During the course of our renovation a number of people have questioned the size of our house, suggesting that it is too small for our family of six. But how much room do you need? Yes, the kids will be sharing bedrooms, and no, we don't have a formal dining room or a media room for that matter - but that's not how we live. For us, it was more important to retain adequate outdoor space rather that building a 'McMansion' on a small site. And this has become even more apparent having lived in an apartment for the past two years.
The average new dwelling in Australia is the biggest in the world, while at the same time the number of people living in these houses has fallen. If we were to measure how much space each person has, it averages at 100 square metres each. Does that seem like too much? Do we really want the additional cleaning, maintenance, and utility costs of running a large home? I know I don't.
So how much space do we really need to live comfortably? I was listening to a program recently where Stuart Harrison (a Melbourne-based architect and the author of Forty Six Square Metres of Land Doesn't Normally Become a House) suggested that 40 square metres per person should be sufficient, provided that there is adequate outdoor space as well.
So if I take this advice into context, we would need a house of about 240 square metres. The total internal living space of our house is well under 200 square metres, which falls somewhat short of the Staurt's suggested amount. Does this mean our house will be inadequate to meet our needs?
Certainly the one thing I have discovered over the past few years is that open-plan living is not the ideal style of home for our family. The main problem with it for me is the noise - and believe me there is an awful lot of it at my place. Sure we enjoy living and sharing our lives together, but it's also important for me to be able to retreat into a space where I can do my own thing (e.g. listen to music, watch TV, cook and a quiet place to read.) Our rooms are modest in size but they are somewhat separated - which means I will never have to listen to another children's TV program while I'm preparing dinner or attempting to have an adult conversation with my partner.
We live in a teeny tiny cottage that was originally four rooms and then (I guess in the 60's) had a teeny bathroom, a half bedroom and back room built on and again later the verandah built in. It's still very small (no dining room a small lounge, tiny bathroom inc toilet and 2 1/2 bedrooms. When I look at pictures of your place I think it's huge, it doesn't seem cottagey at all! So I guess it's a matter of perception.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I think that too few people in too big houses is one of the most environmentally damaging things we do in this country, building waste is immense too.
I love that while you're adding new you haven't razed the old to the ground or treated the original house as disposable.
I also think that people panicking over how "small" your house is need perhaps need to examine why where you live bothers them. Are they worried someone might ask them to scale back?
I'm definitely going to need to read that book.
Hi Lila - Do get yourself a copy of this book - it's excellent, and there are many fine examples of small, well crafted homes. It's interesting that you perceive our house as being huge based on the photos I've posted. It certainly does feel a lot larger than it is, but that's probably due to the design rather than the extra floorspace. The architects have certainly crammed a lot into this house. xx
DeleteTotally agree with you! One of the articles in the current Real Living describes one house as 'small but perfectly formed' which is so apt! I always said that the motto for our reno was quality not quantity. As long as you make every square inch count then small spaces actually work the best. Plus you dont have to heat/cool/furnish/clean large expensive spaces. I went and saw Stuart talk about his book in Melbourne last year and it was fabulous, yes he went on about the 40 square metres per person. Lots of people (esp not from Melbourne) commented that our 290 metres square block was small, plus no garage!! But we have managed to fit everything on that size block in a small double storey house that feels huge but is about 190 metres square of house! By the way, I want to buy Stuart's new book "New Suburban" with the Hill House on the front - and The Hill House is on our street a few houses up!! You so have the right attitude with your lovely home. I love it.
ReplyDeleteHi - yes that house you are referring to is another great example of less is more. And what is it with Barwon Heads? There is some great real estate down there! I never would have guessed your block was that size - certainly doesn't look small from the pictures I've seen. I bought myself a copy of 'New Suburban' when it was first released late last year - another good read by the same author. Do you know the owners of the Hill House? It would be nice to get a look inside. I don't think I've ever asked, but who designed yours? xx
DeleteHi Caroline. I keep hearing of Barwon Heads too, we must pay it a visit. I think the small size of our spaces on paper surprised me when they came together, and I think it is all because of the height of the ceilings (downstairs 3100). And I imagined the upstairs rake would close in the boy's bedrooms, but in fact they feel a pretty good size still. Even the upstairs hall was shrunk to 900 wide, but with 2700 ceilings upstairs and doors that are flush with the ceiling, the overall feel is light and airy. I have met the Hill House owners, they are really lovely. All the children in our street including theirs walk to the local primary school, which Will is starting at Prep in a couple of weeks. Such a nice community! We didn't use an architect as such, I worked with 2 different drafters (don't ask why 2, we had some 'issues') and I put pen to paper many late nights to design what I thought would work. I took inspiration from lots of other inner city renovations. Amazing what you can learn from 'Houses' magazine, architect's websites (including OVP!) and googling!. My good friend and designer Mikayla Rose (google her) has done a couple of major renos herself and gave me lots of advice and helped design the kitchen and cabinetry etc. Good luck for the next 2 weeks, I know that panicky feeling well!!
