The Gains Of Living Less: 7 Reasons Why Smaller Homes are Happier Homes

The statement “I want to live in a small house” is something that we are not fond of hearing. To most people, the home of their dreams is always something big, spacious, and luxurious. I mean, who wouldn’t want a large space where you can decorate your interior and landscapes freely? Or a space that is big enough to feed your life-long desires and gratify your sense of fulfillment?

However, there are still some folks who choose to live simply in small houses not because they are driven by their lack of financial wealth but because of personal preferences. Homes whose floor areas don’t exceed to 100 square meters like bungalow houses and granny flats are preferred by retiring couples, small families, and those who decided to “think small” and downsize his or her home.

Sometimes, true happiness can be found in the simplest things. Here are some of the reasons why living in small homes is a better choice.

Coziness and Intimacy

Spread out floor plans often create boundaries among family members. It occurs when people in the household fail to see each other even when they are already living under one roof. Small homes, on the other hand, promote more social interaction among the members of the household and therefore create a cohesive bond as a family.

Here you can see how a family compromise in living arrangements by sharing rooms, furniture, closets, and toilets. Siblings become roommates, rather than strangers living inside their own rooms. Parents and children bond by watching TV or playing indoor games in their cozy living room. Family shares one table during mealtime. Lack of space can be an advantage because it can actually bring family closer to each other.

Less stress: Cleaning, Decorating, and Maintaining

Saturdays and Sundays are cleaning days. You might find this as an “ugh” instead of a “yeah” if you live in a large home. Bigger is not better sometime since cleaning, maintaining and furnishing large spaces take more time, effort, and dedication to finish.

Small homes mean less cleaning and upkeep. Just think about smaller spaces to sweep, fewer walls to paint, less furniture to maintain. With this, you may have more time doing the pleasurable things that really matter during  weekends like spending quality time with family or resting after a long, busy week at work.

Cheaper Costs

Along with the privilege of less time and effort in maintaining is the privilege of lesser costs. There’s no doubt that you’ll save more when you live in smaller homes. Aside from being cheaper to purchase, they are also cheaper to maintain. Since you have less, smaller rooms to fill, expect less money to be spent on cooling and heating expenses as well as energy and water bills.

Aside from the repair and energy expenses, you can also save money on decorating. For sure, you won’t be tempted to buy another unnecessary item to fill an empty space. And if you really have to purchase a new sofa or a new bookshelf, you’ll be forced to donate or sell your older property. You may not be aware of it but living in small homes teach you a valuable lesson about proper spending and setting priorities.

Wider Range of Buyers

There will come a time when you have to move in and sell your property. When that time comes, smaller homes have an edge over larger homes since they appeal to a wider market. The value of a house appreciates as time passes by. With its cheaper price, small homes can easily attract a large population of potential buyers like small families, retiring couples, and single professionals.

Clever Design

Who says only large homes can have a beautiful interior design? Large space expands your designing options while space limitations challenge your creativity. Visit a typical small home and you’ll notice that in their simple and comfy space are hidden, clever surprises: bookshelves and drawers on the staircase, dual-purpose sofa bed, and multi-functional center table. Aside from investing in a few versatile storage solutions, creativity can also be applied in repurposing and recycling old furniture pieces.

Outdoor Activity

Large homes tend to have everything you need. In most cases, however, you tend to forget that there’s a huge world out there, waiting for you to explore. Small spaces have an intimate interior, which may give you the need to step out some time and breathe fresh air. With this, you can see the world firsthand, and not just through the screen of your monitor. Small homes encourage outdoor activities which are good for you and your family in both physical and social aspects. You may interact with your neighbors, do gardening or landscaping, and exercise.

That simple and baggage-free life

A simple, uncluttered home is a happy home. Small homes provide you life-giving advantages of living less. You’ll be wise in buying a few well-chosen furniture pieces, electronics, and home items that are stylish, functional, and long-lasting. You’ll also learn the value of every element in your home and retain only what the necessary ones.

There’s a saying that “the more things you own, the more they own you.” Consumerism is strongly felt in the society we live in today. We work hard in order to have the luxurious materials that we want and the big home that we desire until we totally forget the things that truly matters. Taking all the home improvement and frugality aspects aside, small homes teach you the essence of modesty and contentment in small, simple things.

About Author:

A writer by profession and a designer by heart, Mina Natividad devotes most of her time seeking fresh ideas about architecture and interior design. She feeds her passion by regularly writing for Home Plus One – Granny Flats, a construction company that specializes in building cost-efficient and high-quality granny flats in Sydney.