Families of 3, how big is your house?

[Anonymous]

We have a 1900 sq townhouse. Three smaller bedrooms upstairs, separate family room in basement. It's plenty of space, but I wish we had one more bedroom for a proper guestroom (we use our 4th bedroom in the basement as an office).

[Anonymous]

We had a 1,500 sq ft house until DS was 3. Now we have a raised ranch of almost 3,000 and that feels just right. We have the upstairs, teen has the downstairs.

[Anonymous]

1900 sq feet, 2 adults, 1 kid, 1 medium/large dog. We have a biggish yard. There are parks very nearby, and lots of stores and metro. Going outside and walkability make the house feel like perfectly sized.

[Anonymous]

Single mom, 2 kids 3,500sqft. Wanted to be close to my work (cant waste time being single mom) with good schools, and a house that didn't need work, so we ended up in Oakton. Not many small updated homes to choose from here. Something half this size would have been fine.

[Anonymous]

We have about 1,500 sq ft - We are a family of 3 + a dog and a partially finished basement- we can use the basement for storage and laundry and there's a bathroom w/shower down there and it's "walk out"

We have a main-floor powder room

We have a full bath and 3 beds upstairs each w/closet and built-ins in the hall. So- lots of storage and an extra bedroom for whatever and guests if necessary. But guests are using our family bathroom-

It does feel small sometimes- Not great for sleepovers or kids hanging out (teenagers now). Only "alone time" is in your room, main floor is "open concept" which cuts down on walls but also privacy- it's small so kitchen is RIGHT THERE wherever you are.

What works- layout, basement, 3 toilets

What doesn't work- could use an extra bedroom and it would be great if basement were more "finished" but that's not in the budget right now- maybe in the future.

[Anonymous]

1250 sq ft, 2 adults/1 kid, 1 bath. Plenty of space, but I’d kill for another bathroom. If we move that'll be why.

[Anonymous]

We lived in 900 square feet as a family of 3 and thought it was fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We lived in 900 square feet as a family of 3 and thought it was fine.

Until your child is a teenager- this only works when kids are little

[Anonymous]

come one people, you aren't playing along with the troll/OP. where is the person who says their family of 3 live in a 5,000 sq foot home so everyone can argue... geez

[Anonymous]

We lived in 1200 square feet and now in 1400 square feet with a kid. It's plenty big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We lived in 1200 square feet and now in 1400 square feet with a kid. It's plenty big.

I'd add--the first place had only one bathroom. Having a second bathroom is much nicer. But in terms of space, it's fine.

[Anonymous]

1600 sq ft townhouse. The size is fine, but the layout isn't great with a kid. Master bdm is huge but guest & kid bedrooms are tiny. I wish I could have a smaller master and enlarge DC's bedroom, but they're on different floors. No basement either, just a small room with laundry off the garage..

We're looking to move to a SFH to have a better layout and not have 4 flights of stairs anymore as we age. But we don't really need more space. I'd like maybe 2,000 sq ft at the top end, assuming we can get a family room & guest bed in a basement.

[Anonymous]

We have 1700 above ground SF bungalow (with an additional 800 square feet in-law suite and storage space in half-finished basement). Two small bedrooms each on main and upstairs floors. One small full bath each on main and small full bath on upstairs floors. The house is full of built-ins/walk-in closets, and we're in a walk-able part of the city. Decent yard with storage shed. We don't have a master bed/bath and there is no where to put one (unless we loose a bedroom on the upstairs floor) and we have small, original stand sinks. The in-law suite has the largest and best basement in the house, but walking down the basement stairs to use it is weird. For us it is perfect, and clearly was enough for the many families who lived here in the last 100 years. The obsession with square footage is more a reflection on American materialism than anything. Buy less stuff. Teach children to share by making them share rooms (and bathrooms) until you feel comfortable not having them on the same floor as you. Make them do their homework at the dining room table, etc.

[Anonymous]

1500 sq ft, 2 kids.

The biggest constraint is our small galley kitchen and lack of pantry. Pre kids it was fine. Now we're bursting at the seams. We're renovating and adding 300 sq ft to kitchen/dining and storage.

[Anonymous]

Two adults, one 3yo and two cats:

We have 2000 sq. feet (not including an unfinished basement that we use for laundry, storage, chest freezer, etc.) and a screened in porch that's basically like another room when the weather is nice.

We have three proper bedrooms, three bathrooms and an office. It's perfect for three (and two cats), but it's still comfortable when we have guests.

THAT'S THE KEY. We had a 900 ft. townhouse that was perfect for two grown-ups and two cats, and okay with a baby, but HORRIBLE for guests. Do not underestimate the number of house guests you will have once you have a kid.