Smoke
Done here.
A year ago, we bought this 1234 square foot (115 m²) house. Although the design isn't ideal for the two of us, it seems to be about the right amount of space. A few blocks away and up a hill, though, there are newer houses that are much larger: three to six times the size of our house. We like to say we live in the peasant village below the castles.
We talk about emigrating, and we talk about building a house. Do we need a guest room? Two guest rooms? Do we need a separate tv room, library, and living room, or can those all be in one room? We've concluded that if our sleep schedules weren't so different, we could live in one big room, but since I'm a night person and he's a morning person, we need a separate room to sleep in. It's nice to have a guest room, and it's nice to have two bathrooms. But how much is too much? How much is too little? We have all these books and DVDs and CDs; we have five computers, four televisions, and three grills (one propane, one charcoal, and one electric). John has a lot of Harley-Davidson, Coca-Cola, and Star Wars memorabilia; I have a lot of paper files and photographs. Is a house to live in, or to store all your stuff in?
In this month's House & Garden, Dominique Browning discusses the private castles of the wealthy. (See article here.)
Some links to sites about tiny housesWhen it comes to a house, how much do you need? How much do you want? Could you live in a small house without feeling you'd settled for less than you wanted? Most of us don't see ourselves living in a house like this one:
We talk about emigrating, and we talk about building a house. Do we need a guest room? Two guest rooms? Do we need a separate tv room, library, and living room, or can those all be in one room? We've concluded that if our sleep schedules weren't so different, we could live in one big room, but since I'm a night person and he's a morning person, we need a separate room to sleep in. It's nice to have a guest room, and it's nice to have two bathrooms. But how much is too much? How much is too little? We have all these books and DVDs and CDs; we have five computers, four televisions, and three grills (one propane, one charcoal, and one electric). John has a lot of Harley-Davidson, Coca-Cola, and Star Wars memorabilia; I have a lot of paper files and photographs. Is a house to live in, or to store all your stuff in?
In this month's House & Garden, Dominique Browning discusses the private castles of the wealthy. (See article here.)
38,000 square feet. That's the size of a house that designed for a lot in Greenwich, Connecticut. That's most of a football field. It isn't going to be built; the neighbors got themselves into a self-righteous lather about how inappropriate such a big house was, and their very public protests persuaded the owner to withdraw his plans. The neighbors' houses are in the modest range of 27,000 square feet. ...
The rest of us, meanwhile, are beginning to think about downsizing. The problem is that it is such a depressing term. It puts you in mind of "downturn" and "downhill" as in a downturn of fortunes, down at the heels while on the downhill slope of life. I'd like to propose another concept: smartsizing.
Smartsizing has a lot going for it: it implies that you have the brains to understand what is appropriate not just for your bank account, but for your town and for the environment. Smartsizing also takes into consideration that people need different kinds of dwellings at different stages of their lives. Smartsizing means that thinking trumps showing off.
On the other end of the scale from the conspicuous mansion on the hill is the tiny house. We think tiny houses are too tiny for us. They'd be okay to live in temporarily, or to use a guest house, but we don't think they'd work as permanent quarters -- not for two people.The rest of us, meanwhile, are beginning to think about downsizing. The problem is that it is such a depressing term. It puts you in mind of "downturn" and "downhill" as in a downturn of fortunes, down at the heels while on the downhill slope of life. I'd like to propose another concept: smartsizing.
Smartsizing has a lot going for it: it implies that you have the brains to understand what is appropriate not just for your bank account, but for your town and for the environment. Smartsizing also takes into consideration that people need different kinds of dwellings at different stages of their lives. Smartsizing means that thinking trumps showing off.
Some links to sites about tiny housesWhen it comes to a house, how much do you need? How much do you want? Could you live in a small house without feeling you'd settled for less than you wanted? Most of us don't see ourselves living in a house like this one:
or a house like this one:
View attachment greatlakeshouse0.jpg
But what do you envision as the right house, the right amount of space?
View attachment greatlakeshouse0.jpg
But what do you envision as the right house, the right amount of space?