Single Mustachians: how large is your house?

[ocandelario]

For you mustachians who live alone (ie don't live with a partner, and also don't rent out part of your home), how many square feet is your apartment or house? In your experience, what is an optimal house/apartment size?

Thanks!

[hoodedfalcon]

My house is 1100 sq ft, and I could do with less, possibly even a lot less. I think something in the 400-600 sq ft range would be more than enough for me.

[KulshanGirl]

My house is a 1 BR just under 600 sf.  I do have a detached studio building as well that adds about 200 sf.  That's for myself and one child.  I love the size, but I'm glad I have the studio for storage and projects and general "I don't want to look at this right now."

[A_Rock]

Single Family Home -- 900 SF with garage, shed and basement for storage.  It's 2 bedroom/1 bath.  I could definitely live in smaller, I really don't use the other bedroom.  But I also have my house on the market and everyone that looks at it, tells me what a lovely home a have but that it is too small for them.  So perfect for me would probably be 700 SF but small is harder to sell to others. 

[NinetyFour]

My "main" house is 711 square feet, with one (sort of) closet.  No garage, no off street parking.  I recently renovated my "shed", which is more like 600 - 650 square feet.  Now I live in the "shed" and I have rented out my "main" house.  In my living space, I have no closets.  I have my belongings stuffed in every available space.  I need to declutter--big time.

[naners]

I've lived in two apartments of around 600 sf now, and I think it's perfect for me. The key is not to have too much stuff, and the stuff you do have should be sized for an apartment not for a 2k sf house. 

[Kriegsspiel]

530 sq ft apartment, though that may be counting the balcony. It's great for now, but eventually I'd like to have room for a garden, workshop type area, and gym space. So basically, a very small house with a garage/basement.

[sol]

Before marriage and kids, I lived comfortably in 517sf of studio apt luxury.

It was a well designed space, great kitchen and lots of closet space.  There were minor sacrifices, like no full sized sofa and a dining room table that doubled as a desk, but I had a queen bed and a full bath, my own washer/dryer, and room for a big aquarium. And a patio. The complex had an on site gym and a reservable common area for entertaining and hosting big parties.  I still miss it sometimes.

Unlike my giant house, it was always clean.  You just can't make that big of a mess in a small space.

[Albert]

I had  55 m2 (ca 600 sf) apartment when I was last single. I think it was about optimum size - big enough for all my stuff, enough space for an overnight guest or a small house party, but not so big that some areas would just gather dust.

[Russ]

About to move into a 475sqft one-bedroom. It will probably be too big for my tastes, but not by much and I'll be able to have people over.

[fiveoclockshadow]

When I was single and living without roommates first I lived in a ~500 sq ft guest house/cottage.  Bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom.  No laundry, no street parking, walking distance to my office (where I parked my car).  Small yard in the front - was me and a German Shepard.

After a few years there I moved into the boonies and rents were very inexpensive.  There 1250 sq ft with a front and back yard.  3 br, 2 bath, living room and dining room combined and kitchen.  Two car garage, laundry in the garage.  Cost a little less than my previous spot.

I actually enjoyed my smaller space more I think.  It was very cute.  And by coincidence my then girlfriend (now wife) ended up renting the exact same little house a year after I vacated - it looked much cuter with her living in it.  So for a couple of years I spent time in both places, definitely preferred the smaller house.

Since then we've gone way too big - you say it is because of having a kid but the reality is we live in our upstairs and our kitchen.  Over half our square footage goes to waste.

[Mayan]

I just moved to a ~550 sf apartment and am liking it so far.  I had previously lived in slightly larger places (or much larger with roommates), but am in a somewhat more expensive city now and this fulfilled my requirements of being dog friendly, close to work, and with semi-reasonable rent.  All of my stuff fits, I can host small parties, and it still has a nice open feel.  Of course, a bad floor plan can make even spacious places seem tiny, and a good layout can make small spaces much more livable, so it's not always an apples to apples comparison

[Zaga]

When I was single my cat and I had a perfect small apartment.  I don't know the exact square footage, but it had one comfortably sized bedroom, a large bathroom, a pretty small kitchen, a living/dining room that was long and narrow, and tons of closet space.  Just guessing here, but maybe around 700-800 sq ft.  Also, it had high ceilings and huge windows, which made it feel much larger.

I was recently invited over to a friend's new place, and when I looked at the invite was surprised to see she lives in my old place!

Now it's my and my DH, plus a small dog and 2 fish tanks, in a 2500 sq ft house, plus a 2/3 finished basement and an acre.  It's a bit much to be honest.

[Mini-Mer]

Single human with single cat.  Layout is vital.  If the layout works, a small place can be perfect.  If the layout is bad, it can be much larger and feel too small.

My first 1BR (~600 sq. ft.) had a galley kitchen, separate dining area, and the bathroom was attached to the bedroom.  There was nowhere to hide a mess, guests couldn't hang out in the kitchen, and the dining room was next to useless.  (I did a couple furniture-finishing projects there.) 

My last apartment was 70 feet larger, but the kitchen was open to the (large) living space, and you could get to the bathroom without going into the bedroom.  If I were still renting, I would still be there. 

My new place (2br, 890 sq. ft.) has an extra half-bath, a spare room, and more storage than I'll ever need (probably).  There's also that much more to clean and heat/cool.  Space-wise, it's much better than the other townhouse I've lived in (800 sq. ft.), and a small improvement over the 670-sq. ft. place.  (Except that my new living room is the size of a postage stamp.  I'm adjusting.)

