Does anyone here live in a huge house with lots of square feet?

I have a few more questions. What is your favorite color? What's your astrological sign? Do you believe in Feng shui? Could you post a photo of your penis?

Oh Pee, please GO AWAY!

Having square feet makes it extremely difficult to find comfortable shoes.

Define "huge". I live in what I consider to be a quite large house. It is a tad under 5000 square feet. Does this meet your criteria?

Yes.

Yes 5k is pretty large. It depends on how it’s laid out though. I’m guessing you have help to clean it. Does it take a lot of work/money to keep it clean?

Do you have someone stay in your house when you travel? Or do they come by daily to check on it?

OP here just curious how this works. Or if you have multiple homes do the other homes sit empty? I have a hard time believing that people would pay full-time staff for more than one home. The costs would be outrageous.

I have a couple of rich relatives but they don’t do the big real estate thing and I think this is why.

2 r6 It is a two-story house and we do not have help cleaning it. There are only two of us in the house and neither one of us is a slob so it doesn't really get messy. It has five rooms that are basically unused so I don't clean them often. About once a month I will vacuum and dust those rooms. I clean the kitchen and the two used bathrooms daily and the others about once a week. We never felt the need to have anyone check on the house when we travel (oh, God, remember travel? Oh, how I miss the ignorant bliss of pre-COVID). The house is in a gated community so there isn't a lot of worry about having someone check on the house or stay in it while we are gone.

R8, you must not have pets or you'd need someone to come take care of them when you travel (unless you take them with you, of course).

Didn’t think about the gate. Plus these days you can have remote security. I guess I would worry about a pluming or gas leak or something going wrong with the house more than security. Or the things you don’t think about.

If I were to inherit some money, I would want to have one huge home with multiple rooms for different uses. And then one vacation home on a lake or something. But then the lake house would sit empty for long periods, and then the main house would be empty during vacations.

The empty house thing freaks me out if it is going to be more than a week or two. I don’t see how you get around not having some kind of help in this situation.

The bathrooms alone in a large house seems like a nightmare to clean. There is always more bathrooms than bedrooms.

So let’s say you have one helper at the main house. And then one helper at the vacation house to come by and check on it and dust etc.. Then that is two people to pay, minimum, not to mention yard work, which would be two more people, one to maintain each yard.

So that is 4 helpers to pay, not to mention any other regular upkeep that needs done.

R10, you'd better kill off a couple more relatives to be sure you inherit enough money to cover all that upkeep.

We have just over 5500 sq. ft. of living space and another 650 sq. ft. of terraces. It’s a “lock and leave” type of building just off Las Olas Blvd., so it’s fairly carefree. I have a weekly housekeeper/manager that cleans and shops for essentials; she lets herself in and has the downstairs code. Ironically the only space we use is the kitchen/living combo (loft style) and master suite (I guess the politically correct term is “primary bedroom” - “master suite” has been deemed to relate to plantation living where slaves were mistreated). The only downside is monthly homeowners dues in the amount of $2800, but that’s standard in condo living here. Now I couldn’t imagine living in a small space without 16 foot ceilings and glass walls.

R4 is much bigger than I, but I have some thoughts.

We lived in 3500 sq ft. The house was about 5 years old when we bought it. It was a 5/4, and seems ridiculous for just two gay men, but we bought it with the expectation that one of our parents would be living with us. That didn't happen.

It was on 3/4 acre so we used landscape companies to help. We had a house cleaner every two weeks. We were lucky that we could afford that kind of help, but yes, a larger house does require a greater time commitment and more repair expenses. We were lucky that I was handy and had the tools, so I did any maintenance that wasn't plumbing or electric.

We never traveled for more than a week or two at a time and had neighbors that were also very good friends, so they were always available to watch the house and water plants.

Then...we moved and downsized to half that size. All that extra space doesn't seem so silly any more. If we hadn't moved partially due to not liking the area we had lived in, I would be crazy with regret. I miss that house desperately. This house is certainly adequate and more than many people have, but I would like more room.

For all those that are planning to downsize, think very carefully about what you have and what you really want to keep and to live in. It's not so easy to fit the contents of 3500 sq ft into 1700 sq ft, and it's also not so easy to get rid of all your "stuff", unless you choose to throw it all away by hiring a junk hauler. Trying to sell it all is tedious and time consuming and not at all lucrative. And as most people know, you will NEVER get either what it's worth OR what you think it's worth.

But that would be a different thread about downsizing.

I feel very lucky that we had that house once and that we were able to enjoy it and afford it in a different economy.

