[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
Looks like a few of the “studios” I lived in in Japan. I didn’t mind it. [/quote]
x2. I lived in Japanese places so small that you barely had room for both your nunchucks and Bo-staff.
I think our notions of minimally-acceptable space are partly cultural and can be altered by living in a foreign country. It was initially an adjustment in Japan, having my toilet literally three dick-lengths away from where I cooked my meals, and retreating to the comforts of a single, multipurpose room at the end of the day, but you get used to it, and once you start thinking in a space-optimizing kind of way, it’s really not that bad.
I have a Swedish cousin who does extremely well with a large telecommunications company over there. He and his wife came over to Canada for a visit, and he could not get over the fact that my two retired parents live in a 2000 square foot house all by themselves. He considered it a colossal waste of space. He pulled up some photos of his newly-built house on facebook, and although it had really high-end fixtures, it was mostly multipurpose rooms and couldn’t have been more than 1000 sq/ft. He said that’s the way many Scandanavian homes are. Strangely, a fairly substantial amount of space was allocated for a sauna - apparently, that’s a non-negotiable [/quote]
Classic American attitude is the issue mostly imo…it’s not about what we can afford, it’s about what we think we DESERVE.
[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
Looks like a few of the “studios” I lived in in Japan. I didn’t mind it. [/quote]
x2. I lived in Japanese places so small that you barely had room for both your nunchucks and Bo-staff.
I think our notions of minimally-acceptable space are partly cultural and can be altered by living in a foreign country. It was initially an adjustment in Japan, having my toilet literally three dick-lengths away from where I cooked my meals, and retreating to the comforts of a single, multipurpose room at the end of the day, but you get used to it, and once you start thinking in a space-optimizing kind of way, it’s really not that bad.
I have a Swedish cousin who does extremely well with a large telecommunications company over there. He and his wife came over to Canada for a visit, and he could not get over the fact that my two retired parents live in a 2000 square foot house all by themselves. He considered it a colossal waste of space. He pulled up some photos of his newly-built house on facebook, and although it had really high-end fixtures, it was mostly multipurpose rooms and couldn’t have been more than 1000 sq/ft. He said that’s the way many Scandanavian homes are. Strangely, a fairly substantial amount of space was allocated for a sauna - apparently, that’s a non-negotiable [/quote]
Classic American attitude is the issue mostly imo…it’s not about what we can afford, it’s about what we think we DESERVE. [/quote]
Well… It’s also the fact Canada and USA are such large countries. I believe Canada is only 2nd in size to Russia and USA is 3rd.
Why live in a small space when you can afford to spread out?
[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
Looks like a few of the “studios” I lived in in Japan. I didn’t mind it. [/quote]
x2. I lived in Japanese places so small that you barely had room for both your nunchucks and Bo-staff.
I think our notions of minimally-acceptable space are partly cultural and can be altered by living in a foreign country. It was initially an adjustment in Japan, having my toilet literally three dick-lengths away from where I cooked my meals, and retreating to the comforts of a single, multipurpose room at the end of the day, but you get used to it, and once you start thinking in a space-optimizing kind of way, it’s really not that bad.
I have a Swedish cousin who does extremely well with a large telecommunications company over there. He and his wife came over to Canada for a visit, and he could not get over the fact that my two retired parents live in a 2000 square foot house all by themselves. He considered it a colossal waste of space. He pulled up some photos of his newly-built house on facebook, and although it had really high-end fixtures, it was mostly multipurpose rooms and couldn’t have been more than 1000 sq/ft. He said that’s the way many Scandanavian homes are. Strangely, a fairly substantial amount of space was allocated for a sauna - apparently, that’s a non-negotiable [/quote]
Classic American attitude is the issue mostly imo…it’s not about what we can afford, it’s about what we think we DESERVE. [/quote]
I think this attitude is changing; maybe because the economy is in the crapper and people have no choice, but the trend I see is people moving in to cities, and willing to live in smaller spaces with less stuff. I think they will get used to the small spaces and the stigma of it will disappear.
The state of apartments in NYC (size vs costs) is why so many people now seek places “just ouitside” (ie. a subway ride or two) outside Manhattan. I lived a couple of stops out of the city for years, and had a fairly sizable (900+ sq ft), rent stabilized pad for a decent price. Lemme tell ya, having a good amount of space is pretty damn cool.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
The state of apartments in NYC (size vs costs) is why so many people now seek places “just ouitside” (ie. a subway ride or two) outside Manhattan. I lived a couple of stops out of the city for years, and had a fairly sizable (900+ sq ft), rent stabilized pad for a decent price. Lemme tell ya, having a good amount of space is pretty damn cool.
S[/quote]
Right.
I think there’s a certain age limit one can tolerate such a small living space generally speaking.
I doubt most 30+ individuals would be satisfied in such a small living space
I lived in an 8 x 10 (with a cell mate) for over three years - after that, you appreciate ANY kind of space!
I have done weekend trips on my boat, a 25’ sloop that you can’t quite stand all the way up in with no problems.
When I was in Louisiana I started out living in a tent and later a shack with no complaints.
One can get by if one HAS to. And there is definitely something to be said for efficiency. However, I think that living space is kinda like engine size: there is no replacement for DISplacement! If you want to have a good time, anything less than a v8 is child’s play (generally speaking). Pulling up in a Smart car, isn’t gonna make her panties wet.
But to be honest, I am currently looking at a big house with an outbuilding for my toys on a couple acres just outside of Leesburg, VA - fuck them small spaces! If you can afford it, why not?
I do not consider 400 square feet “small” by any means, especially if there is only one or two people living in it. I grew up in an apartment that was maybe 500 or so square feet, and there were 5 of us living in it. When I first moved to America and saw my room that I had to myself I was almost appalled by the waste of space. That being said, I now have a very large house and all that so I can’t say too much about people complaining about space.
I dont think those look that cramped. Open floor plans are a great way to maximize space and give the appearance of a much larger area. I never understood the typical living room, dining room, power room, blah blah blah, that many houses were constructed as. That, and the fact that many NYC apartments just have shitty designs leftover from the beginning of the 20th century so that everything is squeezing in between some walls or another.
I like NYC, but I will take my house, in the middle of a city, with a small backyard, and ample space, all for under 1000/month.
I wouldn’t mind at all. I lived in a basement apt in NJ while I saved for a house. It was smaller and had 7 ft ceilings. The ceilings in these units are 9 ft tall which are a whole foot taller than most houses have. That helps make it feel less cramped.
Even for a couple, I think it would be just fine. I just hope they aren’t eligible for subsidized housing or rent control. If you can’t afford to live in Manhattan, you can’t live in Manhattan.
Before we moved to the US, my parents and I lived in a one room apartment that was less than 300 sq ft. You can get by on it, but it’s definitely not preferable. At all. My apartment for college right now is only around 200 sq ft and I have to share a bathroom and kitchen, and I will say one thing: you cannot have more than you absolutely need. I cannot wait to get out into another apartment.