[icefr]

I own a two bedroom ~1200 sqft condo. When you add in the balcony too, it is definitely on the big side for just me, but I think that this place would be perfect for me + a significant other.

My first place here was a one bedroom +den at around 900 sqft. It wasn't the greatest use of space because I had a huge long living room. If you'd rearranged things, I think 800 sqft with the same number of rooms would have been perfect.

I tend to spend a lot of time in my apartment in some phases and so having a really tiny one bedroom makes me go stir crazy. I really like that from this place, you can't see any other rooms than the one you're in. It makes it feel even bigger than it is.

[Riceman]

Before I moved in with and married my wife, my apartment was 110 square feet, which included a kitchenette and a bathroom with a shower.  The apartment also had a 40 square foot loft (only 4 feet high at the highest point, angled downward to one foot high at the side) which was where I slept.

[rocklebock]

I just moved out of my 500 sf 1 bdrm apartment (moved in with my SO). That was plenty of room and I could have gone a bit smaller. I couldn't have a huge house party or anything, but I had a few dinner parties for 5-6 people, rearranged some furniture, and everyone was comfortable. The small size kept me from accumulating extra crap, though it had ample storage space that I filled completely. And yes, it was soooo blissfully easy to keep clean compared with the 3 bedroom 1907 farmhouse I just moved into.

[oldladystache]

1100 sq ft. Way too big. I have about 400 sq ft that I never use. I originally bought this house as a rental, and for that it was fine, but after my divorce it seemed like the obvious place to live. I should have kept it rented and moved into a smaller apartment. Now I'm hoping to sell it soon (after living here 11 years).

[Zikoris]

Before my boyfriend moved in with me, I had a 250 square ft bachelor suite that was perfect for me. He moved in and we lived together there for a few months before getting our current 591 sqf place. We could easily downsize again should the situation call for it.

Warning: this approach only works if you're rabidly anti-consumer, anti-stuff, and anti-clutter, and basically don't buy stuff at all. 250 sqf is not big enough for two normal people.

[Jamesqf]

About 1300 sq ft, not counting garage/shop, and a bit too small for me.  Not so much the absolute amount of space, but that it's not laid out efficiently.  There's only about 3 ft either side of the bed in my bedroom, I never use the master bathroom because I keep banging my elbows on the walls.

[mpbaker22]

I live with a roommate, and I think our apartment is about 900 square feet.

I used to live alone in a 660 square foot apartment and I thought it was too big.  I had space everywhere.

I'm looking at multi-plexes that are roughly 1000-1200 square feet per unit.  I plan to live in one, but even then I may or may not have a roommate.

[mpbaker22]

Unlike my giant house, it was always clean.  You just can't make that big of a mess in a small space.

I think it's easier to have a small place feel cluttered though.  I agree that my  7x14 room takes no time at all to clean, but I also feel a bit like a hoarder.

[Khan]

1750 sq ft, but I have two roommates(I'm the homeowner and I just bought it).

Before that, I was in an ~880 sq ft 2 br apartment, I like having a computer room.

Before that, ~500 sq ft studio in Hawaii(military)
Before that, ~2700 sq ft 4 br house with 3 roommates in Hawaii
Before that, different suite style barracks rooms.

If I didn't have roommates, I'd like ~800 sq ft with a garage.

[dragoncar]

In my adult life I've lived in a 1200 sqft 1br, 700 sqft 1br, 500 sqft studio and now I'm in a 350 sqft studio (in that order).  I've also rented various sized bedrooms in houses or dormrooms along the way, but I found that I'd prefer to live alone in a tiny space than to share a large space with housemates.

350 is perfect for me right now, but I doubt it would work well with a spouse.  I think we'd need at least a bedroom however small for alone or quiet time.

[kh]

Just moved out of a ~400 sq ft studio to a ~650 sq ft 1 bedroom, living with my beau in both. Turns out, one extra wall to make a bedroom does wonders for my peace of mind. Especially when that wall comes with a rent drop of $800/month.

[MelodysMustache]

1400 sq foot house here.  I wanted room for my adult kids to visit (or boomerang back) and a home office. I use most of the space daily with the exception of the guest bedroom.

[jfer_rose]

466 square feet. I've lived here comfortably for 9 years, just me and my cat. When I bought, I thought I would want a bigger space within 5 years or so. But now I feel that extra space would just be wasteful-- this space really is enough.

[DreamingofFreedom]

My condo is about 1200 square feet- excessive by the standards on this board, but I love it and it makes me happy to wake up in every morning, so I will happily work a bit longer to live there.  Plus it has a separate office with a door that closes- something that keeps me sane.  I think that would be the biggest problem for me in living in a very small space.

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

1200 Sq ft townhouse - 2 BR, 1.5 B, and a small loft area for my home office.  No basement.  Second bedroom houses my Bowflex and treadmill that I got many years ago.

[pom]

Before I moved from the US to France I lived in a 550 sqf condo plus a small storage space in the basement. It was plenty of space for me.

[slugsworth]

915sqft 2bdrm 1.5 ba house. On a half size city lot no garage or or buildings. I do wish I had a she'd or something to work on projects, but the house itself is very spacious. I've had house guests stay for a month with no problem.

[SweetRedWine]

1200 square feet, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 townhouse with a full basement.  Half the basement is a finished room.  It's definately too much space.  All rooms are fully furnished, but the second bedroom and basement room are barely used.