What Size of a House Is Right for You?

How big of a house is big enough for our needs? I have watched a video today posted by one of Arlington, VA Realtors and the video made a great impression on me. You can watch it too, if you click here. This video made me think about different ways people choose to live.

The lady in the video lives in Manhattan in a 90-square foot apartment. I am not suggesting we all rent a closet and move in, but I believe it is time for builders and consumers to re-think the need for huge homes built to impress, rather than to live in comfort.

Also, I am not writing to bash the owners of big homes because I am jealous. My 4-bedroom house is plenty big for my family, providing me with ample opportunities for cleaning and organizing. I'm only suggesting to consider smaller spaces, so we can devote our time to doing things we love, instead of being slaves to our homes.

Arlington is comprised of old neighborhoods, full of small houses. Tiny closets force many homeowners to turn their spare bedrooms into spaces housing their clothes. When we moved into our house, the first thing we did was to renovate and expand our house. If you want to be close to Washington, DC, you have to compromise. There are many new houses available further away from the city, but your commute may eat up 2+ hours each day. We decided we'd rather have less space and more fun.

My dream house would be a Victorian home nestled among mature trees, with bay windows, wrap-around porches, and lots of build-in bookcases. Just enough space to live a comfortable life. But where oh where, will I find a Victorian home? They are rare in Arlington - this is a city of colonials, cape cods, and ramblers. The smaller homes are bought by builders, torn down, and replaced with 5,000+ SF McMansions that don't fit in the neighborhood. Perhaps I should buy some lots and build my dream not-so-big houses.

What do you think? Is the era of McMansions slowly coming to an end? Are we realizing that a bigger house means bigger mortgage, bigger utility bills, more work to keep it clean, overall a bigger headache? What is a happy medium between living in a 90-square foot closet and 5,000+ square foot mansion? What is your dream home?