Small house sadness

[nc909]

Does anyone else in a small house get really sad that their house is small?

we’re only two people and unlikely to have children. So we don’t need a big house. Ours is a small 1930s semi. Combined living and dining space and a small kitchen.

I just get so envious of other people’s kitchens and downstairs toilets and separate dining rooms.

You can have whatever size house you like and can afford. I’m house hunting at the moment post divorce and ideally want a 3/4 bed for me and DD who will be with me 50% of the time.

Just because you don’t need more space doesn’t mean you can’t have more space if you want it.

I currently live in a very small but very beautiful thatched cottage with ex and DD. I am gutted to be leaving it but have decided if I can’t have small and beautiful in highly desirable village I will have larger and ugly and enjoy the space and ceiling height. Alas I do not have the budget for both big and beautiful.

I used to have a 5 bedroom house with 22 windows and 4 external doors. I recently downsized to a 1890 2 up 2 down and I am so glad I did. I love my tiny house and its quirky tiny kitchen and mini postage stamp sized garden. Love it! I wouldn’t go back to anything that large again if my life depended on it.

No, I am grateful for a small house, less cleaning, less maintenance, lower heating bill. I am grateful to have a house at all! Why do you think you need a bigger house if it's just two people? Comparison really is the thief of joy. Small houses are cosier, and in theory you have more spare money for doing fun things!

‘Why not buy a larger house OP?’ Umm, maybe because it costs so much?

I have had bigger and smaller houses. Bigger are exhausting. Not just the (huge) bills, but the maintenance, the improvements, the decoration, the cleaning, the endless mental, physical and financial load.

OP I would recommend making sure your house is decorated in a way you find welcoming and relaxing (much easier to do in a small house) and thinking about the time and stress and money and energy you are saving. The woman living in the big house may - counterintuitive as it may sound- actually be envious of you. I was desperate to get out of my larger house, desperate.

I get you, of I go to friends houses for coffee I do envy their massive kitchens and bedrooms.
We have 3 children in a 3 bed house which is tiny but home. We have worked our socks off and have no debts while my friends have loads and still jet abroad 2+ times or more a year.
I am happy with my lot and proud of it, make your home your castle.

In your house your second reception was the dining room, close it back off and you will have it again?

Also your downstairs loo in a 30’s semi is often under the stairs, do that? If not you take out a bit of the kitchen, behind the stairs to put one in.

Also in 30’s semis there’s often a bit more garden, for garden rooms/conservatories/extension? If you don’t have that then convert the garage to a library/hobby room.

You need to maximise your space but also reframe what you’re viewing as ‘loss’ because you likely have enough money to leave the house and enjoy life if you don’t keep upsizing

My place is small: just one bathroom; shared dining/living room; small kitchen; small bedrooms.

But:
-I can afford the rent/bills on it.
-it's a roof over our heads (me and DC).
-it's in a very convenient location to school, work, town etc (walkable distance).
-amazing amenities in the village, if I don't want to head to town.
-wonderful neighbours, and peaceful area.

Those pros are worth it :)

Do I wish the rooms were slightly larger, that I had a larger kitchen, an extra WC and a garage? Of course...but unless I win the jackpot, then that won't happen!

Your house sounds like mine and I happily bought my family up in it. I was just grateful that I was able to provide them with a stable home. Many people can't do that
Stop comparing yourself to other people. You are lucky and you don't need a big house

I understand what you mean but from a different perspective. For me its corridors.
I need corridors 🤣
Space with nothing just to walk down
There is a thread up with OP asking what to do with a space 800x700 and whilst everyone is saying make it into a cupboard or laundry area I’m thinking noooo leave it empty.
Empty space is refreshing
That’s where corridors come in and I couldn’t live in a house without them

Nope, I love my small house, there's less of it to clean!

Every time I get a heating bill I congratulate myself on living in a small property.

