Baraka_Guru

I've been thinking of living space for a while now, partly because I work at home now, and partly because I'd like to move sometime in the near future.

So in thinking about this, I realize that I live in a relatively small space compared to what I grew up in. I live in an apartment of 716 square feet.

Growing up, I lived in homes that had 4 or 5 bedrooms. I don't know the actual size of these places, but they must have been no larger than 2,000 square feet. The other difference, however, is that I lived with up to 7 other people. I have 5 siblings. So even at 2,000 square feet, that's only 250 square feet per person.

Today, I live with one other person, so at 716 square feet, that's 358 square feet per person. Maybe that's why I don't feel so cramped in here. There are far fewer people around and the square footage per capita is much higher.

I have 2 cats and a dog, but I don't include them in this calculation since they tend to blend into the surroundings for the most part. Humans definitely take up much more space.

There's also the issue of basements and attics. I think generally we don't include these as living space. Though if you have a finished basement with living areas, or other areas where it isn't quite for storage, then this should be included. We have a small storage shed in the basement here, but that's not included in the living space.

So, my living space is 716 sq. ft.
My per capita living space is 358 sq. ft.

• How much living space do you have?
• Are you happy with the amount?
• Is it too much, too little?
• What is about right?

Me? I'd like to maybe double the living space to about 1,500. If I ever want a family, I'm going to need that space. I think I might want a family. I'm still figuring that out.

I stay at home a lot, so the space is (would be) well used. And working at home takes space as well. It would be nice to separate workspace from playspace. Currently that's not happening.

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Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
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snowy

We have 1500 square feet of actual living space, not including the basement, where the laundry facilities and dart room are. Since there are only 2 of us (plus cats), that's 750 square feet per person. When we originally moved into the house, we had 2 other roommates, and thus only 375 square feet per person.

While this is not the smallest place I've ever lived, it is the smallest house my parents have owned since I was 4.

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Jinn

1750 sqft/2 = 875 sqft/person.

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Plan9

Holy claustrophobia! My ~1500 sq. ft. 3 bedroom apartment is over twice as big as your place, Baraka. 716 is a barracks room, not an apartment.

I'm very happy with the apartment. The only issue is the large amount of steps I have to climb. I joke about my place being The Penthouse.

You need like 1500+ sq. ft. to be comfy, dude. You're living like a submariner with that tiny apartment and all those people/creatures.

I'm not into having a McMansion in the future, but I definitely like to separate things by activity. I like bedrooms to be just for sleeping (or snarlin'--no teevee or computers), I like the living room to be couch-and-TeeVee'd, and I like a separate room for my study/office (computers). I also like having a room for storage (tons of heavy wire shelving) so the rest of the place is pretty bare. I have a large secured walk-in closet specifically for Man Toys.

Key to success in getting your way in an apartment is letting your partner decorate however she wants after you decide the purpose of the rooms.

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Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Baraka_Guru

We thought it rather spacious when we first checked it out. You should see the bedroom! It's 14' x 12'!


Yeah, I think 1,500 sq. ft. would be pretty ideal for us in the future.

But since I work at home, I do feel like a sailor/astronaut.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Lasereth

My house is 2400 square feet. Me and my wife and my dog so 1200 square feet each.

We used to live in an 800 square feet apartment and it was plenty though we really needed 1 more bedroom for guests.

1,500 would be about right. But I couldn't resist the offer of my house at $60 a square foot.

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Plan9

Baraka: Yeah, but consider how your whole apartment can fit in my bedrooms/study.

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Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Idyllic

Not Enough, and yet too much.

The more room you have, the more shit you need to fill it, the more shit you have, the more room you need to shove it in, and repeat.

A tent on the beach with fishing poles and a lighter, perfect.

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Baraka_Guru

C'mon, my place ain't that bad....

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Glory's Sun

3200 sq. ft.

2 adults, 2 kids, 2 german shepherds.

The yard is massive so the dogs have plenty of room to roam and do drills. The floorplan is pretty open so it feels bigger than it is and we're happy with it.

telekinetic

I lived in a 410 square foot studio with a girlfriend for a year, for a total per capita space of 205, and never really felt cramped. It helped that we didn't really own anything, and made a lot of intelligent decorating decisions at Ikea when we moved in.

I made the most of a 1048 square foot 2-bedroom/1-bath house with my wife when we first got together, and it honestly felt fairly spacious--we rarely used the second bedroom until we had our daughter.

Now we're in 1700 square feet (3bed/2.5bath), and I occasionally wish we had one more bedroom/office/den/project room of some kind, because, with my limited time, I don't always have time to start something, finish it, and put it away in a timely manner, so our spare bedroom is something of a disaster due to projects in progress. The floorplan is still very efficient, and has various nooks in hallways and stuff that act as kind of half-rooms--the nook by the front door where my computer is that everyone who has been in chat is familiar with, for example, and another one at the top of the stairs where my wife's sewing center is. Most of our time is spent in the shared downstairs areas, which is much nicer than being segregated in various parts of the house.

We put money down on a 2700 square foot house before we bought this one, and it seemed like waaay too much. It was just lots of wasted space--a 20x20 master bedroom with a 20 x 10 walk-in closet and a 20x10 master bathroom, three other 12 x 15 bedrooms upstairs with walkins, and a second smaller master suite downstairs (bigger than the master suite in the house we bought) for guests. The living space was very open also, it would definitely need to have been divided with furniture to be useable.

