‘‘Scaling down from a large to a small home"

Q: We are soon approaching retirement and
considering moving from our larger home and
building a smaller home, for financial reasons and
a change of lifestyle. What advice can you offer so
we do not make a mistake building a house that is
too small? Are there distinct do’s and don’ts when
it comes to scaling down from a large home to a
smaller one? What can we do to make our new
home feel like a big one?

L. Peterson, Toronto

A: I can certainly see the attraction of moving from a large
home to a smaller one. There is less maintenance, less
space to clean, and fewer bills to pay, all of these things can
save money when living in a home for a period of time. As
you grow older you do not want your home to become a
black hole that consumes your time and money.
The house plan both of you will settle on is the most
important document in the entire construction process. It
will communicate your dreams and desires to the builder.
The plans must be complete and well thought out in every
respect.
Some of the biggest planning mistakes we have seen
are when homeowners looked at blueprints and threedimensional
renderings of a new home that dazzled them.
The contracts were then signed and work began before the
people even realized how their new home would relate to
their living and entertaining habits.
The best analogy I can give you is designing a kitchen.
People think that a 10 x 12-foot space is ample, until all
the cupboards and fixtures are installed and the carpenter
is loading up his tools to leave. The kitchen space shrinks
dramatically in size when you try to fit a standard table and
chair set.
As for your list of do’s, make a list of all furniture you
intend to move from your existing home into your new
home. Be sure the rooms in the new house are large enough
to accommodate the furniture. Make scale cutouts of the
furniture and position them in the scale conceptual drawings
you can get from the builder or architect. Don’t forget
about the space you need to navigate around furniture.
Think long and hard about your entertainment plans for the
future. If you plan to have large parties, where will everyone
sit? If you invite family over for holiday occasions,
think about how the house will handle this brief influx of
people. Will your new lounge area be large enough to hold
your guests?
Do not assume everything will work out, do not overlook
storage. If you are going to bring lots of things with
you from the old house, where will they fit in the new home?