Bursting out of our tiny 800sq foot house

[Winnerella]

When I moved in to my house 7 years ago with two small kids, it was just the right size but roll on 7 years and now my youngest who got the tiny box room is now a good half a foot taller than I am and he is bursting out of that room. Both kids are so messy. Both blame the other and deny any responsibility at all. I am at work all day and I end up getting home to a mess. I have tried paying them to tidy up but they drag their heels and I feel frustrated that I'm paying them to tidy up the mess they made. So since lockdown began I've got home to a mess and spent an hour tidying up and they fix their own food. It is what makes me feel the least resentful.

My youngest is only just 14. I feel like it will be so many years before he moves out. I am a single parent and there is no more money. I'm lucky my job is secure but it's not brilliantly paid and I was lucky to buy this place at the bottom of the last low market. There is no hope of ever getting a bigger place that is near enough to work.

I keep telling myself I'll de-clutter, I do throw out stuff, but not enough. The house is just bursting at the seems. Not a hoarder though. I can throw out stuff. I'm not excessively sentimental.

I have work tomorrow again so anything I do is put off until next weekend.

I need inspiration. I need a bigger house! But failing that, help me out with stories of how you make it work.

@RandomMess

Weight limit depends on original construction so worth getting a builder to have a proper look etc.

I would offer your youngest new furniture to increase storage once he's sorted through his shit.

Cheers, Random

We managed to put paddle stairs up to our loft by getting rid of the water tank. So you opened the airing cupboard and there was the staircase - the angle of the staircase was in our bedroom and we built a wardrobe underneath.

We didn't have the head height to make it a room but it was fine for either pure storage or spend more and have it as an office or gaming room.

Definitely do the attic. We've found that no matter how many times you upsize your house you always end up with clutter and the attic is perfect for things you don't use often but don't want to get rid of. Just be careful that you don't end up storing junk though.

Try to put some higher storage in. I (the handyman) put two shelves the full width of the room at about 30 and 60cm from the ceiling. You can store loads and it's never in the way.

Also, funds allowing, get a. Carpenter to fit built in wardrobes or cupboards. You can use all of the space up to the ceiling and they hold far more than conventional wardrobes.

We had double height rails in the built in wardrobe - so one tail at near ceiling height and one half way - ideal for skirts, tops, folded trousers then in the other half had a rail
High enough for dresses with shelving above.

Was perfect for us because DH 6'3" but you could use the high up rail for out of season stuff or actually just limit the width rails take up and provide more space for shelving. As ours was custom built in I also made it as shallow as possible with sliding doors.

Google 5kids1condo for some inspiration. (5 kids, single dad in 1,050 sq foot condo).

Sounds like you need to do a serious declutter. My tips are

1. Start with the easy wins. Get a few bin bags and get rid of the stuff you know you don't want..bag of rubbish, broken stuff, bag of unwanted clothes for clothes bin, etc.

1. I find what's in the cupboards doesn't actually get used, the stuff that's used is all the stuff (clutter) that's out. Check what's in the cupboards, can it be thrown out/donated and then keep the 'clutter' in the cupboards.

1. Read the Marie Kondo book, the first one, or think you can listen to it either.

1. Start with your stuff

With Marie Kondo, you can do 1 category at a time, e.g. start with just your shoes

Konmari is life-changing, if you do actually commit to it.

Tidying up a drawer feels good, yes, but it's just tinkering around the edges. Next week, next month, next year, you're still in the same boat.

If you work through all the Konmari stages, properly, you reach a point where you have a place for everything. And when you have reached that stage, it's as easy to put things away as to leave them out. So you put them away. And before you know it, you're no longer tidying, because you don't need to.

It wasn't until I finished all the categories that I understood why she called it the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. But now I appreciate its brilliance.

I’m horrified that you have books, get rid of all books/CDs and DVDs, scan photos etc

Built in wardrobes definitely

You've had some great ideas already. For me, it depends what the stuff is. Why is your shed full to bursting?

Some things that are "easy wins" and will stay tidy: towels, bedding and linens. Just keep 2 per person, and we have 1 beach/swimming towel each too. Medicine cabinet and bathroom cupboards.

Getting a pull down loft ladder fitted is not expensive and really transforms use on an attic. I appreciate what you say about cash but is there any way you could stretch to a few hours of a handyman, to put up some shelves or Eg bathroom cabinet? Storage is particularly key in a boxroom.

Re mess the kids have made, could you be militant and insist on everyone doing 10 mins' tidying when you get home or will they just not? Alternatively get a basket/kallax box for each and just sweep their stuff into it rather than spending an hour picking up after them.

I agree with Youngster, the key is the drawers and cupboards that are blocked with stuff you barely touch. Get rid of that, or get rid of stuff in the attic and store the cupboard stuff there instead, and keep your accessible drawers and cupboards for things you need to put away day to day.

I have two 14 year old boys. They're not super tidy, but there's no way I'd put up with them leaving a mess for me to sort (for an hr after work).

Also, there's no way I want my sons expecting that a woman will clear up after them always.

Decluttering is great, but can you have a talk with both children? They are old enough to help make your life easier by tidying up after themselves and to learn that they are responsible for their own mess.

I love threads like this. I've already written loft boards down on my list of things we need to do here.

Our 2 bed is smaller than yours OP I think.

2 DDs who share a room. The rooms are all quite big though and we are in a maisonette so it seems quite spacious when it's really not.

We have a huge attic - that we can't convert, long story but these maisonettes are council despite us owning it with a mortgage and we aren't allowed to - but used to live without any storage amazingly.

We have been here 2 years and the only thing we did was plaster the lounge and paint everywhere when we moved in.

DDs have a shower in their room - never used and we want to get rid of as it takes up loads of room - and they have no storage at all.

Will be hanging around on here to pick up some tips.

Mizu consider if you have space to put in a paddle staircase or a pull down ladder that could be left down without taking too much space from other rooms.

Our paddle staircase was steep but it was literally like another room. Made it safe with a fire door at the bottom. It made an amazing difference.

RandomMess great idea but unfortunately our attic hatch (which does have a ladder) comes down right in the middle of the flat. We have a sort of hexagonal space in the middle and all the rooms are off that.

You move the entrance!

Ahh yes. What a great idea. I need to research this a bit more........