| Posted By |
Message |
HappyWife
LIF Toddler
Member since 12/06 484 total posts
Name:
|
Which would you prefer?
Would you rather have:
1) Smaller house with a better floorplan/better use of space (open floor plan, works with how you live, great flow) but smaller rooms overall
OR
2) Larger house with a weird floorplan (choppy rooms, poor flow) but larger rooms.
All other things being equal, i.e., number of bedrooms, location, school, property size.
The smaller house is about 500 ft. smaller.
|
Posted 5/17/10 3:34 PM  |
| |
|
Faithx2
All good things in 2016!!
Member since 8/05 20181 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Larger and try to open some of the space up or alter it to make it function better.....
|
| Posted 5/17/10 3:44 PM |
| |
|
Beth
The Key to your new home....
Member since 2/06 24849 total posts
Name:
Beth
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
depends on location and price
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:00 PM |
| |
|
KittyGags
LIF Adult
Member since 7/09 5614 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by OneOfEach
Larger and try to open some of the space up or alter it to make it function better.....
Agree, 500 sq feet is alot.
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:00 PM |
| |
|
DiamondGirl
You are my I love you
Member since 7/09 18802 total posts
Name:
DiamondMama
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by Beth
depends on location and price
Ditto. For me it is always about location. I have a specific area I want to live in so I would sacrafice a lot to stay here.
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:06 PM |
| |
|
HappyWife
LIF Toddler
Member since 12/06 484 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by DiamondGirl
Posted by Beth
depends on location and price
Ditto. For me it is always about location. I have a specific area I want to live in so I would sacrafice a lot to stay here.
Both are in basically the same location, within 5 blocks of each other. No major difference in terms of appeal, both are quiet street close to park, nice block. Same town, same schools, same property size. The only difference is the size of the house.
To make it harder to compare, the smaller house is more updated and the larger house needs more work--but the price is basically the same.
Same features: 3 bedrooms, finished basement, 2 bathrooms, garage.
Message edited 5/17/2010 4:11:40 PM.
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:10 PM |
| |
|
JldDolphin
Member since 1/07 6929 total posts
Name:
Jen
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Large house. Over time you can take some walls down and have the home you want. With a smaller home you can't make the rooms bigger without spending a lot more money to expand your home. I would rather live with updating a larger home that you will love when you are finished. Only other question I would be thinking about it, "Is this our forever home?" If it's not a forever home or could be a forever home, then I might go for the smaller house. GL! 
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:36 PM |
| |
|
HeatherRose
Life is Good :)
Member since 11/07 6605 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
larger house bad layout IF price, location and lot size were the same and all of my must haves are met
you can ALWAYS change the layout, and that usually is less then having to put on an extenstion.
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:41 PM |
| |
|
Nik211
my little monkey<3
Member since 5/08 3303 total posts
Name:
Nik
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Hard to say, probably the one that I clicked with more...
It could be expensive and a huge project to change the layout of the bigger house and a choppy layout could feel smaller overall - so the smaller house with the better layout might actually feel larger if it's more open...
How is the storage and closets in the smaller house? Would you have enough?
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:42 PM |
| |
|
HeatherRose
Life is Good :)
Member since 11/07 6605 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by HappyWife
To make it harder to compare, the smaller house is more updated and the larger house needs more work--but the price is basically the same.
that actually makes it easier IMO. the older home might need work, but at least you can make it your own and exactly how you want it. If you buy a house re-done you are paying for those upgrades, and they may not be what you would want.
for me, this would be a very easy. I would pick the larger home, so I could make it my own. my own tastes when I do the upgrades, and the layout that I like/want.
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:49 PM |
| |
|
HeatherRose
Life is Good :)
Member since 11/07 6605 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
is there a price difference? I don't see anything about that?
|
| Posted 5/17/10 4:49 PM |
| |
|
HappyWife
LIF Toddler
Member since 12/06 484 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by HeatherRose
is there a price difference? I don't see anything about that?
Prices are comparable, but the larger house is slightly more expensive ~$15,000. We would also have to do some major renovs (gutting the bath, re-dry wall a bunch of walls, change all windows). The smaller house is move in ready and I like all the renovation choices.
It's so tempting to pick the move-in condition house but I wonder if I'm shooting myself in the foot. This is definitely our long term house. We have one DD now and plan on having one more baby.
The smaller house is big enough and has everything we want so I wonder if just getting some additional square footage is worth it. For example, the dining room: both will fit our furniture fine but the larger house's dining room is 3 feet wider and 2 feet longer, but functionally they both work.
The larger house has a lot of wasted space though...lots of long narrow hallways and the layout makes the furniture placement a little strange.
Hmm...
|
| Posted 5/17/10 9:49 PM |
| |
|
Sweetlax22
LIF Adult
Member since 5/10 1904 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Could you make the smaller hosue bigger down the road?
