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[qvcfreak]

I downsized to a 1400 sq ft, 3 bedroom 2 bath and at first I thought it was too small but I have become accustomed to it and I love it. I think 1000 sq ft would be too small, no matter how cute. Remember once you start adding furniture, the walls start closing in. 

[Sooner]

One thing to remember when you retire you will be there all the time.  Both of you!  LOL!!

I had a friend who downsized to a beautiful new but quite a bit smaller houe than the one they had owned many years.  They lived there about 18 months, bought the lot next door and built a house bigger than their former home on it  

We all thought it was pretty funny, but she was so very happy with that new house!  

If I had a lot of pets, I would like to build a house with a combo mud room, laundry room and pet room with room for coats and purses, and pet food, feeding station and food storage in the room.  Built in!  And a nice sink for washing up laundry and dogs.

[jannabelle1]

What an interesting thread.I've gone through the gamut over the years. After my divorce in my 50s I went from a beautiful large home to a smaller town house. It's not easy to downsize, and I don't think everyone can do it. A 1000 sq foot home sounds great - if that's what makes sense for you - go for it! You can live with one bathroom and one bedroom if you don't have a lot of overnight guests. Good for you!

[Snowpuppy]

Found they also offer a 2bdr as well as a 3bdr option. Odd thing, kitchen and dining areas stay the same. If you had a need for extra bedrooms they didn't consider a bigger kitchen/dining area necessary.  

They also offer a 2x6 framing option which up here is a must. Foundation options too.

Gotta say the cutsey factor is diminished the bigger you get!

I'm going to study the .pdf's they offer. At $1,000 per plan I want to be sure it's what I want.

[Sooner]

@Snowpuppy. Southern Living website used to have Lots of plans and building ideas

[CANDLEQUEEN]

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@Snowpuppy wrote:

Found they also offer a 2bdr as well as a 3bdr option. Odd thing, kitchen and dining areas stay the same. If you had a need for extra bedrooms they didn't consider a bigger kitchen/dining area necessary.  

They also offer a 2x6 framing option which up here is a must. Foundation options too.

Gotta say the cutsey factor is diminished the bigger you get!

I'm going to study the .pdf's they offer. At $1,000 per plan I want to be sure it's what I want.

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@Snowpuppy The House Designers is a nice website too with plans for purchase for many many different styles and sizes of homes!!!! 

[Sweetbay magnolia]

My personal, but second-hand experience:  

A close relative retired to a small, one level home (no stairs, perfect as we age), in a lovely community, lots of nice features, etc, etc.  Good choice, for the most part.

She has at times expressed dissatisfaction with the small size.  I don't know the square footage, but it is pretty small.  She finds herself spending all her time in one area because there are few options to "go" to (besides a small den, and the bedroom), and it gets a little confining.  When she entertains, that is the "one" space that is, again, the primary venue.  Nowhere to hide the stuff of everyday life.  That place and the furnishings get all the wear.  May not be an issue for you, in the least.

As a guest, I hate it.  There is a small guest room (fine).  The bath is in the hallway, so though I'm not a hermit, it just feels a tad intrusive to have to don a robe to go shower, as my relative's bedroom and den (and main living area) also open to the hallway.  Awkward if DH is there.  Honestly, I might visit more often (which she would like) if the arrangement were a little bit more, shall we say, spacious.  Not even big, just a little bit different in the layout, so that there was a little more of a "retreat" feel.

It's very cute, and certainly not much to maintain, but I see some drawbacks.  Just some tweaking to the floor plan could have made a big difference, IMO.

Outdoors is a whole 'nother story.  Lovely, but again, all connected and visible and no sense of retreat (unless that doesn't bother a person).  Also hot (AZ!).