# How big does a house for one person, or two, need to be? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272 "2011-03-28T16:03:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/1 "2011-03-28T16:03:14Z")
The thread [Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13601519) sprouted a tangential conversation based on **monstro** ’s interest in building a very small house for herself. To avert full-blown hijack there, and to bring the topic to readers who may not have been in that thread, I’m starting this dedicated one. I’ll recap, with a little editing for concision, all the relevant posts to date. > [@Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/95): > > I’m in the process of building a house–my very first house! I have a floor plan for a gorgous eco-friendly Craftsman’s style house. It’s just a little under 600 sq feet. My real estate agent has helped me in the quest for land in a wonderful intown neighborhood and we’re meeting with the builder later this week to sign the contract. The agent knows what I want and why; we’ve talked about it a million times over. And yet she’s STILL throwing her “shoulds” at me. How I “should” expand the house to 1000 sq feet, because otherwise it will be impossible to sell it > (as if that’s her problem). How I “should” make it bigger because who knows? I might get married and have children! > > I don’t fuckin’ care about selling it. I’m living in it until I die. And if my life changes such that I will be unable to live in it, I can rent it out (the neighborhood is a wrife with young artists…folks who would love to live in a “special” house). And though she knows more about real estate than I do, I call “bullshit” on her impossible remark. It would not be impossible to sell the house _because I’m freakin’ buying it_ and I can’t be the only person out there, especially now, who sees the problem of having “too much house”. > [@Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/99): > > The fact is that American housing stock collectively has too many big houses (many now vacant) and not enough small ones, especially small ones that are well-designed and well-built. And it has actually been demonstrated that houses truly tailored to a particular individual or particular family are worth _more_ on average than houses of equal square footage built to generic plans. I think what you’re doing sounds great, and I encourage you to tweak the plans, before and during construction, as much as you like to suit _yourself_, but keep it small. (If you really need more space down the road, building an addition when you _know_ how you plan to use the space is superior to building in an extra bedroom or “bonus room” now just to boost s.f.) > [@Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/100): > > I remember not that long ago bemoaning the fact that everyone IRL keeps telling me to go get a house RIGHT NOW. I realized that it wasn’t the idea of owning a house that that was the problem or even having money, since they have programs for first-time homeowners. It was the fact that all the houses in my area are HUGE. Not necessarily McMansions, but two-story row house dealies that are fine to look at, fine to visit, but are simply not me. The idea of heating, cleaning, and maintaining a 1200 sq. ft house all by myself is not my idea of fun. Especially if it’s a generic house that looks like all the other houses on the street. > > I think if I were an entrepreneur (hey, unemployed yet resourceful people! Listen up!), I would become a developer of “small housing”. I would buy tracts of land close to downtown or midtown areas–which at least in Richmond are populated with comfortably-classed, married or shacked-up renters who want to be in the urban “scene” but cannot afford or do not want the $400K houses that are being offered. If these people will plop down money for a condo with just 800 sq feet, with no yard for the dog or for gardening or even a private porch–then why wouldn’t they plop down some money for a beautiful house with similar square footage? There is no reason, other than real estate agents and developers think “bigger is better” and advise clients to think the same. My hope for kids today? That they will see that this is a myth and will go in the opposite direction. > [@Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/105): > > It sounds like you’ve read Susan Susanka’s [_The Not So Big House_](http://www.amazon.com/Not-So-Big-House-Blueprint/dp/1600851509/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301304548&sr=8-1). If not, you ought. It’s your manifesto. > [@Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/107): > > Interesting word choice. Because those tiny houses look like Unibomber shacks. 800 sq ft is like a typical Manhattan appartment. Even 1200 sq ft is a typical 2BR 2 BA suburban home. Hardly huge by any standard, but perhaps a bit much for just one person. Most people don’t want to live in a shoebox, especially if they plan to raise a family. > [@Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/108): > > I’d say 1200 sqft for 2br/2ba is a bit on the high side. I grew up in a 1950s suburban ranch with 3br and 1.5ba and it was 1050 sqft. > > And you realize you’re just parroting exactly what the real-estate agent kept saying, right? **Monstro** is having the house built for her, not some other family 20 years down the road. > [@Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/109): > > I wouldn’t say that’s high at all. I live in a house built in 1950 with 3BR/1BA and it’s a little over 1400. For two people, it’s really not that big considering the layout. > [@Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/110): > > I’m