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donnakt_gw

Smaller Homes

donnakt_gw
17 years ago

Just wondering if anyone else is here..I do have a smaller home and love it..hoping someone else comes to talk with.

Comments (187)

  • donnakt_gw
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I'm still in my home,4 years now. Yes, I still like the size of it. Could use larger bedrooms when family come to visit from CT and VA with families. But most of the time it is just me and my two Yorkies. I lost Mikey Thanksgiving week. It was nice to re-read all the post and I'm happy to see it start up again..

    Thanks,
    Donna

  • User
    13 years ago

    I'm one of the newer folks here now, Donna. Can you start another thread please and put a link to this one? sort of a reference point, or a water mark anyway.
    .....

  • wordie89
    10 years ago

    Yoohoo.....anyone out there? Found this while looking for a thread on kids vs dogs.

    OAO and I have lived in a 2000 sf house for the past 18 years. Occasionally I thought it would be nice to have more room but it seemed just more reason to keep junk.

  • donnakt_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm still in my same home..still happy here. I've been here a little over 7 years now.The sad things is I have lost all three of my Yorkies over the past few years..they were all older..Sweetie was 17yrs..the boys were 12-13 years. I have just now started a search for just one more..It is very quiet with out those little feet running around.

  • fynite
    10 years ago

    We have just started unpacking a 2500 sf house into a 1300 sf house. I never realized just how much of what we owned was stuff we never used / had broken. When we had unlimited space stuff just moved to the back of shelves and closets and we could never find stuff. Now as we unpack, at least a third of what we unpack is getting thrown away or donated.

  • donnakt_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I've had to do that before too..I can say I don't miss things now..I don't even remember what I don't have now. After this last move I did take a lot of things that I thought I wanted and made the move with to a yard sale. Good luck with getting everything taken care of.

  • wordie89
    10 years ago

    Donnaki sorry to hear about your puppies. We lost our wheatie to cancer in October and miss him. In sure you'll find a sweet little one to!include in your family. I likeyorkies after finding one for my niece. Such personality!

    Fynite I know what you mean. Sentimental reasons make me keep things that i don't use or need but I'm getting a little better at it. I just don't want to take care of it any more or have it cluttering up my life!

  • donnakt_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks, I miss my puppers too. I kept saying I wasn't going to get another one..but it would sure put some life around here..I found one in PA but living in OH the distance was too far to get her here..Maybe I'll find one closer. .I keep getting rid of things here but it never seems enough to make much of a change.

  • wordie89
    10 years ago

    donnakt,

    Don't I know it! Remodeled kitchen due to leak and used that op to get rid of some small stuff. Was able to place wedding crystal with brother and sil who liked the pattern (I have my Mom's waterford).

    I actually get resistance from my DH and DS's. You should see the garage and DS room :~O

    I hope you find a pup closer to home. We didn't get a wheatie from an early litter and are on list for puppy from litter due at end of month. We shall see.

  • donnakt_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I have 17 dog beds in the basement..but I can see me getting just one more new one if my little yorkie comes my way. We took things to the shelter but they don't want used dog beds. I wish you luck when the litter is born..how exciting for you.
    I'll be watching for a picture one of these days.

  • liasch
    8 years ago
    1300 square feet... I have a thread here although I don't know how to tell you where it is.
  • Shades_of_idaho
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Licksch. Darling house. I am also a kitty person. We all love pictures. Our house is about 1375 SQ FT so we are about the same. Welcome. I am not sure how to find your other posts either. Sorry.

  • llucy
    8 years ago

    I want to walk right into the picture you posted! Welcome. :-)

  • liasch
    8 years ago
    I will see if I can find the link...it is a design dilemma
  • liasch
    8 years ago
    The dilemma is called

    Displaying objects in small home

    Might be able to find it with a search. I'm on an iPad but even when I go through my browser I can't see my dilemma posted anywhere on my profile...;P
  • liasch
    8 years ago
    Anyway... I liked the comment somebody posted about cottage living; I don't consider that I live in a cottage but it sure is a lot smaller than any of the houses those magazines post as being cottages…. ;P
  • liasch
    8 years ago
    Anyway my house used to be smaller. It's a pitch roof that was built in the 40s with two bedrooms and bath upstairs and then a kitchen living room dining room downstairs.

    A sunroom was added on the front and a kitchen was added on the back, both one story.

