Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a family of 4 in a 2300 sq. ft. house. There is no attic and the basement is not finished. Plus only a one car garage. We use one of the four bedrooms as a home office (DH is a consultant). We have no guest room and no space for toys etc. Plus the storage sucks (we actually use the garage to park a car in). We are currently looking for at least 3000 sq. ft. that has to come with the added space we need (dedicated office, finished basement, 2 car garage, attic space and lots of storage). I do not know how people do it with less space. I feel like I have no place to go that is private as it is now.

Let me guess - you live in colonial?

This is 16:48. It's a split level. I actually do not like colonials. Plus, I don't know why/how you came to the conclusion it's a colonial from my post (or what it even matters).

800 sf per person

My mcmansion utilities are lower than my rambler because I have zones

Anonymous wrote:We are a family of 4 in a 2300 sq. ft. house. There is no attic and the basement is not finished. Plus only a one car garage. We use one of the four bedrooms as a home office (DH is a consultant). We have no guest room and no space for toys etc. Plus the storage sucks (we actually use the garage to park a car in). We are currently looking for at least 3000 sq. ft. that has to come with the added space we need (dedicated office, finished basement, 2 car garage, attic space and lots of storage). I do not know how people do it with less space. I feel like I have no place to go that is private as it is now.

Let me guess - you live in colonial?

We are a family of 4 in a 2300 sq. ft. house. There is no attic and the basement is not finished. Plus only a one car garage. We use one of the four bedrooms as a home office (DH is a consultant). We have no guest room and no space for toys etc. Plus the storage sucks (we actually use the garage to park a car in). We are currently looking for at least 3000 sq. ft. that has to come with the added space we need (dedicated office, finished basement, 2 car garage, attic space and lots of storage). I do not know how people do it with less space. I feel like I have no place to go that is private as it is now.

how are you on top of each other in a 4 BR house with 2500sf? We have 2200 and have 5 people when my parents come to visit. No way do we feel on top of each other.

You need DOUBLE that amount to not feel on top of each other?

And no, I have NOT been in DC too long. We did a househunt in the land of the tacky McMansions - yes, Texas. We easily could have afforded a 4000sf home in one of the myriad subdivisions just outside the city we planned to move to. We really disliked them - much preferred something in the 2000-2500 range. 4000 feels like a TON of wasted space for no good reason.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:300 sq ft per person...1500. that's more than enough.

you heifers need to move down south. your 4000 sq ft houses for your 4000 sq ft asses.

what do families of 5 do in Geneva, HK, Zurich, nice districts in paris.

We are not in those places.

Why on earth would you assume we are overweight?
jealous????

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:300 sq ft per person...1500. that's more than enough.

you heifers need to move down south. your 4000 sq ft houses for your 4000 sq ft asses.

what do families of 5 do in Geneva, HK, Zurich, nice districts in paris.

We are not in those places.

unfortunately

Anonymous wrote:300 sq ft per person...1500. that's more than enough.

you heifers need to move down south. your 4000 sq ft houses for your 4000 sq ft asses.

what do families of 5 do in Geneva, HK, Zurich, nice districts in paris.

We are not in those places.

300 sq ft per person...1500. that's more than enough.

you heifers need to move down south. your 4000 sq ft houses for your 4000 sq ft asses.

what do families of 5 do in Geneva, HK, Zurich, nice districts in paris.

It isn't really about people it is about how much stuff you have and your personal philosophy (materialism versus minimalism). If you have lots of stuff and plan to buy a lot more stuff then you need a bigger place. If you think everyone should have their own bedroom / bathroom because everyone needs lots of rooms for their stuff then you need a bigger place. You can be perfectly happy in a small space if you value and use space differently.

Another man's junk is another man's treasure.

I want larger rooms and space to not be on top of each other

We're a family of 5 in 2500 sft, and it's plenty of space for us. I wouldn't mind a little more storage, but I think that's just a sign that I need to get rid of junk.

I agree with PP that a lot depends on your situation (e.g. do you have someone who works from home and needs an office or another bedroom that can be used as an office?) Beyond that it's a lot more about layout and number of rooms rather than a pure number. But FWIW here's what I'd do if it were me... check out several houses that seem to have the right amount of rooms that you're looking for and pay attention to the sq footage. You should start to get a feel for what feels way too small so that it can at least help target your online searches a bit more (which is probably what you're after right?). Typically most areas have similarly sized homes unless they're teardowns - and if you can't afford a teardown in a neighborhood you like but the typical home feels smaller than what you need then you can effectively cross that neighborhood off your list. Not an exact science but if you're really trying to narrow down your search area it's a way to start.

Anonymous wrote:what the hell does one do with that much space - seriously? I can't even fathom needing that.

you have been in dc too long