DeleteThis is so true. And I'm with you on open-plan. Although in can look amazing I often think of the huge heating and cooling costs.
ReplyDeleteLike Lila's house ours was originally a little 3 room cottage that has an added kitchen and bathroom. It's the smallest house we've lived in and also my favourite.
x
Hi Zara, living down south where you pretty much have the heater going for 6 months of the year - not to mention the rising costs in electricity - nothing could be more truer. We have chosen to A/c only one room in the house - all the bedrooms are fitted with ceiling fans. The orientation/design of the house ensures we capture the cooling Summer breezes in any case. The newly built apartment we are currently renting gets no breeze and faces West - you can only imagine how uncomfortable it is. xx
DeleteI am sure some people think our house is "small" but it is more than enough for us. We have a bit of common space and we all have our own spaces. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I hear the argument for bigger is better, I think of my UWS NYC apartment…it was only ten feet wide by thirty feet long and two of us lived there. And we were so happy! And I think a large part of that happiness was that a) we didn't have a lot of stuff b) we had an outdoor terrace and c) we lived around the corner from Central Park...our apartment was really just a place to sleep and to relax inside if we needed to…all the rest of our living was done outside.
I think people are slowly starting to realise that small doesn't necessarily mean inadequate. We've lived in a "big" house and I hated it. It was so poorly designed, and don't even go there with the power bills - I used to squirm every time I opened the mail. xx
DeleteI find it positively sad when I see huge renovations being done on a home to add extra space when there is practically no one living there. It doesn't make sense to lose so much outdoor space for the sake of the 'guest room', 'media room', separate study' etc...
ReplyDeleteOpen plan living is not for everyone either - I like that we have separate rooms for the kitchen, dining and living - you can escape from the noise of kids, visitors etc. Like you said, I can listen to my new radio in the kitchen while the kids veg out in front of the telly.
I think chldren sharing a room is perfectly acceptable - how else will they hone their negotiating and conflict management skills? xx
I agree! Not only are there the initial building costs, but how many consider the running/maintenance costs associated with space that is rarely used (i.e. guest room)? Surely it would be cheaper to pay for guests to stay in a hotel compared with how much it would cost to build a room that is only used occasionally. My boys are still honing their negotiating/conflict skills - they'll get there one day! xx
DeleteSo great for people to be thinking about things like this! Our house is small by modern standards, but it suits us and how we live very well. We have friends with ensuites that are 2-3 times the size of our bathroom and I would still pick ours if I had to choose.
ReplyDeleteI think its great that you have built such an amazing home for your family
Thanks Elizabeth - credit goes to our architects (whom you are a fan of too) for understanding our initial brief and designing a home that fits our family, the size of the land and and our budget perfectly. xx
DeleteI think that if you make the house your home by making every room great, every room functional, then you have the perfect sized home for you. Sure there are drawbacks to room sharing for the kids, but in the long run, I think they will be better for it and (for the most part) appreciative of this opportunity. We lived in a small cottage in the Houston Heights (in Texas). Each room did double duty: bedroom/office, living room split with dining room, etc. We made every inch count and were happy to do so. Now, after living in a very European house for the past 3+ years, we find new struggles (no closets, tiny bedrooms, etc), but we make it work & are happy. As for the McMansion houses I've come across, many rooms go empty, unattended or wind up filled with clutter/boxes/storage. Who wants that? I think a small house forces you to create a more thoughtful interior... which makes for a happy home! I can't wait to see how your final product comes out!!