Partner and I have been in our 14 year old 4,000 sq ft house for two years now. It is the largest home we've ever had. It is on one level in a FL gated community. Our last two houses were 2,500 sq ft. This is bigger but not much more work, just some additional space to clean, which we do ourselves. It has the same number of rooms as our old house. We didn't buy additional furniture when we got here, everything is just spaced out further here. I have some outdoor flower beds that I take care of and an outside crew does the lawn each week. I wash windows, which I am good at. It is a welcoming space for entertaining, I'm looking forward to having friends over once Covid subsides.

It’s just me. My home is about 3600 ft.² which isn’t huge, but it’s a lot for me. I may sell in the future.

R15 do you clean all the toilets yourself? That seems like that would be constant cleaning. If you have 4 toilets, that would be cleaning one toilet every day or every other other day.

And the shower/tubs.

I love the 4K on one level idea. Big enough yet no stairs.

Sorry you miss your space r13. Seems like it could be a bit disappointing. But maybe you can add on a room or two in the future.

I have a huge house but I only have two normal shaped feet.

I live alone and purchased a large home before retiring with the plan to "age in place". This will be my last home. With a couple of spare bedrooms / baths, I have room for a live-in aide or other in-home assistance when the time comes rather than move into an assisted-care facility. Hopefully I will never need that kind of help, but that was the motivation for a larger home. It's a condo, so lock & leave when I travel.

We have about 6,000 sf. Not really a huge house, but the two of us can spend a whole day without crossing paths, if we're individually busy. It's 120 years old so there's been a lot of work and money that's gone into it, and more always needed, but we like and use all the space. We've changed some parts of the floor-and-room plan, but haven't done the "open space" crap that turns an older house into something looking like a Home Depot.

We have another house in the neighborhood (family home we use for extra guests) and keep a smaller country place. We're never gone from here more than a month, and have people keep things up when we're gone. Help is harder to find than ever, but we are appreciative and generous with anyone who works for us.

We control the temperature and humidity in various parts of the houses anyway, but people are usually around in the larger house even when we're away. The guest house goes dark and warm (or cool) when not being used, except for the yard guy who lives in a carriage house there (second floor over garage).

We'll cut down eventually and probably will just move into the guest house when we do that. But it's nice not to have cabin fever.

I inherited my parent's house (5800 sq ft) but don't live in it. It's been leased to the feds for almost 20 years now. My condo is 3000 sq. ft. and yes it's much too big for one person, but I've lived in it since 1976. I'll move one day and give it to my goddaughter (the house goes to my godson), I'm 68 years old and moving house is not a simple task when you're past a certain age. I do have help with the cleaning in the condo. Same lady and her crew for almost 30 years.

I restored an old house of 5000 square feet. It was a headache until the restoration was finished and after that the everything in the house was working properly, it was reliably tight and weatherproof and secure and most of all comfortable, and a pleasure.

It took over a year to do all of this, and the down time was useful to buy the right things for furnishing the house having previously lived in a house that was closer to half that size, and on a different scale. Furnishing it well took longer than restoring it. Rooms were large and essentially it was a house of living rooms, and a living room that was also a library, and a couple of dining rooms, and a study that was a living room except it had a desk, and a few bedrooms where there had been more but only one used. Between checking the doors and turning off the lights at night, it took the better part of fifteen minutes to make a round of things before bed, but that was an enjoyable custom. Along with turning the lights on, it was the one time of day I would go into some rooms.

Maintenance was not bad at all once you developed a routine. The house was large but only a few rooms saw much traffic at all and some rooms saw barely any use most of the time so they stayed relatively clean on their own, needing only a quick dusting and vacuuming. Someone came in every month or every couple of weeks and did a thorough dusting and vacuuming and cleaning of the kitchen and bathrooms. Otherwise window cleaners came once or twice a year. And someone came every week in summer to cut the lawn.

Leaving the house to travel was a worry. I had people stay at the sometimes, or hired neighbors or pet sitters to come once or twice a day to look in on things. It was too much to ask as a favor certainly, and you had to pay enough to make it seem a serious responsibility, too. Having the pets actually made it easier to find people to look after the house because you can find some very responsible pet sitters. When I had to explain the house to a pet sitter or someone I realized that it was a little complicated. Different heating systems, water heating systems, multiple thermostats, complicated plumbing, all those lights (I would put many of them on timers then have the sitters leave on random lights or TVs.) For a spur of the moment quick trip I could rely on some neighbors, and returned the favor for them as well. For long trips it mean a fair chunk of money for someone to look in on the pets and house.

I've never understood why old people move to a bigger house after a partner dies, guess the huge life insurance payout burns a hole in their pocket? lol

After her husband died of cancer, a female relative, at 77, bought an expensive four story condo. Her adult children, all out of their own, didn't know what to make of her decision. Knowing their kooky mom, none expected any of the insurance money, however, none thought she'd buy an expensive condo at her age.

