What is the ideal amount of square footage for a family of 4?

[Anonymous]

We recently moved from 2200 to 4100 with garage and it's glorious. We've looked at some 5000+ sf houses and I lost my toddler during the house showing, so it was too large for us. The layout is key for me - I wanted a playroom on the first floor so I can keep an eye on the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These numbers blow my mind. We are 3 in 1100 sq ft -- I feel like if we had a second child, I'd want maybe 1500, thinking through the end of HS. We also have a storage unit of about 20sq ft.

We have two adults and two kids in 1400 square feet. I guess I’d like a little more closet space? But really I think the greed for more and more square footage and more and more stuff... well, I think it’s obscene.

Teenagers mat change your opinion. Just saying. (Someone who happily lived in 800 square feet with really young kids!). Closets and drawers get a lot smaller the bigger the clothes get.

Teenagers are only home for so much longer then off to college. We have a 1000 square foot house. Its fine but we have a basement plus attic storage.

[Anonymous]

We're in a house with 2400 square feet, plus 500 sq ft finished basement and a 200 square foot unfinished basement storage room. Three bedrooms, all upstairs, master bath, kids' bathroom, and a full bathroom off the kitchen. It's perfect four us!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With a middle schooler and an elementary schooler, in MoCo burbs, just as a practical matter, like ease of cleaning and trying to keep the amount of unnecessary household stuff to a minimum? Also, is garage space always counted as part of total square footage?

If you care about climate change, you should make it work with less than 1,400 sq feet.

If you really cared about climate change, you would live in a bio-degradable box and eat only unwashed raw vegetables.0

[Anonymous]

We have a family of 5 (2 adults, an 11 year old, 8 year old and 5 year old) with 2500 square feet, plus 500 sq ft finished basement and a 200 square foot unfinished basement storage room. Four bedrooms, all upstairs, one bedroom on the lower level. Master bath, kids' bathroom, and a half bathroom off the family room. We also have a good size office and a unheated three season type porch . The kids bedrooms are on the small size.
We have more than enough space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2000 is plenty. More than 2500 is unnecessary/irresponsible.

Says who?

Why not own a one room house with the wood stove in one corner and the toilet in the other?

[Anonymous]

We are a family of 5 in 2700 square feet, 5 bedrooms, but it is not big enough for us. Both my husband and I work from home full time and need our own separate offices, and that makes a huge difference in our need for space. One bedroom is my husband's office. My office is our guest room and that is not an ideal way to work for productivity, particularly when guests are in town, and even when they aren't. So that is two bedrooms right there. Two of my kids share a room, but that is not sustainable over the long term because the two rooms left to them for bedrooms are not large enough when they are teenagers. There is no space for them to hang with their friends that isn't a shared bedroom. So yes, having another 1500 square feet would make our living situation easier.

[Anonymous]

Folks who think as you get older you need less space are young and foolish. I was also that way. My house I just bought in my mid 50's as a trade up home is 6,100 square feet, the house across the street sold a few weeks ago to a couple early 50s that is 7,000 square feet. Your fifties and sixties you need the most square footage.

My kids are not 12, 17 and 18. All at once I am hitting the car phase. Right now three cars, one more to come, Hitting dating phase while still in playdate phase. Hitting phase where friends from college come visit and in-laws too old to drive home late stay over. If anything I should have got around 7,000 square feet with a three car garage instead of two.

I have the three kids in a 1,400 square foot house with a one car driveway up till two years ago. Coming up in next 15 years I will host college graduations, engagement showers, weddings, baby showers, meeting new inlaws and son-in-laws for first time. Folks judge. I need room. When kids are little none of that happens. Then you hit mid 70s or so and it starts to slow down as that phase is behind

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks who think as you get older you need less space are young and foolish. I was also that way. My house I just bought in my mid 50's as a trade up home is 6,100 square feet, the house across the street sold a few weeks ago to a couple early 50s that is 7,000 square feet. Your fifties and sixties you need the most square footage.

My kids are not 12, 17 and 18. All at once I am hitting the car phase. Right now three cars, one more to come, Hitting dating phase while still in playdate phase. Hitting phase where friends from college come visit and in-laws too old to drive home late stay over. If anything I should have got around 7,000 square feet with a three car garage instead of two.