currently renting a 3BR/1BA at 1100sq ft., myself. Not necessarily on purpose, but developers and real estate agents have effectively distorted the housing market to serve the profitability of _their_ fields. America is _undersupplied_ with very small, well-designed, well-built houses. I’m sure that **monstro** ’s house and others like it will someday _delight_ buyers. A shameful number of large houses are already standing unsold, vacant and falling into disrepair, in some parts of the country. Recall that the housing-market crash and the associated recession were partially caused by people who were encouraged and enabled to buy _too much house_. Unabomber shacks? Please, it’s _all_ about the design. [Here](http://tinyhouseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/rca_coho-small1.jpg) is a ~600 s.f. house. [Here](http://www.joindes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/minimalist-home-design.jpg) is another. [This](http://media.smallhousestyle.com.s3.amazonaws.com/2010/05/Screen-shot-2010-05-08-at-12.20.59-AM.png) is the inside of a third. My feeling is basically that lots of people have (and are paying for) more space than they’re really using, either because the market has not supplied them with other options, or because poor designs have misled them into thinking that they need more space than they really do. ---
**Author:** ![DeepLiquid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deepliquid/32/14893_2.png) [@DeepLiquid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeepLiquid)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/2 "2011-03-28T16:21:33Z")
My SO and I live in an 800 sq.ft. house. It was built in 1943 and as I understand it, building materials were scarce so they built a small house. It’s a lovely home, window frames/floors all original wood. It has two smaller bedrooms, one bathroom, a cozy living room, a galley kitchen, and an unfinished basement. We adore it, it’s warm and inviting and perfect for us. My best friend from high school and her partner live in a 610 sq.ft. house, they sometimes wish it was a tiny bit bigger since they have two huskies, but all in all love their little home. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/3 "2011-03-28T16:31:52Z")
Our house is about 2000 sq. ft. (finished basement w/MIL apartment) but we could live in half the space, easily. It has energy-efficient features so we don’t feel too guilty. I suspect a lot of people buy a bigger (or smaller) house than they want for the same reason we did – location. A smaller house on the same lot would have been fine with us. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/4 "2011-03-28T16:36:05Z")
Our place is a refurbished 1904 Craftsman, with about 1300 sf of usable space. Since the basement is used for storage at the moment, we’re living comfortably in about 700-800 s.f. Since we had the small deck built on off the kitchen, it’s plenty of room. Our last place was a 2100 sf condo and it was more house than we could easily take care of when we were both working. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/5 "2011-03-28T16:36:50Z")
Or because they had families who moved out? My house is also 2000 sq. ft., and I intentionally bought what I considered to be a “small house.” Of course, there’s 5 of us living here. In 20 years it’ll seem huge I’m sure. Then it’s off to a condo to die. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/6 "2011-03-28T16:37:10Z")
The postwar neighborhood where my wife bought her first house had 2-bedroom, single-family detached units as small as [850 square feet.](http://stlouis.blockshopper.com/property/16J430803/1913_stillwater_drive/) It’s a perfectly usable size (after we married, I moved in and we had our first child while still living there.) It requires some compromises, for example, you have to be careful when choosing furniture, and the closet space is way too small by today’s standards. The real problem I see is that those kind of houses are best suited for singles or childless couples who want everything that comes with home ownership – including maintenance and yard work, as well a mortgage. That’s a small slice of the market, and those people often choose condos (no maintenace) or rental properties (no long-term mortgage.) ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/7 "2011-03-28T17:04:52Z")
Hubby and I live in a 900 Sq Ft condo (so no basement) with 2 bedrooms. It was _TONS_ of space when I was single - I would actually sleep in the spare bedroom sometimes just so it wouldn’t seem like the space was wasted. It was quite good for the two of us. Now that we have Junior its a bit cramped just because he has so much _STUFF_! It’s just a living room/dining room - there’s obviously no play room for him and he has his swing, and Jolly Jumper and bouncer, etc. out there which is too much. However, 600 Sq Ft for a single person seems totally reasonable - particularly if there is a garage and basement to store extra stuff - we have neither and we do have some stuff stashed at my in-laws house (extra art, mostly). When it’s time for baby #2 we will be moving into a house right away. I expect around 1500 Sq Ft will do us nicely - a bit smaller would be fine too. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/8 "2011-03-28T17:32:33Z")
We have 2200 square feet, which we got since our two kids were still at home and my wife works at home. Now the kids are gone, their rooms are mostly unused (except by the dog) and we have a living room we seldom use. In California you don’t move unless you absolutely have to, since our taxes would go way up even if we got a smaller house in the neighborhood. We’re clearly going to get a much smaller house when I retire and we get out of here. Our first house, for just the two of us, was probably 1100 sq ft or so, one big bedroom, two tiny ones, and a small kitchen and living room. Plenty of space. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/9 "2011-03-28T18:01:45Z")
