# 650 sq feet or less?



## ClickBeetle (Nov 3, 2012)

Too small for a family? Anyone living in a small house such as this? I would love to hear comments on how it is working out.


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

they did it in the 1800's and early 1900's many a first homestead house was smaller than that, 
I do not want to live in that small with a family,

my guess is a lot of apartments probably not not any bigger,

the original homestead house on out farm was about that size, one thing they did do was build it in a Victorian style, and it resulted in a story and half in other words the attic was livable space as well later they did add on to the original house which was 24 by 30, a 16 by 24 area on the side and the house is basically a Tee shape, but with the up stairs (bedrooms up stairs) one room down that could be used for a bed room if wanted), we have three rooms up about 12 foot wide, , and then we have the (what we call the attic closets) the wedge shape that goes out to the roof, edge, and there is a ton of storage area, there, one other thing our house has is out side walls that are 10 foot tall, and the ceiling in the ground floor are about 9 foot, (not recommending 9 foot ceilings) but what I am recommending is there is a small wall above in the upper level because of it, and it helps on head room and the closets much more usable because of that extra wall area, (even tho in our house it is only about 9 inches up stairs),

it layed out nice, I sure it would be livable Trailer houses people live in them, but I would plan it with a possible addition in the future (what I mean is if things change that an addition blends in with the current floor plan and looks, and does not become awkward or like a mistake,


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

We lived (DH and myself) in a 16 X 24 foot (384 sq. ft.) one room cabin for 2 years while our house was being built 100 feet away.

I loved it and could have lived there forever.

DH went nuts with cabin fever.

With an almost additional 300 feet I could have added a couple of kids with no problem.
May have needed to find a different DH.

I know of a family that raised 5 kids in that size house.

I guess it all depends on the individual and the size of house they've been accustomed to.....and their ability to adjust and compromise.


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

When I was growing up there were 7 of us in a 1000 square foot house.

Bob


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## ClickBeetle (Nov 3, 2012)

unioncreek said:


> When I was growing up there were 7 of us in a 1000 square foot house.
> 
> Bob


Bob, what was that like? Were you in a rural area?


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## Seeria (Jul 21, 2006)

We've been RVing and our interior is 7'x21'. That's two adults a 14 and 16 year old. After nearly two years I can say..... REALLY glad we're almost done. If we can't go outside due to weather we tend to get itchy and grumpy. Also, more people in a small space the more often you will need to air the place out. 

However, the house I will be building won't be much bigger than yours, close to 900sqft. Which is the size of the last apartment we four lived in for 3 years in central WI. 

Luck!


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## rags57078 (Jun 11, 2011)

Seeria said:


> We've been RVing and our interior is 7'x21'. That's two adults a 14 and 16 year old. After nearly two years I can say..... REALLY glad we're almost done. If we can't go outside due to weather we tend to get itchy and grumpy. Also, more people in a small space the more often you will need to air the place out.
> 
> However, the house I will be building won't be much bigger than yours, close to 900sqft. Which is the size of the last apartment we four lived in for 3 years in central WI.
> 
> Luck!


I would bet you don't make chili or ham and bean soup much LOL :nanner:


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

I would have that as the living quarters and a second building as a kitchen/cook house.


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## ClickBeetle (Nov 3, 2012)

You are brave seeria! 


I am just looking at it. If I bought it, I would at least add on some type of room in the back, a sunroom or enclosed deck. I think they already have an offer on it! Easy come, easy go. We shall see.


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## Maverick_mg (Mar 11, 2010)

There are 5 of us in a little over 700sf. The girls, 3 of them, oldest is 3 and the twins are 15 months, DH and me. It's workable. I would be okay with it this way for prolly a lot longer the DH. There are a few things I wish I had, like a laundry room and a pantry. Oh and maybe be a bedroom for DH and I. We let the little girls have the bedroom and our bed is in a closet....like Harry Potter. But even that would be workable if DH would build me one of those Dutch sleeping cupboards.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

It all depends on how much stuff you have to have in the house and how willing you are to be organized. Like others have said, many a homesteader back in the day raised 10 kids in a one room shack out on the prairie. They simply had to be organized and roll up all the beds everyday so there was room to have meals and live. 

Some loft space for beds wood be a great idea for something that small. Not too much room for individual privacy but it can be done.


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## GaMntHomestead (Nov 18, 2012)

DH and I are converting a 12X30 shed into a tiny house. We just purchased 5 acres and are hoping to put the shed(cabin) on the land to stay in on weekends and live in when we finally move there. We are already thinking about adding on another 12X30 to one side for a couple of bedrooms though, because I have family talking about visiting, so the shed itself would not be large enough for visitors.
I am looking foward to it though!


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

GaMntHomestead said:


> DH and I are converting a 12X30 shed into a tiny house. We just purchased 5 acres and are hoping to put the shed(cabin) on the land to stay in on weekends and live in when we finally move there. We are already thinking about adding on another 12X30 to one side for a couple of bedrooms though, because I have family talking about visiting, so the shed itself would not be large enough for visitors.
> I am looking foward to it though!