Would it require major construction to "fix" the larger home?, or could you just take a wall or two down?
|
| Posted 5/17/10 9:52 PM |
| |
|
JandJ1224
Member since 6/06 5911 total posts
Name:
Jannette
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
I would wait for the right house
|
| Posted 5/17/10 11:22 PM |
| |
|
FranM
And so it goes....
Member since 9/05 2217 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
I would love to say larger house but the practicle side of me choose the smaller house. All other things being equal I would consider the following:
Do you & DH like doing home renovation?
Do you have a vision of what the larger houlse could be?
Do you or will you have the time and $ to do the renovations.
If I could answer yes to these questions I would go for the larger house.
|
| Posted 5/18/10 6:35 AM |
| |
|
headoverheels
s'il vous plaît
Member since 6/07 42079 total posts
Name:
LB
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
I would choose the smaller house. I don't need that much space  Even with two kids, we're in a 3 bedroom ranch with a 1/2 basement and it works for us perfectly. We might expand down the road with a dormer but if we never did, I'd be happy.
|
| Posted 5/18/10 7:30 AM |
| |
|
HeatherRose
Life is Good :)
Member since 11/07 6605 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by HappyWife
Posted by HeatherRose
is there a price difference? I don't see anything about that?
Prices are comparable, but the larger house is slightly more expensive ~$15,000. We would also have to do some major renovs (gutting the bath, re-dry wall a bunch of walls, change all windows). The smaller house is move in ready and I like all the renovation choices.
It's so tempting to pick the move-in condition house but I wonder if I'm shooting myself in the foot. This is definitely our long term house. We have one DD now and plan on having one more baby.
The smaller house is big enough and has everything we want so I wonder if just getting some additional square footage is worth it. For example, the dining room: both will fit our furniture fine but the larger house's dining room is 3 feet wider and 2 feet longer, but functionally they both work.
The larger house has a lot of wasted space though...lots of long narrow hallways and the layout makes the furniture placement a little strange.
Hmm...
based on what you just said, I would go with the smaller house then
know this- once you start opening walls, you never know what you are going to run into. you will also have to re-do some eltrical with taking down/changing walls, and God only knows what else. Plus your paying more for it. if you love the smaller homes choices, go with that.
|
| Posted 5/18/10 9:41 AM |
| |
|
HappyWife
LIF Toddler
Member since 12/06 484 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Thanks for all your input everyone! After lots of agonizing back and forth we indeed decided to go with the smaller house.
My husband and I aren't the handiest people so we would have to hire contractors for most of the work. The smaller, move-in ready house is still plenty of space for us. We decided that an open floor plan and having all the bedrooms on one floor (cape vs. colonial), and direct access to our deck from the dining room were more important than sheer square footage.
So exciting! We should close in 60 days!
|
| Posted 5/18/10 11:08 AM |
| |
|
Nik211
my little monkey<3
Member since 5/08 3303 total posts
Name:
Nik
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Congrats! Sounds like you def made the right choice!!!
|
| Posted 5/18/10 11:11 AM |
| |
|
TheDivineMrsM
2 girls 4 me!
Member since 8/08 7878 total posts
Name:
Mama mama mama....
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by JldDolphin
Large house. Over time you can take some walls down and have the home you want. With a smaller home you can't make the rooms bigger without spending a lot more money to expand your home. I would rather live with updating a larger home that you will love when you are finished.
ITA.
|
| Posted 5/18/10 11:14 AM |
| |
|
DiamondGirl
You are my I love you
Member since 7/09 18802 total posts
Name:
DiamondMama
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by HappyWife
Thanks for all your input everyone! After lots of agonizing back and forth we indeed decided to go with the smaller house.
My husband and I aren't the handiest people so we would have to hire contractors for most of the work. The smaller, move-in ready house is still plenty of space for us. We decided that an open floor plan and having all the bedrooms on one floor (cape vs. colonial), and direct access to our deck from the dining room were more important than sheer square footage.
So exciting! We should close in 60 days!
Congrats  
I would have likely made the same decision. Space is awesome but unless you are handy the other house would have ended up costing you a lot more $$.
GOOD LUCK 
|
| Posted 5/18/10 11:22 AM |
| |
|
Otherme
Square head cutie pants
Member since 3/06 6899 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Which would you prefer?
Posted by HappyWife
Thanks for all your input everyone! After lots of agonizing back and forth we indeed decided to go with the smaller house.
My husband and I aren't the handiest people so we would have to hire contractors for most of the work. The smaller, move-in ready house is still plenty of space for us. We decided that an open floor plan and having all the bedrooms on one floor (cape vs. colonial), and direct access to our deck from the dining room were more important than sheer square footage.
So exciting! We should close in 60 days!
Good choice
After seeing how many unexpected things come up when you buy a house, i'd definitely chose the move-in ready updated smaller house over the larger one that needed more work.
Especially if you have to hire contractors to do most of the work, that could get pretty expensive in the long run.
enjoy the new home!!
|
| Posted 5/18/10 1:12 PM |
| |
|
