Minimum Sq. Footage for Empty Nester Retirees
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Opinions again please...think this is the one!! Ranch 1824sq ft
Comments (23)It is a great starting point. We don't have much use for a tub in the masterbath so unless you are, think a larger shower. I agree with a previous poster, there is not much room between sinks in the master bath. My husband loves elbow room and places for tooth brushes, hair brushes, tissue, soap, etc. and would need additional counter space. Make sure you have plenty of space. Do you have a basement? One of the most important things I have learned with different homes I have lived in....storage space. Figure out where you are going to put the Christmas / Holiday Ornaments, extra towels, linens, and extra seasonal clothing. Books, CDs, DVDs, etc. Personally, the fireplace is where the TV should be. Our experience with fireplaces have been more negative than positive. Drafty and cold. Gas fireplace is great to look at but doesn't warm the room. So why bother. Is this going to be a working / room warming fireplace or just a show piece? We have found that a room 10 X 10 is great for little kids. Tight for Teens. But too small for adults. Are the extra rooms for grandkids or hobby rooms? Planning on paper is great. Make sure it is what you really want....See Moreretirees where do you live and why
Comments (31)Ran across this old thread and thought perhaps it would be nice to resurrect it and see if any new folks might add to it too. And my bad, somehow I never added my own posting to it either. I've been retired since 2006 and my DH just retired Dec 30, 2009. We're in our late 50's and fortunate to be able to retire so early. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, close to some of my family. My brother lives in LA, a niece in Boston. My mother's family lives in Seattle, while my DH's mother's family are mostly in Vancouver, and a few in Calgary. So our home is centrally located to most of them, which is great. We love where we live - vibrant (even a little crazy, LOL!), diverse, ever-changing, beautiful, with every amenity and service needed...as long as you can afford to pay for it, which we fortunately can. The San Francisco Bay Area is a fabulous place to garden my roses have already started blooming. Even long-time natives never run out of sights to see and things to do around here. We have started to do some traveling. Nothing lavish or exotic, just a few places that have always intrigued us, or places we haven't visited in far too long that deserve a longer visit. There will be some more small trips but only one last big trip to plan this year  an Alaskan cruise. Not big in itself, but we invited some friends to meet us in Seattle, a city I know fairly well but they have never been to before. I think weÂll have a great time showing them the sights of one of my favorite cities  even if they donÂt drink coffee (which in Seattle is almost embarrassing, being the birthplace of Starbucks with coffeebars on almost every corner). Being foodies, this is one of the great regions to live in. The astounding variety of cuisines at every price level, with some of the greatest chefs in the world, can be found within a 25-100 mile radius of us. We recently had a wonderful stay in Monterey and Carmel, and have a week-long stay in the Wine Country coming up. I've already got every lunch and dinner reserved, an unfortunate necessity when the world is descending upon the area as it does every summer. We own a modest 2bd cottage on a large urban lot, which we've spent several years landscaping. Mostly I hang out at the Cottage Gardening forum. I still play 'plant dominoes' but it's finished and mature, save for one last section. Our garden is an urban refuge, a long sloping lot with two separate back patios, both very private and always full of flowers to look at. We love to Âcocoon at home, for weÂre voracious readers (amazon.com knows us all too well). My DH is finally looking rested and relaxed, although he likes to complain we are more active now than ever! He likes to hike, I prefer to stroll city streets; so half the time we split up and go our separate ways, and the rest of the time we pair up to explore the city's nooks and crannies. It's a wonderful (and cheap) indulgence to be able to stop for a pineapple soda or a cappuccino before driving home (without being in rush hour traffic, what a blessing!). WeÂve always had multiple hobbies so in this early stage of retirement, itÂs no problem to fill up the time. In fact, the days whizz by, and itÂs been great fun so far....See More3 or 4 Bedroom Dilemma
Comments (7)I don't understand why you would want to build a house that will only serve you well for another five years. You say you will be empty-nesters in five years and that you plan to stay in this home as you age. Yet you are planning a two-story home (not good for Seniors) with space you soon won't need. I do understand your resale concerns. My DH and I wanted 2900 sq ft of one-floor living, yet our acre lot is zoned to support 5-6000 sq ft homes like some of the smaller ones around us. (We did a teardown in an established neighborhood with some historic properties and some 12,000 sq ft on five acres.) We 'hedged our bet'. We built our one-story, but included a formal stairway up to a full height attic under a 10/12 pitch roof. Finished out with the addition of dormers, our attic can become a second story, This also made the house fit more naturally into the neighborhood, yet we pay no taxes on the attic. Our eventual buyer may want just what we wanted -- a newer, one-story home in an established setting -- but the option to expand exists. Our kitchen, LR, DR and library are large enough to serve that potentially larger family. Having larger rooms is one reason we built. We couldn't find that in existing one-story homes. Meanwhile, as mrspete posted, we have that oft-recommended smaller, lower-taxed home in a desirable neighborhood. Maybe you can wait to build a home that will serve your needs for another 20 - 30 years?...See MoreHow to search for, ideas for, small house for lake
Comments (28)Awful nice of you to ask. I got with a local drafter (who I didn't realize hand draws) and came up with a close but still somewhat flawed plan. It is done to the level to get a more complete estimate on a build. I stopped short of trying to figure out the biggest problem with kitchen and dining area. Just sort of gave up, I liked the rest. But it remains a problem. I will have to hire someone to redraw if I figure it out. Generally its a pretty standard small ranch. I am trying to pack in as much future flexibility as possible but of course there are always ramifications. I wanted a potential future buyer to have the option of a second bathroom and bedroom upstairs, meanwhile I could use for storage (this will be on a crawl space) . This resulted in a 12 12 pitch which I'm concerned about making the house look top heavy. (Although I do love the scandanavian look of a high pitch they are usually on two stories). Since it was a single bathroom I sacrificed some space elsewhere to make it a little bigger. I thought about a double vanity but I'm single. So I did a single sink in the bathroom but the linen closet could be removed and a double vanity put in if someone down the road really wanted it. I would love a walk in shower since I never take baths but, oh well. I would like to do something with the "front" windows. The double hung thing blocks the view. Don't know what my options are though. Biggest problem, Kitchen/Dining area (as in there is none) I love a big living room, and don't care for traffic patterns through it. So the kitchen ended up where most would put the living room. Which makes the kitchen both have wasted space but not enough space for an eat in dining room. So there is no place to eat, not even a counter bar. In the summer one could use the porch. This is the biggest problem and I don't know how to fix without making the whole house bigger (200 a sq foot) or doing a bump out which sort of defeats the idea of a simple cheaper rectangle to build. Looking at it and how its just your basic standard little ranch its sort of amazing how long it took to get here. The front is cut off but its the same, a double hung on the other side of the slider which is in the middle...See MoreBestyears
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