What’s the smallest space you could live in??are we crazy??

[Cottagelife1]

Family of 4- 2 adults and 2 DC under 7. We are thinking of moving into a tiny (old)cottage (TINY being that it is 5m x7m outside measurements) on our land while we build a new house. It needs work done first but we will do that new windows etc, so it will have a small living/kitchen/ dining (wall mounted folding table) and two bedrooms (bunk beds for DC) and a wet room, are we crazy!!?? It will be for max a year but it will save us A LOT in rent!! Would you do it??

There is plenty of playing space outside including a little wooded area so I’m hoping that the DC will keep each other busy out there with a swing etc. it’ll be a big squeeze!! Currently looking on Pinterest at tiny homes 😂😂thank you

getting things built in maybe better as can make boxes under the couch for clothes/shoes/ toy storage
there is plenty of tiny homes (under400 sq feet) stuff

is there any change of using loft space as a sleeping platform for you and DH

@TeacupDrama we could do a lot technically but we don’t want to put too much into it as it will eventually be completely gutted and added onto the new house so we are trying not waste money on it as such.

People on Grand Designs regularly manage in much smaller spaces than that while building their new homes.

Id do it for a year w a solid get out plan.

I think I must be the only one who couldn't cope with this! 375 square foot for four people... Argh.
Lots of sleepovers at friends houses for the kids!

Id do it for a year, just spent 8 months in one room whilst house hunting. So your set up sounds good.

Hope the house build goes smoothly, as you may get cabin fever towards the end. But if I ever get to build then I will live in a mobile home onsite.

The person up thread who said 1000 feet, that is the standard size of many 3 beds in the UK so that's a good size.

@agree Flirtygirl. Often see family homes about 1000 sq ft advertised as spacious on Right Move!

Of course do it ! Benefits far outweigh the short term inconvenience. It sounds perfectly doable to me anyway. Assume you may need storage etc. Good luck !

Oo I would love room to have a little old caravan in the garden as a play room/play house. Or TV snug sounds good too.

Could you get a triple bunk bed, and then the bottom bunk you could put some cheap drawers, or the Ikea malm 2 drawer bedside cabinets for clothes storage?

@HedgerowTree the room is quite small, I will get bunk beds but I want to get the lower kind as i actually hate bunk beds (they give me the heeby jeebys) 🙈

Could you get a touring caravan as well as a playroom space for over the winter?

Course its do-able. We are a family of 5 and used to spend 6 weeks at a time in a touring caravan over summer. I used to love the minimalism and lack of clutter. The secret is having a place for everything.
In your situation I would put up a couple of sheds for extra storage if necessary or as a quiet study area depending on the age of your kids.

@RandomMess I would love to but to be honest I don’t want to spend the money on it unless I know I’ll make it back at the end. My DC are very outdoorsy anyway so they playing space doesn’t phase me. It’s more food storage and clothes storage etc that bothers me 😂😬

I could do it with an end date and goal in mind. Good luck!

I would but use some of the money you save on a long holiday somewhere warm during winter.

My husband's aunt, uncle and cousins lived in a converted ambulance while they did up their house. Cottage sounds totally doable.

I would build in cupboards with plywood or sterling board very cheap floor to ceiling and cut clothing down and storage the rest at your father's if you need an outfit for a wedding a trip to your fathers to get it will be cheaper than a shopping trip, get kids outdoor clothes so they wear them all the time outside waterproof trousers and jackets so you don't keep washing for playing outside you can wear the clothes you got dirty yesterday
get bunks with 2 drawers underneath 1 drawer for each child should sort most clothes a 6-7 year old will be absolutely fine on a top bunk no worries

Yes do it, you will manage, your kids are young enough to see it as an adventure and not moan and you'll have all that money you've saved to put towards the house.

Plus if you renovate the tiny cottage we'll you've then got really decent guest quarters or a granny annexe or whatever you need.

And you have the advantage of being on site so can keep an eye on your builders.

@TeacupDrama yes I am definitely culling clothing, and will be finished school by end of June when we move in so no uniform to store for the summer either will be great!! Storage is key!! I’m actually a tad excited now. 😂

I think you'll definitely benefit from this in the long term.

Your timing is also good as you'll move in the summer, so will get a 6 months in the summer/autumn where you can maximise the use of outdoor space (BBQ's, outside dining etc)

It might be worth thinking about getting a cheap outside covered gazebo to ward off showers (or perhaps something more pricy that you can re-locate to the new property in time).

In the summer if can be rainy but still warm, so having an outside "dry" space might be helpful - maybe add a fire pit for the evenings, again you can re-use it when you move but enjoy toasting marshmallows in it and keeping cosy in the summer evenings.

I'd treat it as an adventure

I would love to do this. Go for it! You'll be amazed at how little stuff you actually need.

But then I'm a minimalist at heart. I would happily get rid of 80% of the stuff on our house. Shame it's not my stuff!!

Sounds fine to me, I spent my entire childhood living in a house not much bigger than that, it was three bedrooms but one had a floor space about the size of a double bed and the other two weren’t much bigger. We squeezed 6 of us into that house for about 16 years!

We (two adults one child), live in a tiny two bed basement flat, the bedrooms are so small could can’t walk around the beds and the wardrobe is in the living area. It is very cramped, but I rented a small place so i could save a deposit faster.