by Erin Sund, homepage editor
The McMansion is officially dead. Affordability, tightened credit for big mortgages, the aging baby boomer generation, rising energy costs and changing fashion have combined to put an end to living large. In fact, the square footage of newly constructed homes in the U.S. fell for the first time in almost 15 years — by about seven percent, the size of an average room.
Designers, architects and homebuilders are flooding the market with ideas about how to downsize without feeling cramped, crazed or losing your personal style. These five pieces of pre- and post-move advice are the best bets for downsizing your home.
Decide which rooms you can do without
Before you start looking for a smaller home, sit down with your family and list your likes and dislikes about your current home. Which rooms do you really live in? Which spaces or furniture pieces just collect dust? Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House, suggests using the six-times-a-year rule. Consider each room in your house; if you use it less than six times a year, you can do without.
As you're thinking about your space, decide which rooms you could combine in your next home. Work at home? Put a sofa sleeper or small bed in the corner of your home office for when guests come to town. Hosting fewer dinner parties? Nothing says you must have a formal dining room. In your next home, put your table in the kitchen to create a casual dining space. There's no one-size-fits-all floor plan.
Get a fix on multi-use furniture
Once you decide which rooms you can shed without cramping your lifestyle, take a look at your furniture. Multi-use pieces like sofa sleepers, bunk beds, nesting tables and coffee tables with drawers are saving graces for life in small spaces.
If a piece is large and impractical, it's double trouble — donate or sell it. If you're moving to a smaller home because your kids have left the nest, you no longer need as much furniture. Tell your kids that if they want to claim anything from their old rooms (or any furniture you don't want to move), they must haul it off by a set date. If no one shows up to make a claim, get rid of it (and don't feel bad).
Now that you're down to the essentials, measure your large pieces of furniture. When you look at new homes, bring a measuring tape and make sure your furniture will fit in the room and through the door frames. Your sofa sleeper won't do you much good on the front lawn.
Put a premium on good design
In a small space, design matters even more. Think carefully about storage space in a potential home. Many older homes don't have bedroom closets. You'll need to bring in a space-eating wardrobe or extra dresser.
Don't automatically rule out closet-challenged homes, though. Can you build shelves? What about under-the-bed storage containers for seasonal clothes? If you're moving into an apartment, find out if there's a storage space available in the building. Explore all your options before ruling a place out.
Also factor in how much light streams through the home (light makes a small space seem larger) and if there's outdoor living space. A deck adds square footage to your living space — at least when the weather cooperates.
Finally, give yourself a truly fresh start by going green and keeping energy bills low. Choose energy-efficient windows and appliances, and consider a space- and energy-saving closet-sized water heater.
Pick a place you've always wanted to live
Money saved moving out of a big home might mean you can move to a more desirable location. If you've had a big house in the suburbs, but have always wanted to live within walking distance of coffee shops and the movie theater, now's the time to look at cozier places in town. Consider moving to a smaller home with a grander view of mountains, lakes, oceans, skylines or fields — whatever's lovely where you live.
Give yourself personal space
No matter how small you go, don't neglect your breathing room. One of the chief complaints families have when they're downsizing their home is that each person feels like he or she is constantly in someone's way — or that someone is in theirs. We all have our own perceptions of what qualifies as adequate personal space and it's difficult to adjust down. Be patient and respectful with cohabitants.
No matter how small, make sure you have a place of your own in your new home. It doesn't even have to be a whole room — don't underestimate the joy of your favorite armchair and lamp tucked in your own snug reading nook.
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