I’m currently living in a 1400 sqft town home of which I’m activly using 1000-1100 sqft. The extra room is great when I have guests. I just put an offer in on a 970 sqft loft over a 500 sqft garage. I think it’ll be a nice space for me as long as I don’t have any guests and all of my parties are outside. I can’t imagine living in less space then that as a single guy with a dog and I’m worried if I ever ask my girlfriend to move in with me how bad it’s going to be. I’m planning on building my dream home on the property and when running my initial numbers I think it’s going to be some where in the 5000 sqft range at 4bd/4bth and I’ll have the loft as guest quarters. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/10 "2011-03-28T18:11:50Z")
Four of us (me, hubby and two kids) live in a 1300 square foot home with a 200 sqaure foot basement. My husband and I could fairly easily live without the two extra bedrooms and half of the basement and with a smaller living area so I would say about 1000 square feet total. Anything less than that would be pretty cramped. We moved here from a 800 square foot 1-br apartment. Going back to that even with just the two of us would be unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/11 "2011-03-28T18:12:13Z")
Well, hubby and I currently live in an 800 sf house, the bedrooms are microscopic and we are currently planning on bashing out the wall between the 2 bedrooms to make a single normal sized one. There is currently no closet, so it will also be getting closet space put in. We figure this plus the kitchen renovation is what will be required to actually _sell_ the fucking place. We have loved living here, but we need something more gimp friendly and I want to build custom for my accommodations. The jackass who took a cramped 20x20 cinder block tenant farmers shack and doubled the size had no clue about how to efficiently arrange the inside of the house so it is almost unlivable as it is now. On the plus side, it has a 1800 sq foot barn with a full bathroom and nice skylighted workspace on the top floor. I think trying to squeeze a second bedroom into anything under 1200 sq feet is absurd. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/12 "2011-03-28T18:18:47Z")
My GF and I currently live in a 600 sq ft 1BR 1BA we own in Hoboken, NJ, which for all intents and purposes is a 6th borough of NYC. That is to say it’s all multi-unit appartment buildings and you don’t need a car to live there. It is just big enough. We tolerate it because it is in a trendy urban area with easy access to Manhattan. If I were to start adding sq ft-age, I think I would want to create a larger kitchen / dining room. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/13 "2011-03-28T18:24:12Z")
This weekend, I had visitors; a guy who used to live in my current home when he was a kid. His family at the time were poor first generation immigrants. So this house, 1350 square feet, (3 bedroom, 1 bathroom) where today I live with my husband and toddler? Just thirty years ago, the same house had _ **twelve** _ people living in it. The floors were separated. Our upper floor had a separate entrance and housed one family with four sons. The bottom floor housed another family with four kids. Puts my own whining about too little space in perpective, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/14 "2011-03-28T18:25:33Z")
I’m currently in an 800 sq ft 2 bdr/1 bath apartment with my husband, 2 cats and a tiny dog. It is perfectly big for our needs, but that is generally because that second room is for storage and is the “animal room” where the food bowls, litter boxes, etc. go. If we had a child the space would be too small and we would need to get at least another 100 sq ft of space and we would have to get rid of a ton of stuff. For a single person or a married couple I think 650-850 sq ft is a perfectly acceptable size. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/15 "2011-03-28T18:44:15Z")
I live in a house that is “technically” 1040 sq. ft. but I have a full unfinished basement which does not count in the square footage. Neither does the garage I don’t think. So really I have more like 1600-1800 sqft. I let my friend live in the basement for free, and he takes up more than half of it. I let him do it because it’s temporary and it’s space I really really am not using. Anyway…600 sq. ft. for one person? Totally. I rarely use my living room or dining room. My guest room stays closed all the time. If I didn’t work from home I wouldn’t need a 9x9 office. My bathroom is HUGE compared to the 1.5 baths at my parents’ house. I have a full accessible attic that I’ve never been in. If I lost 2 bedrooms (about 200 sq. ft) and my dining room (about 80 sq. ft.) I’d be rockin’ 760 sq. ft. If I shaved a little bit off my bedroom and my living room (which has more couch than I need) I’d be down to 600 sq. ft. and would not feel cramped at all. Even with my 90# dog. I would just need a space for my laundry up in the kitchen or something. I don’t mind the size of my house tho, because I’m learning to love entertaining. Even so, I either need a big backyard (got it) or a nice basement (can’t afford it yet) to do all that. If I didn’t want to entertain - like I know Miss **monstro** doesn’t - then I could do it all in 600 sq. ft. no problem! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/16 "2011-03-28T18:46:11Z")