ReplyDeleteHi - the rooms is the cottage are relatively small so a lot of thought was put into each room in terms of how it will be used and lot's of built-in furniture/storage has been included in the design. Function was high on the list of priorities (I have to run a pretty tight ship with four children) so a house that was easy to work in and maintain was a big factor. xx
DeleteYour blog is an inspiration for me. The house you are creating will be perfect for your family. You have kept all the features of the workers cottage intact and adapted it to create a family home. I cannot fault the layout or the decor. I love that you have based your decisions on how your family live together, the patterns and activities of your everyday life and designed the house accordingly. To suggest the house is too small is nonsense. It is perfect. I look forward to each and every update.
ReplyDeleteHi, glad you like our design and thanks for taking the time to comment. Our house is located on a small lot in a DCP (demolition control precinct) whereby any pre-1946 house must be retained. I hope that documenting our renovation has inspired other home owners and highlighted the benefits to be gained from good planning and design principles. xx
DeleteI have been reading your blog for ages but I think this is the first comment - I feel deeply about this subject too. I live on the water in the GC. Not inner city by any means but around here my house is an anomaly. It sat on the market for ages with agents telling us - oh don't bother with that house it's too small. Well when we did see it we all agreed it was perfect. Approx ⅓ size of our Sydney house I couldn't be happier. Our backyard is a sandy canal and we love it. At 126 sq meters I feel we have just the right amount of space - but I'm sure we can plan out the space better. We are currently thinking about rearranging as my son becomes a teenager and will want his own space with his mates (better they are here than somewhere else). But in this rearrangement it look like it will be a garage conversion - cars will be housed under shade sails or a carport. I really think you have the right formula for your family and how you live. Personally your journey is inspiring to me to make what I have work so much better.
ReplyDeleteThank you for dropping by and taking the time to comment. The advice from a lot of renovators is to spend time living in a house before embarking on any major work. Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to do this, but we have spent years going over different designs with different architects. The design we chose in the end has turned out to be the best and the most cost effective. xx
DeleteI love this post so much. People have commented on how they think we are crazy removing a 4th bedroom (that doesn't work and is so small) from our renovations and we plan on the boys sharing a room. We won't have a study, media room, parents retreat or extra family room. Our whole house is a family room! I am loving watching your progress, I can't wait to see how amazing it will look once completed.
ReplyDeleteHi Alanah - at the end of the day, you know what works best for you and your family so your renovation should be planned accordingly. Good luck with your own reno - when do you start? xx
DeleteThat is the million dollar question! Han and I are in a bit of a stalemate over some decisions so we have taken a few weeks to consider our options and talk over them again. It is taking forever to get it right, but we really want it to be right!
DeleteI love this post Caroline. Over the past year of more conscious living, I have come to this realisation as well. I have a big house. There is so much dead space. So many rooms we don't use. I am trying desperately to convince T that we simply don't need it. I'd much rather downsize and into a more vibrant community with zest and verve and life on our doorstep. We grow up here with this '4 bedroom with a pool in the suburbs' mantra pounded so hard into our brains that we forget to check if that's what we really want.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen - I completely understand where you are coming from. We also used to live in a large home on a large block with i-g pool, c-bus technology, in a new housing estate, etc, etc and I HATED it. I couldn't wait to move back to West End. I am so looking forward to moving into our relatively small home on a small lot - the vibrant community and proximity to work, parks, shopping precinct and entertainment venues which all with within walking distance is such a drawcard for us. xx
DeleteI read your blog but don't normally comment. I have been thinking about this subject since I read it on Monday. We lived in a larger house (than the one we live in now) in the suburbs that was on the side of a hill and the backyard consisted of five levels of retaining walls. Even taking the washing to the line meant going up steps. We moved to a large country town on a nearly 2 acres and a 1920's weatherboard cottage that we planned to renovate. After twelve months living in it working out light, what we thought we needed and weather conditions, we went through the process of getting plans drawn up. Then we came to the stumbling block. Builders around here were more interested in doing a new build than an extension of a modest size family room, bedroom, ensuite, bathroom, laundry and deck. The quotes were coming in at what it would to build nearly two project homes. Then one day with me whinging once again about lack of space we thought about working with what we have now because obviously after a few years we were coping with the space it just needed tweeking. With putting a few walls up and taking some down we now have a light and airy home that we planned down to the last nail. We find that when we have visitors they tend to only want to sit in the kitchen dining area or out in our sitting areas outside. I can't recall the last time we had people sit in the lounge. Cooling is so much easier and cheaper because it's not open plan and we can shut rooms off that we don't use, and as we only have one child we need to only use the air con for two bedrooms and the lounge. We heat the house with a slow combustion fire and in the kitchen we sometimes use a fuel stove that we found boxed in the chimney when we pulled out the old kitchen for heating (many people have commented on how they cook whatever really nice my reply is go your hardest). With all the extra land we don't have to drive to a bike track now our daughter can ride her bike in the yard. Our dog also loves the yard with all the room he even learnt to chase a ball, its the small things like that make you realise you don't really need all that room in a house. When we have friends over and there are lots of kids we all sit outside and the kids are supervised but have their freedom as well. If someone had told me ten years ago that I would live in a house like this I think I would have laughed at the suggestion. We have been here 7 years now and unpacked the last of the boxes just before Christmas. We culled a lot but also used space wisely to be able to have what we wanted in the house. The added bonus is it doesn't take that long to vacuum now and I hate vacuuming with a passion lol. Love what you are doing to your house and thanks for sharing your progress.
