Ever wondered how much space you need to live in a multi-generational home? Well, it depends really on how many people will be living together and the lifestyles of the family. If it’s a smaller family, you can get by with smaller square footage. But if you have a larger family, then to be comfortable, having enough room for everyone to not step on each other is essential. The last thing you want is to feel like these sardines:
Our family has 5 adults and 2 children, which can be a lot of adults living together. When we were looking for our home, it was vital that everyone had their own bedroom, there were enough bathrooms to prevent having to wait, and that everyone had a place they could go to be alone (be it a bedroom or living area). I’ll talk some more in upcoming posts about how we found our current home and what features we considered.
What should be considered?
When deciding how much space you need, look at the size of family you’re combining. How many bedrooms do you need? Do you have children? Will your kids share rooms or do they need their own bedrooms? How many bathrooms do you need?
From experience I can tell you, you never want to have to wait for a bathroom to be free, or if say, you’re potty training a child, you don’t want that child to have to wait! Having more bathrooms is generally a better idea.
Does anyone work from home? Do they need their own office? How many living rooms/shared common rooms do you need? Does everyone hang out together all the time or do they tend to stay by themselves? How big of an eating area do you need? Does everyone sit down together or is it just one or two at at time? These are all important questions to consider when thinking about how much space you need.
What if you need to make your current space work?
Maybe you are in a position like our family was when our youngest was little: my parents came to live with us in our 3 bedroom home (just under 1800 sq ft), and we needed to make the space work. At that time, we only had one child, so she didn’t need to share her room, my parents had their own bedroom, and my husband and I had our bedroom. My daughter and my parents shared the secondary bathroom, and while not ideal, it worked. Our house had 2 living rooms, so we could have enough living room space should the adults want to watch separate things on the TV. My husband and I turned our dining room into our office and the eat-in kitchen was big enough for the 5 of us.
Maybe your parents are moving in with you. Do you have enough bedrooms, is one currently a guest room? How many kids are there, can they share a room? Do you have an extra room that can be turned into a bedroom if one isn’t available? If office space is needed, can you turn another room into one or take a corner of a common room? In the house we lived in before buying our current home, my husband used to have an office, but once everyone moved in there, all the bedrooms became taken and he lost his office. He ended up moving his computer into our master bedroom (and occasionally our closet). It wasn’t perfect, but it worked and everyone that needed a bedroom, had one.
When is it time to find a new place?
Everyone is stepping on each other’s toes. Or, the kids really do need a separate room. Or you’re tired of hearing the computer humming in your bedroom while you’re trying to sleep at night. Maybe you’ve tried making the current place work, but you realize, you really do need more space.
Our girls are 7 1/2 years apart, and while my oldest promised she wanted to share a room with the new baby when I was pregnant, reality set in afterwards. It wasn’t long when she realized, she didn’t really want to share a room with a baby. At 11 and 4, my oldest is in her first year of middle school and our youngest is in preschool. Different bedtimes, different interests, different friends, all contribute to them needing their own rooms. Maybe your kids have a large age gap like ours. Or they have come to the age where they need more privacy.
Maybe you need an office because you now work from home or your spouse does. Or you really need more space for your crafting (this is me currently). Maybe your parents are tired of sharing a bathroom with your kids. All of these things can signify that it’s time to find a bigger place that can fit everyone’s needs.
Deciding on how much space you need can be daunting. But thinking about the number of people in the family, how many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, and other needs can help narrow down the size of the home you need to live comfortably. How much space do you live in?