If I was sad about the house being small, I would make a long term 5 year plan to change the situation.

either reconfiguring my present house, which is often the easier option. Or planning to move in 5 years.

i would expect with a 1930s traditional semi that the layout is typical. So I’d brick up the two rooms and open up the back room and kutchen

but, you need to think about your lifestyle and what and how you want to live in a house

i know people who purchased a 19703 small terraced 3 bed, but with clever reconfiguration and two steels they have a wonderful home that seems like a tardis

na we live in small 2bed with 2 little kids - but in great area close to shops/train/buses - can both cycle to work for free

pick kids up at school in 10 mins

don't need a car

pros outweigh the cons of small space for me

It’s not the size of the property but the quality and thought out insulation that makes the difference.

i live in a bigger house now, but my heating is far cheaper than when I lived in a smaller 2 bed due down to insulation and ability to easily insulate

No. You have a place to live.
If you are sad about it do something about it.
You can move somewhere else if you can afford it.
If you can't afford a bigger house than you have to accept it. Being sad is not going to help.
So if you can't afford a bigger place you could consider whether there are adaptions you could make to get more space or make better use of the space available.
And if you can't do that either you need to start thinking more positively about the benefits of the smaller house - lower bills, less to clean, more cosy etc.
I live in a small flat and one of the advantages is not being able to accumulate "stuff" and that makes my life a lot calmer. I know that if I was in a bigger place I'd just end up with more stuff and no more space than I have at the moment.

Ours is still ridiculous, given standing charges and we only put the heating on last week.

I have a small house. I sometimes wish it was bigger for more storage, but apart from that, I am grateful to have relatively low bills and mortgage. And not as much cleaning!

I'm mostly grateful to have a house at all, but I do sometimes wish for just one room that is spacious, say 15ft x 15ft or above. I have a typical long, narrow Victorian living room in a small terraced house and if I have lots of people round at once it feels so cramped as we all congregate in the 'lounge' end. I'd love just one big square room to stretch out in!

i have the reverse problem, currently in a small house, about to upgrade to a larger one. I’m going to miss small bills and spare money and the prospect of paying off the mortgage. But need more space cos kids.

however, it sounds like you feel you don’t deserve the home you want, and could only justify it if you had kids. Maybe you could rethink that and aim for a home that you love with the features you want, even if it doesn’t have loads of bedrooms.

I'm hating my big house - too much to clean and look after!

I dont have a house i live in a flat a small one.
But I really like it it's cosy ☺️.
Easy to clean.
Ive never liked big huge homes or gardens.
Im out the way in my tiny cheap cosy flat.

What is your least favourite household chore? See it as a blessing!
Mine is loo cleaning - as I always remind my friend/neighbour who has a massive house and SIX loos and loves to moan about it..... I always say 'why don't you lock off the 2 ensuites nobody uses and the loo in the utility' (which again hardly anyone uses as there's another loo by the front door)

I love smaller houses. My own home is an end of terrace. I would choose to live in a little cottage over a big house any day.

I actually really dislike large, light spaces that a lot of people seem to love (especially cold grey). I'd choose a small room, a cosy, real fire and an armchair over that.

When I got divorced a few years ago, I moved out of the shared four bed, three bath, three storey house into a fairly small two bed flat. I absolutely love it. There’s not much storage so I can’t accumulate too much so it’s easy to keep clean and tidy. I’m actually now wondering if I could live in one of the tiny houses I see on Pinterest 🤔

I grew up in a small terraced house and now live in a house childhood me would consider a mansion. It’s a 1930s 3-bed detached which we’ve extended to add a fourth bedroom, two extra bathrooms, a utility room and larger kitchen. I love my home, but now the DC are adults, as soon as they leave we will be looking to downsize. If it were just me on my own, I’d happily
live in a bedsit. I’m very tidy and don’t need much space (unlike DH).

Before buying this house I was more preoccupied with house sizes and status. Now I realise that while money places limitations on how far you can achieve your dream look in reality, it doesn’t really say much about your sense of style or approach to life - you can stamp character on much smaller places and I’ve done that in the past. All that said, the additional bathroom has been an absolute godsend so if a downstairs loo matters that much, consider moving (or having one installed). If not, maybe it’s time to redecorate and go for a different look. If it’s not either of those things, perhaps try to work out what’s really bothering you. If all your friends have large houses you may feel lacking in comparison, but that’s likely to be completely in your head only. However, if you feel you could have a bigger house if you had more money but you’re feeling held back in your career, the real focus should be kickstarting your career.