Size Matters--But Bigger Isn't Always Better

I am trying to keep a hand full of principles in mind while planning my next abode.  I anticipate this being several years in the future when downtown development forces me out of El Barroco (my urban townhouse in the District of Calamity).  I anticipate that if a developer buys us out, there will be a chunk of change to work with, but I do not want to be house poor going into retirement.

One of the challenges of my modus vivendi is dealing with clutter. My spouse has sentimental clutter which she has vowed to winnow  but the song remains the same.  I have to anticipate "If there is free space, then it will be filled". I certainly have some share of "junk" but that mainly is "future clutter", or things that may be useful sometime later. While there is talk about getting rid of "junk", this impetus would be imposed by right sizing and smart architectural design.

The answer which I am exploring is a modified cargo container home.  Cargo containers are plentiful, sturdy and prima facia cost effective. That being said, the narrow width (7.5 feet) causes some crimps in planning Cargotecture.  Those who delight in Tiny Homes can modify one 40' cargo unit and have around 300 sf of habitation, which could even be mobile.  For those who do not want to dwell in crampted conditions, the standard practice is to weld together boxes to increase the dimensions or to stack and build vertically.

The tendancy in home building nowadays is to have larger and larger manses with dedicated rooms.  According to the American Enterprise Institute, the average new single famlyhouse size has exploded from 1,660 sf in 1973 to 2,687 in 2015.  The Tiny House phenomenon is a reaction against that inclination.

 Honestly, I am somewhere in between those polarities.  While I admire the efficiency and multi-purpose of Tiny Homes, I am not willing slog through life without any storage, dealing with composting toilets and cooking in a mini kitchen akin to heat and eat cuisine in a college dorm room.  But many off-the-shelf plans have lots of "wasted space".  And pre-fab cargo home plans often have open plans which require costly welding.

To prioritize planning, I thought about homes that have many dedicated rooms that rarely get used.  In my experience, the formal dining room that effectively gets used at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Many formal living rooms which are never used. Or offices which devolve into storage areas (guilty as charged). While I hope to create multi-use out of most space, I hope to get away from the habit of encouraging web surfing, snacking or doing busy work  from  the bedroom. 

In recent years, I have learned to love sitting outside, to get the natural light and fresh breeze.  But my beloved can get bugged by mosquitos or experiencing too much sunshine.  Thus I would seek to design a dream home to accommodate both interests.

I have been into home brewing for years, but due to logistics in a townhouse, I do not get to brew beer. Of late, I have been brewing Kombucha but the fermenters freak out my spouse. So I want to create a brew friendly space which would not be focused in the kitchen. I also have been doing pickling and some canning, which is tough to do in a small space.  I should plan so that real cooking as opposed to heating and eating is the main culinary approach.

As for kitchens, we do not need high end Viking appliances or built in refrigerators.  But we definitely ought to design a more than a "one butt kitchen", as it is vexing to be in the midst of cooking and have to dance around each other.  Since we do not have a big family and often we eat on the run, it would seem wise to have a breakfast bar option.  Perhaps combine the breakfast bar with a countertop/storage island.

I do not see the need for a formal dining room.  To facilitate hosting dinners, I would want to explore a portable table which would be more than a couple of card tables but less than a dining room furniture set.  This is an instance that a custom build utilizing Tiny Home techniques would be instrumental.  There was a DIY design for a six person table that was stored in a converted horse trough seat.

Before we were married, my beloved loved to do crafting.  But that is hard to do in the mire of clutter.  In a Tiny Home, there is not to luxury of a dedicated crafting room. However, if a space could be readied to do crafting, that would work.  Perhaps a guest room could have a multi-purpose as a open area for hobbying. 

This discernment process directs me to drop any thought of a formal dining room and that I should be chary about a parlor.  I need to think about pushing liveable space outside for entertainment and avocational activities. For our purposes, a bedroom ought not be designed as a place to hang out or do work. 

Size does matter but bigger isn't always better.  Right sizing could be likened to a skirt: You want it long enough to cover the essentials but short enough to be interesting.