    Then a really terrible two car garage was added but I'm not complaining. It doesn't do anything for the architecture of the house but living in Nova Scotia it's a really handy item particularly in the winter.
  • liasch
    8 years ago
    I realized by scanning back that this forum is really old. Are people still on here very much?
  • Shades_of_idaho
    8 years ago

    Licksch many people come and go here. I have been on this Small house board for years back when it was Garden web. Then life takes over and I get busy or run out of small house issues for awhile. Then the need for change comes over me and I am back. Well and winter here spending a lot more time inside instead of the yard.

    Our house is not really a cottage but I named her Canary Cottage. BUT I also have a name plaque Cat House Hill. All depending on how goofy I am. We do have 8 cats and we do own part of a hill and the house is part way up that hill. And I have sassy dressed mannequins dressed in glass in a few of our windows. Keep the neighbors guessing is my motto. I think I am the crazy one of this group. :)

  • Nancy in Mich
    8 years ago
  • User
    8 years ago

    GOOD TO SEE YOU chiming in, Nancy! Makes it feel like home again.

    Decorative items are mostly in my Teahouse, where boxes from our remodel remain up in the loft. So far, the Teahouse has a ways to go before it is used full time as a studio and bird aviary. So what if I get a few birds poopies and some nibbles on the corners of paperwork, it will be our sanctuary from the world, right in the middle of Garden of the White Dove.


  • User
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Oh yes, Lick.....there are a number of us who have been here over 10 years. And I think this forum goes back a lot further than that.

    My WhiteDove is not a cottage, perhaps it is a bungalow, not sure. It started as 850 sq ft. First we enclosed a screened porch which had roofing and foundation already, just needed to have floor level, and now it is a 10 x 10 sun porch with Lexan sheets held in place by 2x4 doubled lumber, so panes are 6' x 2' between the supports. My husband built it up, he is great with BOMB SHELTERS, so it is a good room for us in hurricane prone country. Next we closed in a utility back porch and used it for washer/dryer/w-heater/fridge/pantry, also used Lexan in top portions of the small room....but that is now long gone, since we added a 10 x 31 space across the back of the house when we tore off the old back porch in 2014. That was 310 more feet added to the house, and we also had added a bump out for a second bath and a walk-in closet to the 2nd bedroom creating a suite. That totaled 5x18 if I remember correctly or 90 sq ft more. So we now have 850 + 100 + 310 + 90 = 1350 ..... and that is plenty big for us two old farts.

    My DH has a workshop 10 x 16 and I have a Teahouse 22 x 25 with a loft. That Teahouse was a derelict garage when we moved here, and we'd never have survived the remodel without using it for storage of our goods as well as the construction materials. It is ALL MINE.

  • User
    8 years ago

  • Shades_of_idaho
    8 years ago

    Lichsch, I have been reading just the last bit of your Dielemma post. WOW over 4000 posts to it. I have not gotten through the last page. REALLY enjoying your lovely house and constant changes. I do the same here. Also was overwhelmed with treasures. Been working on that for many years to pare down and like you some things just HAVE to stay in my life. I feel like we have been friends for many years. Adore your ceramic pieces you showed for the craft fair. And just got to your stamping on the walls. I am glassing our walls with mosaics. So sorry about your dear stray kitty. We are missing one for 5 days now. She strays to the neighbors house so still have hope she is over there. She is a wild one and last time she was here I went to give her the one or two allowed pats to her head and she screamed at me so I did not push it. Her name is Psycho and it is well earned.

    I would love to finish your thread and will do do during breaks in my painting project during this day. Working on painting the master bath am 8 by 12 room. I worked until after 10 last night hand painting,cutting in, with a tiny artist brush around my mosaic mirror surround. The new color is the same as the old but not icky builders flat paint. I never managed to get this room painted after we moved in. Life kept getting in the way. So off I go.

    Very happy to have you posting here. I do hope you will continue.

  • Nancy in Mich
    8 years ago

    Hi ML! Good to see you, too! I have been around a bit here and there. Mostly I have been hanging out at Facebook pages for my chronic illnesses (lipedema and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - both considered rare diseases that have made me disabled) and over at the Bathroom and Windows fora.

    We still have not had the bathroom remodel done because Jim has been busy on a commercial job. I have been purchasing materials, though. I have the shower plumbing, the lav faucet and vessel sink, a vanity, two med cabs, lights, towel "train rack" wall racks, hand towel holder, knobs, hinges to make a fold-down shelf, decorative tile for the listello strip on the wall, and pencil molding to go below and above that strip. I am pretty sure what the wall tile will be (faux carrara by Daltile from Home Depot) and what the shower walls will be (Swanstone solid surface in either Ice or Tundra). I am still not sure about the shower base. It will be solid surface, maybe Swanstone or maybe another brand with a roll-in design. The room floor is still up in the air, as well.

