bad, but I could have used another bathroom with 2 kids.

I looked at some of your old plans. I especially liked the plan to have the back porch roof deep enough to drive the car under.
800 square feet is probaly just fine as long as the space is designed for your needs. Good design trumps size every time.

We took a long hard look at our current house, and the rooms we use. The master BR needs to be big enough to sleep in, and a couple of dressers. A big closet is very important. We'll have 2 baths, since that's important to us. Likewise, a kitchen that is big enough for two cooks is important. We kept thinking about how we would entertain large groups, and we realized that we NEVER entertain large groups! We only have a handful of friends these days, and so many family members have passed, that I can't imagine more than 8 people or so at any one event, and that would be rare. We'll have a basement for expansion, as well as a finished room on one end of the barn, so we can always temporarily expand our space, without having to waste utilities on it the rest of the time. Taxes should be lower, too, since it won't qualify as 'living space'.

My favorite design is a cross gable, so that each major room has windows on three sides for light and ventilation. We are 'windows open' kind of people much of the year. Our property has decent views in all directions, so it's nice to see out. Unfortunately, that is a more expensive home to build, which is why I'm starting to think in terms of a small rectangle instead. I won't truly be able to decide until we have the money in hand, but at least we have options. One of the trickiest things I've run into designing a small house is fitting in stairs. It's surprising how much space they take up! To be continued....

Jay

Well, I just discovered this thread languishing out of date. And it is very interesting.

WE have a 2 BR cottage. I do not know the square footage, truly. But if anyone has a living room which is a room unto itself, like ours is, it could work as a guest room, or even an office if you keep it neat. Living rooms in small houses should not be single use rooms. We do have our 42" TV mounted above the mantle, so it is a "media" room. I did make the side porch into a sun porch, but that just gives a greater sense of space to the LR. And we ended up removing the french doors closing off the LR from the dining room. I am keeping them in the garden shed just in case. Because it occurred to me that the LR would be a nicer and prettier room to put up a guest than the second bedroom. At first, I did have a sofa bed to use, but it wore out. Now I have a sort of daybed which has a wooden frame on 3 sides and lots of loose pillows, with a 6" thick foam cushion to sit on. It is about 7' long, and looks sort of British tropical style....but I discovered the other day it was made in Italy. My DH currently has his laptop in a corner of the LR, on a tiny console. Today I decided to give my coffee table to a dear friend and use two smaller metal tables before the sofa. In a small room, they work better than a large table which holds a lot of clutter...magazines, mail, coffee cups, dog leash, etc.

And I forgot that I put a series of book cases behind the sofa. The lower shelves hide a multitude of not-so-pretty things. The upper shelves can display things you like, and on top I have framed art etc leaned against the wall.

And now I intend to make the DINING ROOM share the multi-tasking load around here. By building a window seat flanked at either end by a ceiling height set of cabs, it will provide some awesome storage. If anyone needs space for storing fabric, that should give you lots of room. We only have a smallish dining table, square, to place where the window seat provides one of the diners a seat, but the table might be good for a cutting surface too. The sewing machine could work in a cabinet as a buffet, or some other clever camouflage folks come up with.

With small houses, the trick is to think outside the box, outside the ordinary.

Marti, for me, the laundry in a detached garage would be a deal breaker. I have an aversion to going outside after dark because I lived alone for so many years. We bought a nice stacking unit. Only ONE plug for both appliances. Boy is it heavy, but oh my that front loading washer does clean the clothes! So put a stacking W/D in a corner of the kitchen, or in a closet, or enclose a back porch like we did. Also, we are in the process of building a small leanto shed off the back porch, to relocate the water heater. We included in the WH shed enough space for a preheat tank against the time when DH will put a solar water heater system on our south-facing roof. LOTS of heat up there in our long hot season.But I'm not pushing him on that project, just let it come when he can take a breather.
:)

OH Hahahah this is the thread that got me to make the changes in my sewing/guest room. I had forgotten what made me start thinking of making the changes and here is the post that did it. So THANK YOU Martia. I know this was started a long time ago but it put the seed into my brain to make changes.

I must say I am so totally enjoying my newly created space. Also discovered the futon that gave me such grief in opening and closing problem has been resolved. I googled how to do it and came across a video clip on the process and it is so simple. Not exactly what a person would think. After we both watched it we went in and were able to close it with out removing mattress as the store told us we had to do. And that was a pain to remove the mattress.

I also discovered I still have enough room in the space to just slide the futon out from the wall so it is accessible from both sides should two people come to visit. I was afraid I would have to turn the thing around and again that is a real pain and would mean moving furniture.

ML Again your house is so lovely. I aspire to make mine look this way too. Going to see if I can find a quick throw for my little l0ve se@t in the living room. Spring has spring time to lighten up.Now I can really sew in my sewing room. Hehehehe

Chris