Downsizing...

We tried to downsize when we moved from South Florida to Dallas 16 years ago, but none of the builders wanted to build smaller houses on any lots because they couldn't make any money. We traded a 2800 square foot house for a 2900 square foot one for a lot less money.

We are still living here. The master bedroom is on the first floor, so we will stop going up the stairs when the time comes.
 
dseag2 said:
We tried to downsize when we moved from South Florida to Dallas 16 years ago, but none of the builders wanted to build smaller houses on any lots because they couldn't make any money. We traded a 2800 square foot house for a 2900 square foot one for a lot less money.

We are still living here. The master bedroom is on the first floor, so we will stop going up the stairs when the time comes.
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In the UK what you call the first floor, we call the ground floor.What you call the second floor is the First floor to us ! :D
 
We live in an 1800 sq ft home, all on one level. A step up to the kitchen and a step down to the den (older home added on to before us) and so easy to ramp if it became necessary. Driveway leads to back patio which leads to back door all one level.

As we’ve renovated the house we’ve pared down our belongings and given away to the kids and friends, or otherwise gotten rid of things we can live without. We’re still in that process and it likely will continue because it’s so easy to accumulate stuff! But really we don’t have much anymore so when it comes time for the kids to take over it won’t be awful for them.
 
Either SF is inhabited by relatively wealthy folk, or large houses are relatively inexpensive in the US :). Here in the UK, most new houses are small and crammed into tiny plots with inadequate access and parking. Of course we are told that people don't want spacious houses with gardens, where the likely truth is that the builders want to maximise profits.

We actually 'upsized' slightly when we retired, but to a house ( 1400 sq ft) that sounds like a garden shed by US standards. Now, I love this house, but the main trouble is the lack of local amenities, and that issue is getting worse. With hindsight, I might have placed more emphasis on local facilities than on the house size. The on-going maintenance of a house almost 200 years old and the need to travel will need to be addressed.
 
2500 SF house, all on one floor except for a step up in a couple parts of the house (additions were done on slab rather than raised foundation).

I've thought about downsizing but the pandemic's stay-mostly-at-home requirements made me glad my husband had been so strongly against it. Our three extra bedrooms are being used as a guest room, a second guest room/office, and a toy room for the grands.

As others have said, we're slowly purging possessions we no longer need, use or want and aren't replacing them with new "treasures."
 
Capt Lightning said:
Either SF is inhabited by relatively wealthy folk, or large houses are relatively inexpensive in the US :). Here in the UK, most new houses are small and crammed into tiny plots with inadequate access and parking. Of course we are told that people don't want spacious houses with gardens, where the likely truth is that the builders want to maximise profits.

We actually 'upsized' slightly when we retired, but to a house ( 1400 sq ft) that sounds like a garden shed by US standards. Now, I love this house, but the main trouble is the lack of local amenities, and that issue is getting worse. With hindsight, I might have placed more emphasis on local facilities than on the house size. The on-going maintenance of a house almost 200 years old and the need to travel will need to be addressed.
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I looked at a showhouse in a new build housing plot being built with 400 houses ..... the interior was beautiful and ultra modern, but the rooms were tiny.:eek:..the livingroom would have got a sofa and TV in it.. the master bedroom a bed and bedside tables at a squeeze, nothing else... and there was no land to speak of.
A Tiny plot of land at the rear they laughingly call a garden surrounded by fencing and inches from the neighbour, and no garden at the front whatsoever... .. to have any privacy at all one would have to remain indoors .....
 
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I downsized when I purchased my home seven years ago. BUT somehow, spaces that were empty back then have since become occupied with stuff. Not overwhelming amounts but my original intention was to keep things to a minimum.

Also, I inherited boxes of collectibles from two family members who passed in the last ten years. All of it sits in my basement which I conveniently ignore. It's long past the time for me to sort through all of it and make some difficult decisions. It's a goal for next year.

I live in a quiet small town with the usual amenities and I think (pray) I can age out here. I wouldn't want to move if I didn't have to.
 
As I said, we upsized when we stopped work in our mid 50's. Now at 70, I wouldn't want the hassle of taking on a house that needed re-furbished.
Here's 'before and after' pics (taken from streetview).


oldhouse.jpg

Not a flattering photo, but it is set on a nice tree-lined road with a large open green space at the end. This is typical of 60's housing and could be almost anywhere in the UK. This village was established as a shortcut on the road from Portsmouth to London.


house.jpg

Quite a difference. Open fields from front and back. You can see the difference in the stonework of the 1830/40's front on the house, and the later 1896 extension to rear.
 
it is hard and increasingly harder for some. Had a friend determined to save all her junk in hopes of some day being valuable.
i see it all the time someone who finds some knick knack that someone else will pay a lot for.
who know what it will be so people seem to never get rid of items just in case.
 
Whenever "downsizing" is discussed I repeat some of the best advice ever given to me. It was from a 105 year old (sharp as a tack) postal patron with whom I visited after she suffered a mild stroke: "When I moved from a five bedroom house to a one bedroom apartment it was SO stressful, what to try to keep, what to give away (she outlived all of her kids) what to donate etc. All that stress and all that worry and THIS is what we all wind up with: (she points as she says) a bed, a dresser a TV and a chair." When we downsized this became our mantra.
 
DGM said:
Whenever "downsizing" is discussed I repeat some of the best advice ever given to me. It was from a 105 year old (sharp as a tack) postal patron with whom I visited after she suffered a mild stroke: "When I moved from a five bedroom house to a one bedroom apartment it was SO stressful, what to try to keep, what to give away (she outlived all of her kids) what to donate etc. All that stress and all that worry and THIS is what we all wind up with: (she points as she says) a bed, a dresser a TV and a chair." When we downsized this became our mantra.
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You've told this story here before. The wisdom of it struck me the first time I read it and I've peated it many times to friends and relatives my age.

Most people shrink back at the thought of this - they see it as very depressing. I see it as a good motivator to continue purging possessions while there are people in my life who want them and can use them.

So glad you told it again so others can benefit from it.
 
Capt Lightning said:
As I said, we upsized when we stopped work in our mid 50's. Now at 70, I wouldn't want the hassle of taking on a house that needed re-furbished.
Here's 'before and after' pics (taken from streetview).


View attachment 196897

Not a flattering photo, but it is set on a nice tree-lined road with a large open green space at the end. This is typical of 60's housing and could be almost anywhere in the UK. This village was established as a shortcut on the road from Portsmouth to London.


View attachment 196898

Quite a difference. Open fields from front and back. You can see the difference in the stonework of the 1830/40's front on the house, and the later 1896 extension to rear.
Click to expand...
am I missing something here?o_O
 

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