I will admit I’ve been bit by the big-house bug. Living in Charlotte, the brick homes are just so gorgeous and resemble my dream home to a T – huge decks, crown molding throughout, tons of space . The big homes in the fancy neighborhoods were calling my name. I just had to live in one of those homes!!
One of the things I’ve noticed about Charlotte is that a lot of the homes in good school districts are big and fancy (hence, another reason for wanting a large house). There are tons of nice houses in not-so-great school districts too, but most of those kids attend private schools. It seems like there isn’t too much out there that is moderate-sized, in a good school district and had all my dream qualities. Plus, wouldn’t it be fun to live in a massive house?!
So…we viewed a rental that met my requirements…
My dream rental
*Disclaimer: We are not buying a house for at least two years b/c my husband just started working for himself
There it was – a large house (almost 3300 square feet), gorgeous kitchen with granite, stainless steel appliances, a large island and recessed lighting, beautiful moldings throughout, fresh paint (grey – my top color), hardwood floors, a wonderful backyard…and SEVEN rooms. It. Was. Huge. By seven rooms, I don’t mean seven rooms total counting the kitchen and living areas…it had 4 bedrooms, an office, a playroom AND a sun room. While stunning, seriously – what would we do with all that space?!
In typical fashion, though, we contacted the owner and did a little negotiating to see exactly how much it would cost us to get this house. We offered $300 less per month than asking with the understanding that my handyman-husband would do all the maintenance. They countered, we countered, they accepted. Now, it was just a matter of thinking it over for a night or two before signing the papers (I tend to want to move in immediately when I see houses, without actually thinking anything through haha).
We sat on it for about two days. John really really wanted it (he’s worse than me!). I was a little hesitant. Our girls still wake up at night and I dread going to their rooms now and they’re not that far away. I love that I wake up in the morning and clean, do all the dishes and laundry, make the beds and vacuum in under 20 minutes. I kind of like that we all hang out together in our family area and dining area. I like that when the girls take a nap, I can work or relax instead of cleaning like I did in our old house. To be quite honest, a big house kind of scares me and it has nothing to do with financial reasons.
When we moved to North Carolina, we wanted to live simply. Our dream was to purchase a small, very affordable house on some land. We would make updates as we pleased, plant a garden so we could cook with fresh vegetables, spend our time outdoors biking, walking and visiting parks, etc. Nothing in my original plan was “live in a huge house” and in fact, that’s just the opposite of what we first wanted.
This beautiful city did get the best of me though, and I do want nicer things for my family, but I’m not quite sold on a “big house.” Luckily, we have time. Hopefully I will find a few areas that are in great school districts with beautiful homes that aren’t so large.
We ended up deciding not to move forward with the rental.
The benefits of a small (ish) house
When deciding about the big rental house, I Googled if people regretted buying a big house. While everyone’s definition of “big house” is different, it was pretty unanimous across the board that big houses get old fast. There is lots of constant upkeep, lots of cleaning, lots of decorating and lots of other expenses. Why pay for and decorate rooms that you never use? A smaller house, on the other hand, reaps benefits, such as:
Less maintenance overall. If you need to re-paint the interior, it costs less money and takes less time. Cleaning the house can be done each and every morning (like I do now) versus having to set aside hours each week to get it done.
More time for doing what you love. If you’re not spending hours maintaining and fixing up your home, you can spend that time doing what you love. John and I play canasta every night after our girls go to bed, we watch TV shows on Netflix, we spend time chatting, we value our weekends and spend them doing fun things with our girls. House maintenance? No thanks!!
More money. Ahh, a big one. Big houses cost more money in rent, more money in utilities, more money in decor, more money in cleaning supplies, etc. etc. etc. And this money has to come from somewhere – meaning either you or your husband (or both) are having to work more. And working more means giving up more time with your family and having less time for your own personal hobbies.
So, I’m not quite sure exactly where I stand – but I do know I do not want a huge house anymore. While I do want to live in a bigger space than we currently have, I’m happy and content with where we’re at. I know I’m going to look back on these days as the “simple times” because in all reality, life is pretty good and pretty low-key.
Do you live in a big house? What is “big” to you? Do you love it or regret it?
Jayleen @ How Do The Jones Do It says
atI go from one extreme to the other. On one hand, I want a huge home with a bathroom for each kid, a pool, a workout room … it’s a dream;0) On the other hand I want to try tiny house living for the exact reasons you listed. How easy would that be to keep up?! I have a feeling though, that the kids would be at each other’s throats. So, for now, we are enjoying our 1969 square foot home and it does the job just fine!
sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
at1900 square feet I think is ideal! It’s big enough for everyone to have their own space, yet small enough that it’s not crazy to maintain. I really worry about maintenance since I will be the one maintaining it (not my husband!!)!!