Based on earlier accomodations, I’d say the average person probably needs 750 to 1000, but need and want can be two separate things entirely. We’re well over 5K and while I probably wouldn’t have built that size, it was perfect for us in numerous other ways and frankly is really nice to have. A fair bit is for guest use, although we often find ourselves using it for other things as well. Of course this is more than the 3 of us actually need, although we were pushing the limit in a place half that size. But it’s overbuilt with energy conserving features and beyond the initial cost it’s not been an inconvenience to maintain. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/17 "2011-03-28T18:46:25Z")
I’m looking around my office which I share with five dudes, it’s about 15’ x 35’ which means it’s only 75sqft smaller than the house **monstro** wants to build, it seems a bit cramped for living, even with the vaulted ceiling. I grew up in a single wide trailer, family of three and we were crammed in there tighter than sardines. The average single wide in these parts ranges from 13’ - 15’ wide on the outside and is 60’ long. So at the most, 900sqft, half again as much as **monstro** is considering. I find I don’t need much space for living but I tend to accumulate STUFF. Not junk either, lots of equipment for various hobbies and cooking gadgetry, it all adds up space-wise. The aforementioned makes me think you ought to expand at least a little **monstro.** OTOH, when we were lucky enough to move out of the trailer we built our own house. There were many fights with the contractor, every issue we caved on we are sorry about to this day. You know what you want and you’re paying, _I say do what you like and to hell with the lot of 'em._ Congratulations on your house! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/18 "2011-03-28T18:54:20Z")
There was a segment I believe on CBS Sunday Morning that showed some really small homes one builder was making, something on the order of 100 sq feet or so and not only were they efficient and stylish but also apparently in great demand. A hell of a lot less to worry about so if uncomplicating things works for some then go for it. ETA: [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/10/eveningnews/main1789766.shtml](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/10/eveningnews/main1789766.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/19 "2011-03-28T18:54:45Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > \ > > When it’s time for baby #2 we will be moving into a house right away. I expect around 1500 Sq Ft will do us nicely - a bit smaller would be fine too. Jim and I (and two cats) live in a 1020 sq. ft. bungalow with a full basement and two car garage - I can easily see two kids being able to fit into this house. For two of us, we have more room than we need (especially with the full basement and big garage) - we each have our own rooms/offices, there’s a spare guest bedroom that one of the cats sleeps in, and we’re planning a large spa room and media room for the basement. For right now, I think we’re in exactly the right size house for us; when we get older and don’t want to garden and look after a house and yard any longer, I can see us downsizing. I think **monstro’s** real estate agent is right on one count, that a 600 sq. ft. house will be harder to sell, but that’s not always the biggest concern. If she builds it so she can live in the rest of her life and then does, who cares if it’s hard to sell? I also agree that us North Americans have wildly inflated ideas about how much space people need to live in. My city is terrible for that - everyone wants their own detached house and yard, and they want BIG houses, for just a few people and all their stuff. When we sold our house and moved two years ago, everyone asked us if we were moving to a bigger place. Our answer was always a bemused, “No, we don’t need anything larger” (we traded almost straight across, and only moved because we couldn’t put a garage on the other lot). I also think that if you live in a house that becomes too small for all your stuff, you need to look at downsizing your stuff, not upsizing your house. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272/20 "2011-03-28T19:26:44Z")
My wife, son and I live in a 1500 sq ft 3 bedroom row house. Some of the layout is a bit weird, so I think if it were on one level and properly designed, 1500 could be quite spacious. If we had a garage or a basement for storage it would be perfect. As it is now it works out but only if we make sure not to accumulate clutter, which is tricky when you have a toddler. When it was my wife and I bought it several years ago, it felt spacious especially compared to the 550 sq ft 1 bedroom we moved from. That place felt kind of small for us, but we had moved from a larger place, and knew it was going to be temporary, so we didn’t go as good a job of downsizing as we should have. I think that 800 square feet is a good size apartment for a couple. The apartment we lived in that was that size felt large and uncluttered since it had three very large closets and a small linen closet to boot. For a house with an outdoor space, you will want something with a shed for all of the outdoor stuff that you will require to maintain it. Getting back to the OP, I would probably want more square footage if I am building. For me it isn’t the square footage that makes a place difficult to clean, it is the amount of clutter that you fill it with, and how well the space is designed. If the place doesn’t have enough storage, it will feel crowded. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-house-for-one-person-or-two-need-to-be/576272.md?page=2)