    Meanwhile, we are spending the bathroom savings account on windows for the three bedrooms and the bathroom. We still have the 1978 aluminum sliders and they are a bit like having cardboard in the holes in the house, draft-wise. Those should be going in any day now. We are also getting the eaves - fascia and soffitts - covered with vinyl trim and the gutters replaced. Those guys could be starting any day now, too. The rest of the house is brick, so with a little tuck pointing, the maintenance will be done for a long, long time!

    I will have to get over to the Smaller Homes forum and see if you posted your kitchen yet. I responded to this thread via an email notice. Good to see you posting, too!

  • User
    8 years ago

    Shades, I am in shock re the 4000 replies to any posting on our Smaller Homes Forum.....wow, way to go there, L......I'll have to check it out when I finish my most recent book.

    And Nancy, no pictures documenting the redo yet....it should be fairly soon, but please DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH. We are due to have really tornadic weather next two days, and who knows about wifi connections then.

    Sad to say, all my before photos were lost with a computer failure and the backup drive slung itself to pieces as well. No more Western Digital My Ambassador 100gig external hard drives for me ever! Sounded like two cats fighting in a garbage can.

    The only "social networking" place I frequent these days is Flickr, where I have up 29 gigabytes of photos. My user account is MoccasinLanding and there are albums for the remodel and for the homes in Alabama and the one DH sold up in MA.


  • liasch
    8 years ago
    Great! There's a smaller homes forum as well as this thread? Where is that?

    Moccasin, it sounds like you are living with a handy person.

    I live alone and while I'm very creative I'm definitely not very handy. It's frustrating sometimes.

    I used to have sliders in the kitchen, three of them. One of the best investments I've made in this house was to replace all the windows in the kitchen with larger windows. Single hung, gang didn't three facing east and south. This is the south facing window.
  • liasch
    8 years ago
    Ganged in...grrr...Siri does not like my accent.
  • Nancy in Mich
    8 years ago

    Okay, the Garden Web and its home forums, That Home Site got gobbled up by Houzz. If you are on a computer, you can scroll up to the top of any page on Houzz and look at the upper right corner.

    Click on "Advice"

    Go down under "Gardenweb Discussions" to "Home Forums" and click.

    You are now on a page titled "Home Forums." See the column on the left titled "The House," go there and scroll down the alphabetical list of subjects until you get to "Smaller Homes" and click. You will then be on a page with titles of threads in the Smaller Homes Forum. Click on a title to read the thread, enter something in the search box at the very top of the page, or start your own thread!

    If you are not on a computer, try this URL: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/smallerhomes

    BTW, this thread appears to be part of the Smaller Homes forum. It says "smaller homes" on the tab.

  • Nancy in Mich
    8 years ago

    This thread is the original introduction to the Smaller Homes Forum. We are going to have a ten year anniversary in June 2016!

  • mushcreek
    8 years ago

    I'm not sure how many years I've been coming here. Sure is great to see some of my old friends chiming in! I used to be 'flgargoyle', but for some reason that account just stopped working, so I re-joined under a new alias. For those that don't know me, I've been building our house and barn in rural upstate SC, mostly single-handed. The house is pretty much done; just doing some trim work now. I'll have to post some more pics on my build thread.

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2614261/picture-a-small-housethe-saga-continues

  • User
    8 years ago

    Lick, I understand what you mean about Siri not liking your accent. Do you SPEAK your posts? My take on the typing being changed when I know I spelled it right, is that it does not like my word choices. I speak SOUTHERN, you see, and that has an accent even on the printed page! So in your SETTINGS, there is a setting for PREDICTION of what it thinks you want to say, and then spelling correction too. I can write what I want and it thinks I meant something else, and I keep typing without noticing the small blue text beneath my word, which I'd have to be WATCHING CLOSELY to realize I should X that option to keep my original typed word, but I miss it. Then when I look at the text before submitting the post, it doesn't make sense. I know exactly what you mean. One thing you can do on some machines is "add this to your word list/dictionary" ....let it learn to speak your way. I personally turned off Siri it became a hassle...my memory is not long enough to remember where I was going if I keep getting interrupted.

