For you to be considering a question like this, one of two things must have happened. Either you have accumulated a number of possessions that exceed a manageable level, or your family has outgrown your home. It is always a joy to hear the sound of little feet running and echoing through the halls of your home. Often, it can be a little too much to bear if you do not have sufficient space to support your little treasures. Here is a list of things to consider when searching for that perfect home to fit your growing family in just the right way.
How Much Space Does A Family Need?
The average house size for a family of four to live comfortably is around 2400 square feet. It is widely believed that each person in a home requires 200-400 square feet of living space. The average cost to build a home of that size will range between $147,000 to $436,000.
Many Americans are not fortunate enough to be able to run out and purchase a home of that size. The minimum income required for a home of this size is just above $59,000 a year. This figure just so happens to be the national average, with an hourly rate of $29.00 an hour or $1100.00 a week. If your earnings are close to this level, then you are one of the lucky Americans who can afford to purchase a home and comfortably raise a family.
Attitudes on this matter have changed over time. There was a time not that long ago when it was common for large families to live in tiny houses. Thankfully, standards of living have improved dramatically since then, and average home size (in square feet) has steadily increased since about 1985. As you can see here, the increase in size has been quite dramatic.
Check Common Prices Against Your Budget
The most important consideration when shopping for the perfect home is to understand the market and how to fit that dream home into your budget. You can start by viewing recent sales of homes that meet your search criteria.
Make sure that you don’t stop with the website linked above. Pricing research should never stop at the first estimate. Once you have found a decent price, see if the competition can offer a better price. This is how you find the best deal.
Why A Family Needs A Lot Of Space
Let’s say you have a growing teenager and two more children under the age of 10. Further, let’s say that your current three bedroom home is nice and spacious, and perfectly suitable for a family of four (and only four). Each child needs a separate room once they reach a certain age, and child services have rules about the matter.
If you find that your children are having trouble getting along, constantly bickering and arguing over the simplest things, then you probably need more space. It is important for children to play with other children and get along, but they also need space for themselves. In confined spaces, it is even difficult for adults to get along with each other.
Children sometimes take years to develop the coping skills required to adapt to situations that adults can get over in a day. It can take months for a child to get used to a certain situation or event. It would be wise to look into the psychological effects of living conditions on childhood behavior. The effects of overcrowding can drastically impact a child’s performance in school and certain social situations and can lead to depression.
Childhood behavioral health is a fragile thing and can be affected by even the slightest changes or inadequacies in their lives. Physical health is not excluded from the long list of things affected by childhood living conditions. Overcrowded housing has been linked to the H. Pylori virus, Bacterial Meningitis, coronary heart disease, and lung infections. Such conditions are uncommon in the United States, but the risk grows in overpopulated living areas.
A person may not even realize that they are raising their children in sub-standard space. A growing trend among American homeowners is beginning to receive much attention in the media. It seems that more and more homeowners are choosing very small houses.
Ways To Conserve Space In Your Home
There is always a possibility that you and your family might be unable to purchase a home that is large enough. You could try to get a loan with which to buy your new home, but it isn’t very smart to go hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt if you don’t have to. If you find yourself in this situation, and you don’t have the money to buy another home, your only option is to create more space in the home through good organization.
One way to create space is to hang certain items on the wall. You might be surprised at how much floor space you can save with a pack of wall hooks. Larger hooks can be put in the ceiling to hold larger items as well. That big old potted plant in the corner? Switch it to a hanging planter! That corner where you pile up your tools? Use some pegboard and hang them on the wall. Most space-saving measures should focus on making better use of vertical space.
Conclusion
It can be difficult to figure out how much space a family may need. However, it isn’t that hard when you involve the entire family. As a final note, we encourage you to consult with the members of your household about their needs and requirements in terms of space. This will tell you a lot more than any calculator. We thank you for reading this article all the way to the end, and we hope that you will fill out the contact form so that we can continue to inform you about interesting topics like this.