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Jove

1000 sq. feet
2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
1 person

I am happy with my setup. The second bedroom is an office, my living room is for entertainment and gaming.

Fotzlid

I forget how much square footage we have. I think its around 1500. Almost half half that is a 4 season room that runs the length of the house in back. Best room in the house and we hardly use it.
Just the two of us and the dog so its plenty big enough. Would feel bigger if we did't have so much stuff.

CandleInTheDark

A rough estimate would be somewhere between 600 and 750 sq. ft. in a 1 Bedroom, Character apartment. I share it with my common-law partner, for a per capita square footage of 300-375 sq. ft.

Our initial occupancy made us feel it was quite large, but as our 'stuff' has accumulated the livability is dramatically decreasing. I do not acquire much in a year, but my possessions generally consume shelf and floor space: bicycles, books, music, guitar... She accumulates stuff all the time, and the part-time use of our living room as a salon means that we've recently accumulated many storage units for her professional use.

I imagine that if we had a significant, onsite, storage unit then circumstances would be different. Even items used on only a weekly basis could be stored in a sufficient sized storage unit. Alas, that is not likely to happen.

Secondly, I find that since we are currently low-income earners, our ability to acquire furniture and storage arrangements for our apartment is limited. We have a haphazard collection of old desks, tables, bookshelves, and Box Store plastic tubs; an unsightly and inefficient combination, if their ever was one.

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Cynthetiq

800 sq ft.

It's just enough space for 2 people without any cramping.

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FlatLand Flyer

approx. 900 sqft 2 bd/1 ba house. It's just me. Wish the bathroom was bigger and the master bedroom was bigger.

wooÐs

This is where I live.



Couldn't tell you the square footage as my floor plan is MIA. It's a 3 bed / 2 bath. Master bed and bath are massive. Other rooms - one's very small - the other is a nice size. Kitchen is the perfect size - not too small and not too large. Just enough to barely fit a kitchen table that I use for housing the microwave, for coat and purse storage and not for eating.

I'm good. It's just me and my dog and 2 cats. I don't need more space. I just need to cut down on my current clutter and I'm good to go.

Backyard's massive. I've lived here for 10 years and have yet to plant a single tree back there though so it's full on sunshine. Just waiting on the last neighbor on the left to fence his yard in before I finish it all off. Then baby dog will have an outdoor playpen.

cadre

I've lived in 900 square feet alone and that was quite comfortable for me. I had work space and living space which was nice. Then my fiancé and I moved into a 500 sq ft apartment it was cramped to say the least but it was nice to be able to have a conversation from the kitchen to the bedroom.

Now we're in a 600 sq ft guest house. Two people and a German shepherd. That's 300 sq ft per person. My desk went from being five feet long to two feet and my printers and scanners are in a closet but I'm surviving. I will be getting a separate office soon.

I think about 500 sq ft per person would be perfect.

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forseti-6

I live in a 300 sqft studio in Midtown Manhattan. It's tiny. To make matters worse, I have friends in town all the time that stay over. Often times they are welcomed, other times they are not.

I had a guest once who thought it would be amusing to fart and stink up the room. I told him straight out he is never welcome here again. My place is that small.

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Iliftrocks

2400+ square feet. Two adults, one 12 year old. Getting agoraphobic. I grew up in an 890 square foot house, with two adults and 7 kids...

I'm trying to sell my house, and I'm thinking of buying a 1200 square foot house down the street. Much easier upkeep and cozier.

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Grasshopper Green

We live with my husband's mother right now. Her place is small to begin with - don't know the actual square footage, but I'd guess about 900 square feet. Hubby and I pretty much live in our bedroom unless we're cooking or bathing. I'd guess the room is about 12' x 12'.

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PonyPotato

Right now, I live in a 4900 square foot farmhouse with my mother and sister. So we have over 1600 square feet per person. It's too big - too expensive to heat, etc. We also have 12 acres of land to take care of and 5 barns.

My boyfriend currently lives in a 2700 square foot farmhouse by himself (when I'm not bothering him). Most of the rooms are empty, and I imagine it might get a little on the small side if it ever houses a family with more than one or two kids.

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Raghnar -ITA-

I have a 100 square meters house (that I think is almost 1000 square foot), in three persons, so 300sq.ft. per capita. (I was on the edge to rent a 500sq ft house with a couple of friends but none of them was cheap enough)
I also stay in a huge office (for me, considered that is a university researcher office for a theoretician, is huge XD) that is, let's say, 300 sq. foot more or less only for me, many books, and sometimes guests... But I'm not enjoying it so much, maybe I must try to switch desktop, in order to have a view that span away from my wall.. and window...

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jnthnlllshprd

380 sq. foot apartment.. one person, a bed, and a laptop.

StanT

1100 sq feet with a basement of equal size for 2 adults and 2 big dogs. Seems about right, though 2 bathrooms would be nice.

ironman

4900 feet living with my wife, 2 kids and a maid. We just moved last saturday, this is a huge improvement from our apartment which was 1200 feet for the same amount of people.

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genuinegirly

316 square feet never seemed so roomy.
I think it's because our kitchen is open to our living room.
1 man, 1 woman, 1 rabbit, and 1 hamster.

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Tully Mars

I'm guessing but around 2000sft. Two dogs and myself. There's two rooms we use and the rest go unused unless we have house guests.

I'd actually feel more comfortable in a smaller place. I often sail and there's not much room on a sailboat, I like it.

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