Downsizing

How much space do we really need? We have been asking ourselves this question while looking for a home to buy. At first we insisted we needed no less than 1800sq ft in a home. Of course this space could be split between the main floor and the basement but we absolutely did not want anything smaller than where we currently live. What we were finding though were homes that needed a lot of updating whether cosmetic and/or large and complex (like updating the wiring) or the house had a horrible floor plan that would sacrifice family living space, which is really the most important to us anyways. And of course there was the combination of the two above mentioned scenarios. We are realistic people we know what we could get with what we could afford but we were hoping to find a "diamond in the rough" something that had recent enough plumbing and electrical that our only real worries would be some paint, carpet and a good weed eater. We liked a few, and even put an offer on one (which was not accepted) and then we found it, our perfect home! Or half of it...

At only 1008sq ft it is much smaller than we set out to find but we fell in love the first time we saw it, despite viewing it with flashlights, we knew this was the house we really wanted. So now we had to re-evaluate what we really wanted and needed. We wanted a place with a basement so we could expand if we had to and so we would have space for our hobbies, storage and pets. But how much space do we really need? Here's what we had to consider;

• No it does not have a basement, but it has 3 bedrooms, a 2+ car garage and it is on approx. 12,00sq ft lot
• Unlike every other place we looked at it is 100% move in ready no updating or major work needed (contingent on a reasonable inspection, but no obvious flaws) with exception of creating a lawn, which is something Papa Moo enjoys doing
  
• We are not really construction people, nor can we afford to hire someone else to do it (don't get me wrong, we will learn and fix things, but we want family to come first, not our old broken house)
• While I like having my craft room, I never use it, so it just stores unused junk. I use my craft stuff, but not liking to feel isolated, I bring everything out into the dining room so I can visit with Papa Moo while I work on my various projects.
  
• We don't currently use the basement except for storage (hello! huge garage and just one car?) and laundry (which is in the house)
• This house is nearer to Papa Moo's work (he won't even have to get on the freeway!) and unlike any other home we looked at it is not a block away from train tracks, the freeway, a busy street or in a terrible neighborhood
• Did I mention we like the neighborhood?
• Can we accommodate the second child we would like to have?
  

After much deliberation we felt it was far better to be in a house that was in good condition in a nice neighborhood even if it is a little smaller. But hey, it will save on energy costs right? We will have to creatively organize to maximize our space, but we are convinced this is our best possible option and we love the location!

~Our next conversation of course was how we can rationalize anything amongst ourselves :)