How Much Space Do You Really Need in Your Home?

Selecting a home is an exciting and intimidating process. What if you don’t make the right choice? Could you have done better? Will your family feel comfortable? Will it accommodate a possible new member? All these and more are the questions running through the mind of those looking for a new place to call home. So, are there any magical formulas when it comes to choosing the right amount of floor space, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and other areas?

[ photo credit: pexels.com by john tekeridis ]

We’ll try to give you a few ideas, but ultimately it is all up to you to decide according to your lifestyle.

1. How many bedrooms do you need?

The simple rule of thumb would be that you need a master bedroom, a smaller bedroom for each child and maybe a guest bedroom. That means one bedroom for each person in the household. It might sound like a lot, and you might be tempted to cut corners, especially if you have the same gender children. However, remember that as they grow up, they will value their privacy more and more and having individual rooms will become a necessity.  

Even when your children are babies, it makes sense to have more bedrooms as one of the partners needs to get a good night’s rest. Of course, this is ideal as long as it doesn’t stretch your budget over the top and makes you go into too much debt and think about how much house you can afford with your current earnings.

2. How many bathrooms should you have?

Again, ideally, each bedroom should have an attached bathroom. As we are aware that most of the times this is impossible or too costly, there is a middle ground.

Invest in a large his& her bathroom for the master bedroom, another complete shared bathroom for the other smaller bedrooms and spread some half-bathrooms too. If you are not familiar with half-bathrooms, we are talking about those without a shower or bathtub. These are also great for guests who are not sleeping in your home, and it is less intrusive in the dynamics of your home to let them use a half-bathroom.

3. What other rooms do you need?

Depending on your age and lifestyle, there are countless options when it comes to lifestyle rooms. Some people enjoy having a large living room to spend time with friends and family. Others value a private home-office or home crafts workspace to unleash their creativity. 

Some have always dreamed about a games room or a home-cinema. A home gym or space for exercise could be top on some family’s list of priorities for their home. Just think about your passions and the things which deserve to have their own space, and you might be inspired.

The functional spaces like the kitchen, storage rooms, and even a garage are also worth considering at this point. Storage space can also be created in unused corners, under the stairs and so on, it doesn’t need to be saved from the beginning.

4. How much floor space do you need?

After you have your list with rooms and other spaces all figured out, it’s time to decide how big you can go. We all love more space, but it comes with a hefty price-tag attached: the initial acquisition costs, maintenance, cleaning, property tax and sometimes the need for more furniture.

Be sure to think about ergonomic floor plans for your home, as it is also a matter of using each square foot, not just owning it. Beware of the tendency to become more of a hoarder as you get more room to spread in.

5. How do you divide the space?

When we are talking about 4-5 bedrooms, which, as we’ve seen, are not so many if you have at least two kids, it becomes apparent that you need to think about going at least one story high. Think about putting the living room, kitchen and one bedroom or office on the ground floor and the other bedrooms and separate bathrooms on the upper level. That way you can keep your family’s intimacy while still receiving visits.

6. How much should you spend on housing?

Depending on your exact location prices can vary greatly. You should take into consideration the general purchasing power in your area, as well as your current and projected income. A cautious approach is to spend no more than five times your annual salary on a new home. Your debt to income ration should not exceed 50%.

Also, try to keep the choices on the lower end of the spectrum to avoid unnecessary spending. Only get the extra rooms if you already have children, or planning so shortly.

Conversely, if you expect your kids to go to college soon, you could think about downsizing.