Small 1931 Cottage

[LocktownDog]

I have been given the opportunity to buy a 1931 1 bedroom cottage in an historical district. Needs minor work ... mainly cosmetic. Not a problem, as I restored a 1917 cottage in Oregon years ago. The yard is a mess, but I can "start from scratch" with heirloom roses and such.

However, my concern is the size of the house itself. Its a total of 500sg of liveable space. Is something so small even worth considering? I don't have a lot of things and live very very simply. Funny, all the other historical houses in the are tremendously large in comparison! This place is smaller than my current apartment but also half the monthly cost.

A part of me wants to jump on this deal. Another part of me is very wary about where I would put furniture. Any suggestions?

 

[dhermann1]

Does it have space for an addition? Seeing the layout would help. I've lived in a studio that was about 450 sq ft, but that was years ago when I didn't have so much stuff. It all depends on the layout and design. Sounds awfully . . . uhhh . . . cosey.
I just cut my housing costs by 60% and I sure support the idea of doing that.

 

[The Shirt]

Is there any room for expansion? A historically sensitive one that is. Sometimes in warmer climates you can also take advantage of incorporating outdoor living spaces. This may relieve you of the "too small" feeling that you have. Start checking out resources and books that focus on "Small Spaces", I know there are many out there. These are great for figuring out storage issues too. There are plenty of gorgeous 500 sf spaces in NY that look like a million bucks if you ask me. Quite a few of the design mags will have an entire issue devoted to the space challenged apartments/houses.

Is re-sale an issue? 1 bedrooms seem to move a little slower on the market. But they always say it's best not to be the biggest house on the block.[huh]

 

[Josephine]

I have been given the opportunity to buy a 1931 1 bedroom cottage in an historical district. ... However, my concern is the size of the house itself. Its a total of 500sg of liveable space. Is something so small even worth considering?

I think a 1931 cottage in an historic district is worth considering no matter what the size. However, do you think that you could live in such a small space? Would you go stir crazy?

 

[Sefton]

What about a basement? I live in a 1924 bungalow that's 775 sq.ft. with my wife and infant daughter. The basement is the reason we could actually consider living in such a "cosy" home. Is adding a basement a possibility for your property if you should buy it?

 

[LocktownDog]

I could handle it. "Stir Crazy" isn't a problem. I was more concerned with the feasability of living in such a small space. There looks like there may be room for future expansion, but being in an historical district I can only imagine the paperwork and permit process would be horrendous.

I'm not even sure how a place that size could be decorated. I was also told that if I open up the place for a once a year historical district tour, that my $280 annual tax might be paid for by the Historical Society. [huh] The only real possessions I have are old books.

 

[LocktownDog]

What about a basement? I live in a 1924 bungalow that's 775 sq.ft. with my wife and infant daughter. The basement is the reason we could actually consider living in such a "cosy" home. Is adding a basement a possibility for your property if you should buy it?

Hah! This is Nevada. We don't have basements here. Just lots of spiders in the crawlspaces.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I live in a fairly small place..not sure what the sq footage is but its all a matter of decorating to scale..

If you have -big- furniture it will look odd and not work...but if you are less concerned with fitting current furniture in...and can slowly accumulate the right sized pieces...it can be done.

i don't live here...but my place is similarly sized to most of the one bedroom places in this complex.......and they are all in the just above 500 range...

http://reinwaycourt.com/index.php4 look under floorplans...they have pictures and stats....so you can -see- what a 525 sq foot place looks like

and to me the rooms are not -tiny-......maybe compared to 6 bedroom new house...but not so small you cant fit full size furniture in...

easily and totally do-able if you ask me

 

[The Shirt]

There are many tricks to making a space feel larger than it is. Mirrors placed across from windows, fold down/out tables, glass topped tables, using side chairs rather than larger stuffed armchairs... Antiques often have smaller proportions than today's overstuffed 8+ ft long sofas. Plus it's a great excuse to buy that new flat screen - right? A standard one would simply take up too much space!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

haha...perfect excuse to get a smaller or no tv...and hide it in a cabinet...


to be honest...most older homes were smaller then we now think -normal-...and they did with less.....its really do-able unless you want to try to have a high consumption lifestyle in a small space.....