I have the three kids in a 1,400 square foot house with a one car driveway up till two years ago. Coming up in next 15 years I will host college graduations, engagement showers, weddings, baby showers, meeting new inlaws and son-in-laws for first time. Folks judge. I need room. When kids are little none of that happens. Then you hit mid 70s or so and it starts to slow down as that phase is behind

If my son in law judged me for not having a 6,000 square foot house, I would question my own parenting. How did I raise a daughter who made such a poor choice in a husband?

[Anonymous]

1,800 fine for a young family, teenagers, entertaining, house guests, no need to downsize later.

[Anonymous]

We are currently 4 in about 900 sq. feet. I would have more breathing room with about 1300-1500 but truly see no value in anything more. Not for everyone but it suits me ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who think as you get older you need less space are young and foolish. I was also that way. My house I just bought in my mid 50's as a trade up home is 6,100 square feet, the house across the street sold a few weeks ago to a couple early 50s that is 7,000 square feet. Your fifties and sixties you need the most square footage.

My kids are not 12, 17 and 18. All at once I am hitting the car phase. Right now three cars, one more to come, Hitting dating phase while still in playdate phase. Hitting phase where friends from college come visit and in-laws too old to drive home late stay over. If anything I should have got around 7,000 square feet with a three car garage instead of two.

I have the three kids in a 1,400 square foot house with a one car driveway up till two years ago. Coming up in next 15 years I will host college graduations, engagement showers, weddings, baby showers, meeting new inlaws and son-in-laws for first time. Folks judge. I need room. When kids are little none of that happens. Then you hit mid 70s or so and it starts to slow down as that phase is behind

If my son in law judged me for not having a 6,000 square foot house, I would question my own parenting. How did I raise a daughter who made such a poor choice in a husband?

She is speaking about her mother and father in law, who are now getting too old to drive at night.

[Anonymous]

Daughter and i share 900 sq. ft. SFH , so for 4 I would just double it. I grew up in about 1500 for family of 5 but my sister an i had to share a BR while my brother got his own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks who think as you get older you need less space are young and foolish. I was also that way. My house I just bought in my mid 50's as a trade up home is 6,100 square feet, the house across the street sold a few weeks ago to a couple early 50s that is 7,000 square feet. Your fifties and sixties you need the most square footage.

My kids are not 12, 17 and 18. All at once I am hitting the car phase. Right now three cars, one more to come, Hitting dating phase while still in playdate phase. Hitting phase where friends from college come visit and in-laws too old to drive home late stay over. If anything I should have got around 7,000 square feet with a three car garage instead of two.

I have the three kids in a 1,400 square foot house with a one car driveway up till two years ago. Coming up in next 15 years I will host college graduations, engagement showers, weddings, baby showers, meeting new inlaws and son-in-laws for first time. Folks judge. I need room. When kids are little none of that happens. Then you hit mid 70s or so and it starts to slow down as that phase is behind

+1

You can make 1400 square feet work, but why would you want to? Live a little

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks who think as you get older you need less space are young and foolish. I was also that way. My house I just bought in my mid 50's as a trade up home is 6,100 square feet, the house across the street sold a few weeks ago to a couple early 50s that is 7,000 square feet. Your fifties and sixties you need the most square footage.

My kids are not 12, 17 and 18. All at once I am hitting the car phase. Right now three cars, one more to come, Hitting dating phase while still in playdate phase. Hitting phase where friends from college come visit and in-laws too old to drive home late stay over. If anything I should have got around 7,000 square feet with a three car garage instead of two.

I have the three kids in a 1,400 square foot house with a one car driveway up till two years ago. Coming up in next 15 years I will host college graduations, engagement showers, weddings, baby showers, meeting new inlaws and son-in-laws for first time. Folks judge. I need room. When kids are little none of that happens. Then you hit mid 70s or so and it starts to slow down as that phase is behind

Umm, my kids are adults and I somehow managed to do all of that without having a 6000 square foot home. Millions of people have. Probably billions.

GMAFB.