My brother and SIL sorely regret it. They bought a huge house because they "could". They can technically afford it, although they're not able to do a lot of the things they could otherwise do (nicer vacations, etc.) and they would be in trouble if one of them lost their jobs. They regret it, though, because they're sick over what it takes to heat and cool it. Again, they can "afford" it but it's more than they thought it was and it just seems like a waste. They've said many times they wish they could sell it (they'd take a loss currently) and move to a smaller house.

OP, BTDT. Enjoy it in good health! However, you REALLY need to keep a tight reign on stuff - you will just accumulate more and more because you have no reason not to, seriously. Be aware and you should be fine. It is like a purse, the more room, the more stuff, inevitably.

Anonymous wrote:my house is a late 70s southern colonial with 2,800 sf above grade (another 800 or so sf in a finished basement). It is so embarrassing having less than 3,000 sf, so I am thinking about converting the garage into a den and putting another bedroom above the garage (and then building a new 3-car garage next to the existing garage). I don't need the space, but peer pressure is effective.

You're thinking of spending tens of thousands of dollars to create space you don't need because you are "embarassed" by the size of your house?Congratulations! You win the dumbest post of the year . . . so far . . . award. I can't decide if you're frivolous or soul-crushingly insecure.

Anonymous wrote:The carbon footprint effect alone would cause me to lose sleep, never mind heating/cooling bills, cleaning, furnishing, etc.

Not necessarily. We moved from a charming, small NWDC colonial into a fairly large suburban home and, in fact, the smaller, older home was so energy inefficient that our footprint has improved in the larger space. In fact, the newer more energy efficient materials (everything from windows, insulation, heating and cooling units, etc.) make a larger, newer home more energy friendly than the smaller charmers.

We may never come to have this regret.

Only tip is to be vigilant about throwing things away or donating. A larger house can always accommodate more. At the end of even a year, you will have accumulated too much stuff. K

As long as it is not an ass ugly add on choppy looking add on ( and add on, and add on). I have seen so many neighborhoods where people have the nerve to b*tch about the beautiful new homes, while they add on and completely detract from the neighborhood. While convinced it is there (GAG!) "dream home". I would just move to a bigger house, myself.

PP, I don't think people with bigger houses are worried about cleaning it themselves, BTW. This excuse cracks me up. SIL used to ALWAYS try to knock nicely done new houses with this as one of her retorts. Funny!

Not all new houses are great and beautiful, but some are. If you are from an area with (nicely done) huge houses, some of these look small!

Not at all! We love it. It's not quite as big as yours, but we both work at home and have kids home with a nanny during the day, and it is quiet, orderly and pleasant. Also, I find it much more comfortable to have bigger rooms and more space when we have other families over, so we do it more.

I find maintenance a pain for every house we've ever lived in, regardless of size. Bigger is more expensive to heat and cool, although you can insulate, etc. We have a very small lot, and that helps keep down the maintenance time/bills. I think a big house plus big yard would suck up more than I'm willing to give.

4,000 square feet isn't that big, esp if tht includes garage space. I'd love to have a bigger kitchen and bigger rooms. Our house, even when clean, always looks so cluttered. We also are a family of 3.

Anonymous wrote:my house is a late 70s southern colonial with 2,800 sf above grade (another 800 or so sf in a finished basement). It is so embarrassing having less than 3,000 sf, so I am thinking about converting the garage into a den and putting another bedroom above the garage (and then building a new 3-car garage next to the existing garage). I don't need the space, but peer pressure is effective.

Really? You need to find new friends. Do people actually notice or talk about this sort of thing? I mean, that is the saddest thing I have ever heard of re keeping up with the Joneses.

We live in an 800 SF condo in the city. Most people we know do the same, or live in small houses/TH in the burbs. I really could care less how big my friends' houses are.

I also grew up in a very grand, large, historic house: e.g., pocket doors, library, dining room, living room, etc were some of the rooms on the first floor. An international fashion magazine used it for a shoot once. I do get sad that it is no longer in the family, but at the same time, it was a helluva place to insure, maintain, etc.

my house is a late 70s southern colonial with 2,800 sf above grade (another 800 or so sf in a finished basement). It is so embarrassing having less than 3,000 sf, so I am thinking about converting the garage into a den and putting another bedroom above the garage (and then building a new 3-car garage next to the existing garage). I don't need the space, but peer pressure is effective.

big houses mean you have more space that you have to fill with furniture, clean , heat/cool. Try just using what you need right now and close off the other rooms. If you hate it in a year then you can sell and look for something in the middle. I do have one question though... what exactly do you feel guilty about? Not really sure your feelings are about the house but maybe leaving your neighborhood or something else. A mentor once told me guilt is a waster emotion. no one can make you feel guilty except you.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a big house. For a while, it was one of the biggest houses in my zip code. I knew I did not want a big house. We have a pretty ordinary 4 bedroom colonial with a 2 car garage on 1/3 acre. I would like to move to a 2 or 3 bedroom luxury condo. We have one child in elementary school.

LOL! I'd say that you STILL live in a big house PP!

I grew up in a big house. For a while, it was one of the biggest houses in my zip code. I knew I did not want a big house. We have a pretty ordinary 4 bedroom colonial with a 2 car garage on 1/3 acre. I would like to move to a 2 or 3 bedroom luxury condo. We have one child in elementary school.

We've lived for almost 20 years in a 4000 sq ft home, 1/2 acre lot and have enjoyed it. However, now that the oldest of our three kids is in college (with another to follow in 2 years) we're looking forward to downsizing for something more compact and easier to maintain.