Would live to see pictures once completed...once I'm an empty nester we are downsizing

Fellow Jawgin'


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## How Do I (Feb 11, 2008)

We have a little 'cabin' on our place that is currently our shed. It is about as big as a modern bedroom. A few years ago, DW ran into one of the kids that grew up in that 'house'. Her father passed away several years ago. I forget how old it is, but it is tiny and in addition to her ma and pa, there were several other kids raised there.

My aunt and uncle stayed in my grandfather's converted wood shop for several years with three boys. It didn't even have running water or a bathroom. They cooked with a hot plate and microwave.


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## PorkChopsMmm (Aug 16, 2010)

How many kids do you have? 

After building our own smaller cabin, I would recommend "pre-planning" for additions. E.g. make sure you could easily add on to the building when you have the funds or desire for an addition. We have the space around our house but did not plan well and on a perfect wall for an addition we have our stairway. Now instead of just adding on we have to add on and completely change the layout on the inside. Wish I would have thought of that while building.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

We're currently raising 2 kids in a 14x70 trailer house. 980 sq. feet. 
Two bedrooms, which means DS is in a curtained off corner of the living room. And, because it's a trailer house, a ridiculous amount of floor space is devoted to the hallway that runs halfway down the house. Were it laid out as a square, the hallway would be another room. 

All of that said, it's too small for us. We have room for the basics and that's it. 
The basics are fine for short-term, but I don't want to live forever being quite this crowded. The new house is going to be about half again as big. 1500 sq. feet. Still small by today's standards, but big enough to suit us!


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## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

We built a 16x32 hunting camp in WV, one room, I could easily live in that if it had indoor plumbing andd electricity........


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

ClickBeetle said:


> Bob, what was that like? Were you in a rural area?


ClickBettle,

We didn't know any different everyone lived that way. We had a small farm, so we didn't spend much time in the house laying around watching tv and such. Spent alot of time in the barn milking cows and goofing around. Now days everyone wants their own space so they build a bigger house. We just downsized from 2400 sq ft to 1400, kids are all gone so we didn't need all that space. The only drawback is I lost a two car garage and 30 x 48 foot pole barn. I'll start building my 24 x 28 foot garage next year. Will get rid of a lot of stuff I've been dragging around for 20 years thinking someday I will use it.

Bob


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## lexa (Mar 30, 2012)

We currently live in 470 sq. f. apartment. Two adults, 5 year old and 18m old. It is tight but doable. Our apartment consist of two rooms and a bathroom. Kids have the bedroom and larger room works as a kitchen/living/storage and grown up bedroom. We have furniture that is perfect for storage. 
The issues that we are having is that if people do not put things back immediately, the space becomes cluttered. On other hand it takes no time to clean up. I would have been better if it was a house with the backyard, so kids could go outside freely. When we will be building out own house it will be no bigger that 650sq feet. My improvements to our layout would be bigger kids room, slightly bigger bathroom (to fit a tub) and kitchen. Mudroom is a must!


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Whether it will work or not has a lot to do with how much time everyone spends outside. If you are all going to be stuck inside together for long periods of time...I'd opt for something bigger.

I'm hoping to downsize to something the size of a large portable building. Maybe 300 sq ft or so with a screened in porch. I currently live in a 2 bedroom 1500 sq ft house and I rattle around in here like one dry pea in the bottom of a gallon jar!

Another thing to consider is, are you a minimalist or an accumulator? I'm a minimalist, so I really rattle around in this big house. Someone that has hoarding or extreme prepping tendencies would need a bigger space, or at least a separate storage shed.


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## ClickBeetle (Nov 3, 2012)

Thanks for all the answers. I am a BIG minimalist. I love having as little as possible. My kids are old enough not to have the whole sprawling toy thing going on. GOodwill just received several carloads of our toys. 

The kind of bad news is that there is a shared drive. I hate that. Although I passed up some property years ago and the people that bought it have never had an issue and I kind of regret it. I am cautious about this so I am sure someone will snatch up the house faster than I feel comfortable with. I just want to get some details. 

Also, the people have animals and hard to tell if the smell is in the wood in the floor or just the litter box in a small house (which the realtor says). 

So... I really want this little house but I need time and I bet it is gone before I find my answers. Any comments on the shared drive issue?


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## lexa (Mar 30, 2012)

No comments on shared drive issue. However, you might weight in that smell. If you could smell cats when you walk in and the litter box is not right next to the door, it might mean two things, one -they do not clean the litter box often enough which causes cats to pee everywhere, or two, cats just pee everywhere. It could of course be possible that the cat just used the litter box before your arrival but you could find out for sure if you go back for another visit nd check the litter box while there. If animals pee on the floor you might have to replace the floors all the way, subfloors included. Normally litter box should not smell up the whole house. I know people who live in small apartment and there is no smell and people who live in large double wide with carpeting and have small dpgs who go inside, their place stinks.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Also if one NEEDs lots of outdoor gear living in a small place is hell.

