What are your Home SIZE plans? 1000 Sq Ft, 2000 Sq Ft, 3000+...?

[2012 Hopeful]

Hello. I'm looking at wanting to build a larger size home but want to get your feelings if it is a good idea. I have heard of others who "wish they would have gone smaller". We are a family of 5, but hoping to have grandchildren in the future and I'm thinking about future room needs. Do I really need to do this?

What are you building? Are you building on a basement? Are you finishing the basement?

Looking forward to your help.

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Our guest house is 810'. The garage and shop are large and so the
house can be small, and I think 810' may be just right for four people.

The main house has certain restrictions (big diameter logs, centrally
located Russian stove) which makes the house a minimum of 3200'
with a full basement and loft. Too big!

Big means:


bigger building costs
bigger area to clean
bigger house to maintain
bigger heating costs

and

bigger taxes!!

G'pa

[wacked]

I haven't even got land/property yet and that will be my first concern over the next 3 years or so. And I want to have the land paid for before I begin building. Ideally, I'd like around a 30'X30' or so, but who knows. Though I have to admit, I am liking the sound of "As small as you can afford", so I would settle for smaller, but that's just me. My main goal has been what they also say in here - that it's all paid for when it's completed.

[loghousenut]

We planned for years to build a 40x40 with a bump out for a HUGE master bath. I was trying to satisfy the feminine space requirements. Suddenly the boss comes up with the idea that we could probably get by with a 35x35 and a normal master bath. I love that woman. This will be a fine sized house and it is SOOOOO much cheaper and easier with every step smaller. We coulda done just fine with a 30x30.

I don't have a family of 5 but I can imagine 1800 square feet being doable. A 30x30 with a full second floor is 1800 feet. You can go up from there and that's what gets us all into trouble.