    And, my DH is a retired engineer. He is a very traditional man. I, on the other hand, am quite handy as well--I was single (after a divorce) for 32 years before I remarried, and I became quite handy. DH is from New England, he likes more sedate things, proper and all that. While I, to be polite about it, have a "creative" nature not inclined to do everything by the book. I know what I want. He is also dyslexic, and considering that, it is amazing how much he was able to accomplish in his lifetime as an engineer. Technically, he is great. Artistically, he is flatfooted. :)

  • liasch
    8 years ago
    You sound like an interesting couple. My ex and I have been separated for about 20 years now; longer than we were married for which was about 17 years.

    We remain friends. At age 66 I have a hard time imagining hooking up with someone else because I have been single for so long.

    Yes I dictate my posts. Sometimes it amazes me, it works so well and other times I wonder where they came up with these obscure proper nouns for some common word I am trying to say.

    Can't think of what they are right now but there are some that consistently get mangled.

    The next time it does something super creative I'll try to remember to copy it so you see what I put up with.

    Having said that, the fact I can sit here and just talk into this machine and it puts the words on the page is pretty ridiculous when you think about it.

    I've got a couple interesting house projects on the go; I'm trying to balance out my volunteer work with my private life. Always a challenge.
  • liasch
    8 years ago
    Mushcreek I noticed the post on your thread are from 2014. Be nice to see a couple of the finished inside shots on this thread!

    Craftsman style is my personal favorite.
  • liasch
    8 years ago
    I also love old Victorian, and there is a whack of loyalist style houses in New England that I also love as I grew up in one of those.

    However from the standpoint of being energy-efficient and not spending a fortune on your house, craftsman style has my vote.

    I love the Victorian look but…
  • liasch
    8 years ago
    My house is not craftsman at all; it's 40s Nova Scotia… LOL.

    However I went for that look when I started replacing the windows.
  • Shades_of_idaho
    8 years ago

    Licksch your new windows are Beautiful.


  • Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
    8 years ago

    Hi, I'm from Australia, I deliberately bought a smaller home so I don't have to move again. Want to retrofit it out with ramps etc to age in place.

  • mushcreek
    8 years ago

    liksch- That thread goes up to October 2015 if you scroll down. I do need to add a few more pics, but not much has changed since then. Have you seen my powder room reveal? Again, look through the entire thread, as there are recent updates.

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3639856/powder-room-reveal?n=25

  • liasch
    8 years ago
    Wow!

    That powder room is exquisite! Talk about craftsmanship.

    This place here is so roughly built everywhere due to having been built in the 40s with whatever materials they could scrounge. And then the people that added onto it weren't exactly very skilled either.

    I kind of have to strike a balance between super well-crafted and making things fit in. That's why I do a lot of stamping and spongy and stenciling on walls.

    Rustic is the word I would use I suppose.

    On the other hand, the windows and things I have had installed are well-crafted and they don't interfere with the stuff that isn't too much. I can't afford to redo all the woodwork in the place… I think the windows work because the carpenter did all the trimwork himself. It's not stock trim it is something he designed
    to fit the architecture of the house.

    These are the windows I put into the front studio room. There was an old custom bay in there that was practically rotting off the house. (see first photo ). Had it ripped out and redone, as well as the windows on the north and south side.

    The set of four windows faces west. It's a beautiful view over the inlet.
  • Nancy in Mich
    8 years ago

    Licksch, those are nice windows and the sills are still plenty deep for small plants and such. I would be growing my spring veggies and flowers in there every March!


    TribbleTrouble, welcome fellow Star Trek fan! I have ramped our front porch and the 6" step going from our kitchen to our family room. It makes it so much better for my terrible knees. Here are some photos:

    In this photo you can see the ramp next to the sofa. The runner is level in the kitchen in front of the cabinet, then it hits the dark metal strip in the flooring and starts going down the ramp. The ramp ends where the runner hits the rug that is in front of the sofa. You cannot see it, but there is a bright brass handrail on the wall to hold onto as you descend the ramp. The flooring is linoleum, Marmoleum sheet flooring by Forbo.

    Originally, these two rooms were completely open to each other with a 6" drop-off all the way across the room until the kitchen cabinets started and acted like a half wall for the last 6 to 8 feet. It felt very open, but cluttered. When we remodeled the kitchen, we added a floor-to-ceiling pantry and a corner cabinet that used to be for a double wall oven. We turned it into a cabinet for a dishwasher, raised a foot off the floor so it would be easier to load. These cabinets required the construction of a wall, so we continued the wall as a half-wall behind the desk cabinets. This also gave us the ability to have electrical outlets at the desk. We got extra electrical outlets in the family room, too.