ReplyDeleteHi - and thank you for commenting. It seems this subject has really struck a chord with many people. I think women, who are usually the ones doing the majority of the housework and/or are the main carers of children soon realise that bigger houses simply mean more workload, when we could be spending our time doing more meaningful things. Our original plans for the renovation started off being much larger, but this scaled-down version has turned out better than I had anticipated. xx
ReplyDeleteCaroline - i work in the McMansion market completing 16 houses last year with average m2 of 330 for an average number of 3 people.meaning circa 110m2 per person. The houses are like stadiums and the clients prioritise space/light/orientation following confirmation that 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, activity room and media rooms can all fit. Outdoor spaces are only regarded as whats left.
ReplyDeleteAs a builder i am unable to show my house to win work as its 100m2 for 4 people (25m2) is seen a madness.
I just finished mowing the lawn (10mins) vacuuming and mopping (15mins) Cleaning bathroom (15mins) and now im of to the beach with the boys before 9am......... I know whats the madness.
Disclaimer -"m2 is fine but the noise sometimes takes it toll - but thats why they have pubs, movies , the outdoors.
Hi Nick - we have such a wonderful climate that it so conducive of outdoor living - it's such a shame that some people don't plan for it in the overall design of their homes. It should be given more priority. And I'm definitely with you - I don't want to be a slave to my house. Enjoy the beach. xx
DeleteHi Caroline, we live in a lovely small workers cottage. I'm constantly striving for smart storage, but I find my biggest hurdle is getting sensible furniture for small spaces. Several times I've purchased furniture that didn't look large on the showroom, only to get it home and discover it just consumes too much space. I love our small cottage but am thinking we need valuable advice similar to what you've achieved working with your architects. I've enjoyed following your progress, not only because of your respect of the old QLD'er when renovating, but also because it looks like you have such sensible solutions.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Hi - the furniture we have selected (i.e. tables, sofas, etc) have slim, tapered legs which seem to work well in small rooms. We have also opted for wall-hung basins in the bathrooms which reduce bulk and visually give the impression of more space. Thanks for reading along - hope we have been able to offer you some good ideas. xx
DeleteGreat post Caroline, it prompted me to write a post today on where we are headed with our next renovation starting this year, plus I have included two other books on the same topic readers might find useful, which people can access here (http://www.sunshineandpaintpots.com/2014/01/a-cabin-by-sea.html). This afternoon we went for a wander around a display village for ideas, and while we saw some great ones, a lot of the time I see lots of room with dead space and/or I question how often they would be used. The girls did however like the tiered seating in the theatre room of one of the homes - I guess they can always dream lol. Thanks for writing this post, I'll be dropping you a line soon to ask you about your experiences in using an architect.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Col
Hi Col, thanks for the reading suggestions. I think more and more people are starting to get the message these days. Feel free to contact me - I'm more than happy to help you out (although we might have no comms for a short period during the transition to the new house - Telstra have stuffed up, again!)xx
DeleteI have just reserved this book at the library-thanks for the tip! We have 4 boys too and live in a 3 bedroom with no study/media room/ensuite. I love the lack of cleaning ;) Thanks for a thought provoking post!
ReplyDeleteWith my family-oriented personality, I preferred 5 rooms in my house. 1 master bedroom for me and my wife, 1 bedroom for my daughter, 1 bedroom for my son, and 2 bedrooms for my visitors.
ReplyDelete