3 people in a 16 by 24 with 3 pairs of shoes, 3 pair of extra toughs, 3 pair of bunny boots,

3 sets if rain gear
3 sets of deep winter gear
3 sets of mid weight winter gear
3 sets of snow shoes

Then the different gloves

I left that cabin for a very unfinished basement with a wood stove. Much happier.


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## chickflick (Oct 20, 2003)

Hi Click (and all.. this is my first post in ?? several years!) 

ANYWAY...
There is a 'movement' ppl refer to as 'Tiny House' with lots of youtube videos and interviews with residents, builders, etc. Hope you find one that vibrates with Your soul. 

Blog link w/mostly pics: Tiny House Talk - Little Homes and Small Spaces

YouTube interviews/tours: co-founder at *faircompanies - YouTube

Anndd.. when you go to YouTube.. just put "tiny house tour" in the search box for TONS of others. Have Fun!! :nanner:


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## LincTex (Oct 11, 2010)

It's not so bad as long as everyone likes outdoor activities a lot. The fewer "hanging around" inside, the better. 650 sq feet (20 x 32) is not "tiny" by any means.

Having other outbuildings (barn, shop, shed) to store less-often-used items helps tremendously.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Hi LincTex - do you live in a small/tiny home? I love the ideas and have visited one or two made from storage buildings.

But my most favorite is Tiny Texas Houses | Building the Future with the Past 
the are always elegant and use reclaimed items.

Welcome to HT, by the way.


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## jhambley (Nov 21, 2004)

You can read how my family of five lived in this small cottage we built.

http://tinyhouseblog.com/yourstory/little-house-on-the-prairie-2/


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## LincTex (Oct 11, 2010)

AngieM2 said:


> Hi LincTex - do you live in a small/tiny home? I love the ideas and have visited one or two made from storage buildings.


I was living in a 12x28 cabin when I met my wife. It was plenty for "me". I used it for reading/sleeping, meals prep, and bathing. I had a 19" TV with a DVD/VCR, my computer desk under the bed loft, I used the bathroom sink to wash my dishes. I liked it, and could probably live there forever if it was just me only. I had a 28x48 shop right next to it where I spent most of my time, and another 12x20 storage building. The fridge was in the shop as well as a gas cook top. I had no oven, but I had a toaster oven and microwave in the cabin. 



AngieM2 said:


> Welcome to HT, by the way.


Thanks!!


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## LincTex (Oct 11, 2010)

jhambley said:


> You can read how my family of five lived in this small cottage we built.
> 
> http://tinyhouseblog.com/yourstory/little-house-on-the-prairie-2/


Very Nice!! That turned out well!


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

We raised 2 kids until they were 4 and 8 in a 580 sq ft cabin. No problems. 2 bedrooms although very small. 10'x10' master and 7'x10' with bunks. Kitchen/living/dining and a bathroom with small shower. The W/D was off the back hallway to a small screen porch. I had a shop with a tiny man cave. We then built a 1212 sq ft house so will never know if we would have become stir crazy. Sweetie and I live in small spaces, now. Off grid cabin is 400 sq ft. Cottage is 480, beach cottage 380 and the barn loft is 360. We don't have a lot of stuff, but most of it is multi purpose and includes lots of storage. Right now our buffet (old family piece) has the printer and sewing machine as well as most of our good dinnerware and glassware. Our dish cabinet is 24" wide and 30" tall. We have a small apartment sized stove at the cottage and the cookware (pots and pans) are in the drawer under it. Coat closet holds our food pantry also....James


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

We have about 650 sqft of living space. There are five of us, my husband, myself, and our three children (7, 5, and 3). We make it work just fine, but as is stated above, a space to store little used items is incredibly handy. We have two bedrooms, one very small. It is strictly a space for our kids to sleep. Our bedroom holds all of the clothes for the whole family, plus the kids' toys. I really don't even feel cramped except in those couple months in the winter when it's entirely too nasty to go outside much.


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## majiksummer (Sep 13, 2012)

Our house is 550 sq ft( outside dimensions so inside is a bit smaller) with 5 of us, three kids, DH and me. The twins are 10( boy and girl) and the youngest is 7(boy). Two bedrooms and a "loft" however the loft is to low for me to stand up in but dd can for now. So boys share a room and dd gets upstairs. The biggest downside is the lack of storage, there are no closets anywhere and the cupboard space is extremely limited. If it had been laid out with more forethought for storage it could have been much nicer in that regard. It's company housing though, not our design or anything. It's not bad on living space as long as you're organized and keep stuff put away. We put in freestanding wardrobes and hung shelves and got rid of a lot of stuff. It can definitely be done and I think our house is very comfortable. One thing I love is the vaulted ceilings, they make the entire house feel so much bigger and more open, very nice when company's over. Before this house we were in a camper, so we're very thankful for the space we have now.


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