    Before we did this construction, my step-mother twice walked right off the edge of the kitchen floor and fell into the family room. She just did not see the floor change!

    Here is our outdoor ramp. It is too steep for regulations, but it fits the space perfectly! Enlarge the picture by clicking on it and you can see the ramp in "redwood" colored Trex against the wall of the garage. Our contractor made a contoured concrete ramp-end that melds it right into the sidewalk. The Japanese Maple tree blocks the view of the front door, but there is plenty of room to turn a chair or even a gurney onto the porch, then a bit of a tight turn for a gurney to get into the house, but the turn is fine for a wheelchair. My father-in-law lived with us at the end of his life and he entered and exited the home in both of those plenty of times! I believe the height of the step up to the porch is about a foot, and the ramp is 8 ft long when it should be 12 ft long according to regulations.

    Once inside the house, we have a 4 inch step up from the foyer to the hall. I have an aluminum ramp that we used when Dad was here for that step. If we had to use it again, it would be a bit of a bother, because we now have french doors going into the living room (which is our library/music room) from the foyer. The ramp would partially block the primary functioning door of the french doors. I suppose if I was permanently unable to walk, we would just remount the doors in the other direction.

    This is the ramp I have for there. I also have several left for the other 6 inch and 2 inch steps that used to exist in this house. https://www.ezaccess.com/catalog/allProducts/43/transitions-174-modular-entry-ramp  If you scroll down, you can see the longer ramps for the higher steps. They are made of aircraft aluminum and they slide together in sections, so that each section becomes a strut holding up the ramp. They say the ramps can hold 700 lbs. I would guess that is a low estimate.

  • Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
    8 years ago

    Licksch and Nancy, what great improvements! Yes, I'm interested in the metal ramps. We have stripped some of the deck in the front porch but not commenced building yet. Have to get a building permit next. Budget is a problem, as we are working in multiple areas of the house. Sigh.

  • Debbie B.
    8 years ago

    Hi all! This thread is indeed on the Smaller Homes forum. I'm a newbie--found gardenweb in October when I bought a fixer-upper mobile home. The Manufactured Homes forum was active at the time, but since the holidays there has been precious little activity. So now I spend most of my time on the Smaller Hones forum, with visits to the Kitchen forum as I'm TKO, lol, and trips here and there to the Bathrooms forum.

    I'll need a ramp within the next few years, so I'm always keeping an eye out for what other people are doing.

    Have a great day! :-)

  • Mary E
    7 years ago

    Hi everyone! I love seeing everyone's photos and experiences in their small homes. I live in a 576 sq foot home that sits on top of a two car garage. It's just me, my husband and our fur babies. We love it and it's plenty big enough for us. We have tons of storage and a lot of yard space. We grow our own vegetables and I get to plant as many flowers as I want!

    The living room. Super cozy!

    And here is a picture of the kitchen, though some things are different in here now. There is no dining room but luckily we found this breakfast table and it fits perfectly in our long rectangular kitchen.


  • Mary E
    7 years ago

    Shades_of_Idaho Thank you! I really love seeing everyone's small homes. Gives such inspiration! :) I just finished painting my fireplace and wanted to add that on. Glad you all loves pictures as much as I do!

  • caroline94535
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Hi Mary, I love your cozy room. What types of fish do you have in the tank?

    As soon as my never-ending living room is finished, I have a 12-gallon tank I'm setting up for one Beta fish, two tiny cats, and six or so Harlequin rasboras; that's my favorite combo of easy-care fish in a tank I can manage.

    The Beta loves the extra room and the raspboras get along with everyone; they reach about 1" long.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    7 years ago

    Fish can be so calming. Used to have a 50 gallon show tank and I really enjoyed watching it.

    MaryE the white is really pretty on your fireplace. And I just noticed how pretty your rug is.


  • missouribound
    7 years ago

    Cute home Mary! Did you have to downsize before moving there? I know I could live in a small space, it's just soooo hard getting rid of stuff. Dh and I are really struggling with that right now. Tomorrow I am going to list all my china and crystal on craigslist. I've tried to do it before, but couldn't make myself do it. But it has to be done. I just decided to start using it every day until it sells.

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