Nine Reasons to Buy, Build, and Love a Small Home
- rachelclaredesign
- Jan 14
- 5 min read
1350 Sq ft for family of 4
My husband and I are currently building a 1350 sq ft house for ourselves and our two children — and, Lord willing, our future children. Let me address the elephant in the room: using "small" for this size is a relative description that many people may find ludicrous. This size is small-ish by US standards, where the average house size is 2299 sq ft, but our nation comes in second for highest average home size. Our cousins in the UK, for example, have an average home footprint of just 818 sq ft (source is shrinkthatfootprint.com)
So, let me be more nuanced and say that our home will be "small" considering 1) the average size in the society we live in and 2) additional inhabitants as our family grows.
Why are we intentionally building a (relatively) small home?
Small homes cost less to build.
Let's get the most obvious answer out of the way. Fewer square feet require fewer dollars to build — as well as maintain, furnish, and repair.
Small homes cost less to heat.
In 2025, I don't think I need to explain how much energy costs have gone up. Like most families across the country, we feel the squeeze on our budget and the frustration that despite our efforts to live below our means, more and more of our income is spoken for in food and utility costs. For our home to serve us well into the future, it needed to be designed to require less energy to heat. To achieve this, we've kept the square footage low, and kept the main living areas open, with a central wood stove.
Small homes cost less to furnish
Curtains, carpets, furniture, lighting, art... additional rooms will require all the same investment, regardless of how often — or not — it's used.
A small home reframes needs vs. wants and fosters gratitude
As I mentioned, America has huge homes — our country ranks third in the world for average home size. As we have worked hard on designing, purchasing land, preparing the site, and beginning construction on this home, I often find myself daydreaming about about building an addition. Talk about getting ahead of myself. These moments provide an opportunity to stop and choose to be thankful for the home we're building — no strings attached. The fact is, having a warm space, full bellies, and a roof over our head means we're abundantly blessed.
A small home is how we live within our means
We want to build a home that we can pay for during this season of life, not one that we will hopefully be able to pay down in 30 years. A 1300 sq ft house is a fitting choice for our family's financial means, and will allow us to allocate our finances toward other pursuits.
Prioritizing everyday practicality over special events
Many families, understandably so, consider their hosting habits when choosing or designing a home. We are no different. My husband and I frequently host whole families or individual friends and family members. While it's tempting to think we "need" more space for these days, there are two reasons I put this idea to rest. One is that I prefer to host one family at a time, rather than holding large groups or parties. The other is that our priority should be to accommodate our every day life over special days. We can adjust and bend our existing space when hosting, rather than maintaining and heating extra square footage 24/7 that's only occasionally needed.
Small homes are easier to clean
This doesn't just apply to how many square feet of carpet you must vacuum or counters you must wipe down. Smaller spaces also make tidy habits easier to implement. Taking fewer steps between rooms requires far less time and energy to pick up after yourself and leave fewer items out of place as you go about your day. It's easier to put your Sunday shoes back in your closet for the week when your bedroom is just around the corner, or to get the kitchen laundry to the washing machine when you don't have to traverse a long hallway.
Small homes are easier to keep decluttered
Having limited space to store objects removes your ability to accumulate closets full of things you never use. Making decisions about what to keep, what to buy, and what to discard/donate happens automatically and regularly. The sheer necessity of staying decluttered will tax your will power less and removes looming tasks of sorting through entire rooms that can get out of control with stuff.
Small homes foster family closeness
Many amenities offered by larger American homes such as double sink vanities, individual kids' rooms, separate studios or play areas, and even "his & hers" bathrooms are specifically designed so that family members can be separate, and don't have to take turns or share spaces. I don't know about you, but that doesn't align with my values, and certainly aren't the ones I want to rest my housing decisions on. By contrast, a small home gives an opportunity to intentionally cultivate cooperation, sharing, and togetherness.
Cons of building a small home
Although I am trying to stay focused on the positives, building a small while our family is growing will come with its drawbacks.
No mudroom or foyer area
In our long winters, it's preferable to keep everyone's jackets, hats, mittens, boots, and snow pants by the door. That list takes up a lot of space. If and when we ever add a mudroom, I will welcome having it.
Increasing family size
We have just enough kids' bedroom space for four twin beds, but may want or need more space as the kids grow, or we have more.
No office space
Our design does not include an office space for my husband, who works mostly from home. Eventually, we may either need to finish a detached shed or him, or factor an office space into addition plans.
Conclusion
The math might say that we're building a small home because we have to, but above that, we actually want to. If you're living in a small home right now, I hope this helped shed a positive light on what can be seen as a pitiable situation by those who are accustomed to more.
If you'd like to read more updates as we continue to build our small, new-old home in New England, go ahead and subscribe to my email list.
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