Emily @ Simple Cheap Mom says
atI think the city has a lot to do with house size. I prefer smaller homes, but in our price range houses in our city come in a standard modest size. If I wantedmove out of the suburbs to a nicer neighbourhood in a tinier house we’dtting our mortgage by a lot because land value would be so uch higher there. House prices where I live have only started slowing now, we never had the bubble burst.
sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
atI agree – where you live has a lot to do with the prices of houses! In the downtown area of Charlotte, houses that are average size (2000 square feet, 3 bedroom) go for half a million and up!! It’s nuts!
Ashley Brooks says
atOur house is 1700 square feet–though we only live in half of that since we’re redoing the basement right now—and is the perfect size for us. People always assume we’re going to move soon because we want more kids and only have 2 bedrooms on the main level, but I see no reason why kids can’t share a room!
Eventually we plan to build our own home on a bigger piece of land a little ways out from the city. Even then, I want to keep it a reasonable size. My in-laws built a house with 5 bedrooms (one for each kid, plus the master), a formal dining room, formal living room, and two casual family rooms. Needless to say, it’s feeling a little empty now that two of four kids have moved out.
sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
atSounds like my parents house!! It’s a 5 bedroom/3 bath/pool/formal dining/etc and only my brother still lives at home. That house is just too much to maintain! Who wants to spend all their time cleaning when they’re at home?! Not me!! Our old house in AZ was 1700 square feet and I agree, that was perfect! We had 3 bedrooms, a loft (we didn’t use that though) and a large kitchen.
Chela says
atBefore this I lived in a gorgeous, huge house with several friends. I loved the high ceilings and big windows. Now I live in a TINY apartment. Like, I can literally vacuum the whole thing without unplugging the vacuum. And you know what? It’s fine! We have a bedroom, an office, a small kitchen and a living room. The only other thing I could wish for is a guest room, but our sofa in the living room is a pullout bed so our guests stay there. I’d just like to offer them more privacy.
sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
atHaha that is AWESOME that you can vacuum the whole place without unplugging it!! How nice is that though?! When you’re home, you can actually relax, watch tv, cook or spend time with your husband versus cleaning, organizing and decorating!!
Melissa @ Sunburnt Saver says
atI love this post! Before I got really into saving and budgeting, I was all about the big houses. I thought it would be so cool to have a room for every activity… now that I realize a) saving money is fun and b) cleaning is not fun, I REALLY want a small house!
You remember Phoenix, and how ranch styles are super popular here – ours is like that. 3 bed/2 bath, 2 random living rooms… Like you though, I really love those brick homes that are popular back East. I have family in Virginia and they live in a home just like you described, right down to the (almost) 7 rooms. But it’s too big! Too much to clean, and way too easy to get lost haha. 🙂
Erin @ Journey to saving says
atWhen I was much younger (and more naive) I totally wanted a mansion. I would actually doodle my dream house layout in school. After reading so many blogs on the subject, and living in a 2 bed/2 bath apartment, I think it’s fine for us. We don’t plan on having kids, and the open floor plans that a lot of houses have makes it feel big enough. For example, our living room is HUGE – we didn’t even need the guest room, but I do like having an office. Good for you for taking the time to think over the decision!
Mrs. Maroon says
atI think the best way to evaluate the size of a house is by the rooms and their function instead of the square footage. I would appreciate having a guest room right now. But our children are young and tough to boot from their rooms. I work my corporate job from home so an office space is important. But I see no need for a formal living or dining room. We have lived in 1960 sf for five years and it’s great. Only thing I’d do is add one extra bedroom!
jim says
atWe are now empty nesters. We built and have loved our McManssion – 3600 feet, but now it clearly is WAY more than what we need. We’ve been looking to downsize, but we just can’t find the amenities in a “downsizer”. I want the high ceilings and the floor to wall windows on all 4 sides of the house. Hmmm…. what to do, what do to? I also want low maintenance and privacy.
Sarah Brooks says
atHi Jim! Thanks for the comment! Funny you mention how none of the smaller homes have the same amenities as the larger ones. I was just telling my husband how I wish there were smaller houses on good plots of land that had the same feel as larger homes do on the inside – you know, spacious kitchens with granite, large windows like you mentioned, beautiful moldings, etc…just smaller!! But I have yet to find that…