Curious...
Would you downsize on total square feet of living space (say, going from 2000 to 1300) if it meant adding:
an extra bedroom (4 small bedrooms instead of 3 huge ones)
a huge yard (instead of NO yard)
a top school district
a quiet street
hall closets (instead of NO hall closets)
Just curious! 
54 votes
coconut / 8279 posts
so long as it has storage, YES!
I find that we work well with smaller rooms and more storage. Bigger rooms with no storage just looks messy with all of our stuff.
nectarine / 2217 posts
i think i might! small bedrooms are underrated 
as long as the living space/kitchen didn't get toooo small and general storage space was okay! and LIGHT! natural light!!
honeydew / 7687 posts
in a heartbeat - not having a yard would be a dealbreaker for us (and our dog!)
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@mrs. wagon: hmmm....you're in luck bc our current house vs old house is about those two SF. And I'm thinking in your scenario, I would. Just because Wagon Jr and LMW will need separate bedrooms eventually so the four bedrooms AND a yard AND a top school district would sell me. Assuming there are no other options that are slightly bigger than 1300. Because that would be tight with 4 + dogs!
pineapple / 12526 posts
Absolutely yes! Better school district, yard and 700 less sq ft to clean? Sign me up.
Plus, I find that huge bedrooms are unnecessary. We spend next to no time in ours!
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
yes i would! our current place is 1600 and we are looking to downsize too. school district and backyard are such big plusses!
coconut / 8681 posts
I definitely would!!! Our house is 1300 square feet and we bought it instead of a larger one because of the huge backyard and the great school district! And, honestly, this amount of living space is totally manageable! I wouldn't go smaller than this I think but 1300 isn't bad.
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
@rachiecakes: couldn't agree more about the storage! Our common areas are huge but have no storage at all. We have so many pieces of furniture for storage and it just looks so MESSY all the time, no matter what. Plus furniture = more surfaces to throw things onto.
@tysonja: I totally agree about the small bedrooms too. We ONLY sleep in our bedrooms! And excellent point about the natural light...!!!!
bananas / 9357 posts
I would! Our current home is about 1500 sf and has four tiny bedrooms and it isn't bad at all. I think I like having 4 bedrooms over 3. Only downside is it has a small backyard. If we had a large backyard, our house would be perfect for us.
pear / 1861 posts
It would be hard, but the school district won me over and a yard where there was not one, won me over.
persimmon / 1286 posts
yes! we have a tiny bedroom and it does not matter. i find it actually makes you live with less clutter.
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
@scg00387: yes... I've been promising my Remy a yard for years... poor thing. He does laps in our living room.
@regberadaisy: ooh excellent to have your opinion with the exact sq footage difference! Did you go up or down? I'm assuming up!
@zippylef: totally with you on the less cleaning and no time in the bedrooms! all we need are our beds and our clothes!
@Mrs. Bee: I bet we go through our next house (and school district) journeys at the same time.. hmm.. sound familiar???
@Running Elley: Ok that is AWESOME to hear. You sound literally in the exact same position that we might be in.. so to hear that 1300 isn't bad is great.
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
My initial reaction was no, but based on the list you just gave, I'd do it!
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@mrs. wagon: haha def up! But we have four bedrooms!
pear / 1672 posts
Storage space is key for me as I hate clutter. Plus, a great school district is more than just a nice perk.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@mrs. wagon: I think all the things you listed in the smaller house would vastly improve quality of life in the long run for your children vs just having more SF!
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
@BKCaribBaby: yup, the school district is the only reason why we're even thinking about it! very exciting.
coconut / 8472 posts
I'll be the dissenter and say I probably would not. Right now the lack of space in our house drives me crazy, and the next house we buy I want to be able to stay in for a LONG time. Our townhouse is ~1600 sq ft, but due to the layout it's more like having 1300 sq ft. I feel like all of our rooms (except the giant loft on the 4th floor) have *just* enough space. The kitchen is the only room I wouldn't change, but the living room, bathrooms and bedrooms are the absolute bare minimum. And our 2nd bedroom isn't even big enough for us to want to use it as a baby room.
I would really make sure that 1)It's enough space that you'll be happy to live there for several years without feeling cramped, 2)Each of the rooms has enough space to function well (i.e. if bedroom 4 fits just a desk, is it sufficient or do you need to fit a guest bed?
clementine / 957 posts
@mrs. wagon: I would absolutely. Would this lower your mortgage too? That'd be another big plus for me!
We have a 4 bd 3 full bath house and the rooms are on the small side, but like it's been mentioned- you SLEEP in your room and occasionally play. I had a small room growing up and it was MUCH easier to keep clean
grapefruit / 4903 posts
I wouldn't but only because we already live in such small quarters that I don't think that it would be workable!
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
For me, I voted no. I don't know if there is any way I could go down to 1,300 sq ft. I think 1,800 would be my minimum, maybe 1,600 if I had to.
I really need storage advice for those of in these smaller places especially with more then one kid!
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