 

[Josephine]

Would your boys be staying with you? If not, where would they sleep when they came over?

 

[LocktownDog]

Would your boys be staying with you? If not, where would they sleep when they came over?

I was thinking a sleeper sofa, if I could find one remeniscent of the right period. Or convert the dining room into an extra bedroom for a couple years. They're only over 2 nights a week and in just another 5 years the older two will be off to college.

This purchase would be a more long term project and investment. But doing a little math and planning, I might need 750sf more or less to make life comfy enough. Don't really need a tv and I do no entertaining at all. But I do worry that someday I'll meet a woman who'll want to live there with me ... and then it would be crowded!

 

[Sefton]

Hah! This is Nevada. We don't have basements here. Just lots of spiders in the crawlspaces.

You should let those spiders have a little 8 elbow room! My crawlspace and basement are filled with those "guests"!

 

[LizzieMaine]

I was thinking a sleeper sofa, if I could find one remeniscent of the right period. Or convert the dining room into an extra bedroom for a couple years. They're only over 2 nights a week and in just another 5 years the older two will be off to college.

If you really want to go all-out period, consider a Murphy bed. I once lived in a two-room apartment equipped with one of these, and they're surprisingly comfy. And the whole business about them folding up into the wall unexpectedly only happens in two-reel comedies.

 

[Josephine]

If you really want to go all-out period, consider a Murphy bed.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[LocktownDog]

That's a beauty of an idea, Lizzie. Thank you.

 

[KY Gentleman]

How about an update? Did you purchase the place? Any pictures?
I'm collecting ideas about smaller floorplans for a future cabin / cottage I'd like to build.

 

[Miss Crisplock]

Murphy 2.0

You might consider a look here http://www.flyingbeds.com/

They have 2 twinbed configurations in folding beds.

 

[Esme]

I would totally jump on it!! We have far more space than we need and living tight forces you to get rid of what you don't absolutely love. If we were closer to moving to the US, I would be asking you to buy it and rent it to us!!!

 

[vitanola]

If you really want to go all-out period, consider a Murphy bed. I once lived in a two-room apartment equipped with one of these, and they're surprisingly comfy. And the whole business about them folding up into the wall unexpectedly only happens in two-reel comedies.

Purchase a copy of the Dover reprint of "Wilson's California Bungalows"

It shows a number of floo rplans fro, the 1909-1920 floor plan that are quite livable in the 500 sq/ft range.

One plan in particular had a nice-sized living room, dining room, efficient kitchen, and a "dressing room". The beds were folding units built into the living and dining rooms.

I built a near copy of this house on a bit of land that I once owned in Virginia, and it was quite livable, and with a formal dining room, no less! The couple that now owns the home is quite pleased with it, and have no plans to expand.

There is a rolling bed that pulls out from under the built-in sideboard/china cabinet in the dining room, which they use as their own chamber. Off of the dining room is a tiny dressing room, with vanity, closet and drawer space. The living room is fitted wit a wall of closets with a Murphy bed in the center for when their grandchildren come to visit.

The kitchen is pure 1926, with a large built-in "California Cooler" cabinet fitted with concealed electric refrigeration, plenty of cupboard space, artfully concealed dishwasher and microwave oven, and a 1929 vintage Westinghouse electric range, all with a footprint of 7x11 feet

If "Mission" or "Arts and Crafts" styling appeals to you, convertible bed-sofas with oak trim are pretty easy to find, as are futon or Thera-Pedic bed frames that fold into quite presentable sofas. Murphy beds may be built into wall, or beds may be installed on rollers to roll into closets, or under cupboards.

If one prefers a Colonial Revival style of decorating Murphy beds may again be used, or a curtained bed-alcove in the Dutch manner may be built. Thomas Jefferson was quite enamored of the bed-alcove idea, and adopted it in his home Monticello.

This sort of small home is ideal for those who are not over-burdened by (or rather OWNED) by their posessions, for the space may be conceived as a unified whole, and carefully designed to precisely fill the needs of the owner.