The condo is as much work, actually more work, than the ranch house she raised her family in. Four stories for one person? All the rooms are huge and one walk-in closet is essentially a medium sized room.

She's always complaining about her bills, how difficult the condo is to clean and other nonsense. I told her, 'Your drama is totally self-created. Why did you sell your old home, it was already paid for, in good condition and basically, there was no reason for you to move."

This woman has no life, all she does is shop, watch TV and argue with family members. Her surviving siblings avoid her phone calls.

She's extremely difficult, has no real friends and is not dating anyone. Her children fear for her mental health and are not sure what to do, one has actually moved across the country to get away from her.

Our house is 7500 SF with 5/5. We have a 1500SF finished basement with a screening room (never use) and a gym (never use) and a bar/lounge area (sometimes used). We have a housekeeper 2x a week. It's just two of us and a bit ridiculous that we have this large of a home. But the grounds are amazing and the house is a showstopper during the holidays.

R24

I'm the guy with a 3500 sq ft 5/4, and all our rooms were a generous size. If you subtract your 1500 sq ft basement you still have 6000 sq ft and it's a 5/5.

How big are your rooms? That's 2500 sq ft more than we had and you have the same amount of bedrooms (and only one more bathroom).

Whenever I see very large houses, I'm always curious as to where the sq ft is. Can you give me an idea of how your sq ft are apportioned?

TIA.

No! In 2017 I had ac1,500 sq ft home built so I could downsize!

I grew up in a 10,000 sq ft house. You cannot do it without staff. Staff as in plural.

R25 the master (excuse me) primary suite is quite large - about 500SF. The other 4 bedrooms are also oversized, ranging between 3-400SF each.

R21, So that larger house is a "safe house" for witnesses in Federal trials?

My husband and I lived for 35 years in 3 floors of a NY brownstone - 3000 square feet. When we “retired”, we moved to a warmer climate and downsized to a 2-bedroom, 900 square feet condo with a 2-car garage. Downsizing was easy for me, but really difficult for my partner. He secretly put things into storage and paid a monthly fee to keep them there, with hopes that eventually, he’d be able to repatriate the stuff.

We rehabbed the condo, and I was very happy with the results. But when friends came to visit, the comments were always variations on “This is lovely, but at some point, you’re going to need more space.”

So four years after our move to the condo, we bought a 3600 square foot home on an acre of land. Built in 2007, it needed no major upgrades, and we could concentrate on just decorating it. Suddenly, out came the stuff in storage, and I couldn’t complain, since it filled the new house nicely.

To maintain the space, we have a gardener who comes once a week for four hours, and we have a cleaning lady who comes once every other week for three hours. Other than that, we maintain it ourselves. I love having the extra space, and it does feel more comfortable than the condo. I do wonder what will happen if one of us passes away. We still own the condo, so returning there is always an option.

I do think that Marie Kondo would not be pleased.

R13 Some years back I had to move in a hurry from a 100 square metre apartment (about 1100 sqft) to a 4 square metre room (43 sq ft) as a result of a relationship breakup. I had to get rid of a LOT of shit fast, and yes I gave a lot away or sold it for a fraction of its worth. I wish I could have kept some of it but I had nowhere to put it. I did put some into storage but only less than a quarter of it. I have since got rid of even more since moving in with current partner.

Would love to move into something bigger one day, but sharing with others. Dream home if I won lottery would be grand but shared with some others. If I was living alone I'd just get an apartment or cottage, my first apartment was less than 28 sq metres (300 sq ft) and I loved it

Big houses are for sharing with people, I couldnt be bothered with one just for myself

I went from a a single wide to a double wide and I am just lost in all this space !!!!!!

My partner and I owned a 3,000sf 4-bed / 3.5-bath duplex unit in a three-story building. The ground floor unit, which had been neglected and completely unimproved for decades, went on the market. We bought the unit and spent the next 2.5 years renovating it as well as parts of our own unit, ourselves. People encouraged us to combine the units into one large townhouse, which would have been 4,450sf +/- of living space. Instead, we created an additional entrance to the ground floor unit, off the main interior stair. The entrance to the unit consisted of double pocket doors that could be left open to create a natural extension of the upstairs living spaces, or locked off for when it was occupied by renters.

Aside from the renovation, I having a dwelling that size wasn't particularly burdensome. We were both busy and had always had a cleaning service, so adding a few extra hours per month for upkeep of rooms we didn't use very often wasn't an issue. We also enjoyed doing our own repairs and renovations, except for outsourcing certain things we were unqualified for, like an electrical panel replacement, wiring, replacement of a torch-down roof, and construction of a roof deck.

We live in a 4,000 sq foot Colonial. 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Never imagined I would have a house this big.