how many sq. feet do you need for a family of 4? (floor, how much)

[civic94]

I just want to see what the general populaiton think. if you had 4 people, whats the bare minnimum sq. ft you will need to feel "ok". money is an issue, but this amount of sq feet is preferable w/o overextending you budget.


for myself, i would want at least a 3 br with at least 1050 sq. ft. without overextending myself.

[Okey Dokie]

If it's a couple and two same sex children, you could get by with 2 bedrooms. But I'd say 1000 sq. ft. or so is about right if you're going to have 3 bedrooms.

[Billy_J]

In many poor countries, a family of 4 (or more) will live in a one room shack! People sleep on the floor and so forth.

Then if you are renting in the U.S., many landlords will only allow so many people per bedroom.

If there are children, many state's "Children's Services Division" will probably have a say as to how many bedrooms there should be, etc.

If you own the house and all adults, then you can pack them in!

Ideal to me would be one bedroom for the parents and 1 bedroom for each kid (3 bedrooms).

[MrRational]

How much public or entertainment space do you need?

12x12 bedrooms (avg) x3 + 12x12 for (2) bathrooms, Kitchen, Din Rm, Laundry/Mech...
(btw that's 7 12x12 areas) or 1008SF (plus living room, den and extra hallways).

[Pitt Chick]

Need?
Less than you think.

PLUS layout makes a HUGE difference.

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by civic94

money is an issue, but this amount of sq feet is preferable w/o overextending you budget.

What's your budget?

[Charles]

We have four kids so six of us total in a 3200 sqft home (5 BR, 5 BA) so that is 3200/6 ~ 533 sqft/person. We don't feel scrunched. Layout and room use trump raw square footage. For example, Our living room is where my wife and I have our desks/computers. (Who ever uses a formal living room anymore?). Our dining room is the kids' homework room - big table, a laptop, a globe, stationary supplies, good lighting. (Who ever uses a dining room anymore?) The family room has the big TV. The rest of the house is the well used kitchen and the bedrooms.

[Pitt Chick]

Since it was given as a choice in the poll...
I would like to see how the OP uses 600 sf to create 3 bedrooms, along with closets/storage, bathroom, kitchen and at least a living room, possibly a dining room if the kitchen is too small to eat in.

[stevo6]

Square footage is not a great barometer. You can accomplish the same thing with 900 vs 1500, depending on how efficient things are. A bedroom can be 12 X 12 but it can also be 9X10. Big difference. Figure the square footages of the spaces you want and then add about a 12% grossing factor for halls, stairs, and wall thicknesses.

100 bd
100 bd
150 mb
90 bath
120 kitch
150 din
170 liv/fam

Thats 990 X 1.12 = 1108 sq. ft. (if my addition is right)

[nightcrawler]

NOT ME OF COURSE, BUT ever other person buying a house on HGTV needs at least 7 bathrooms per house, one for each room, and another for guests.

wouldnt want those dam guests in your personal bathroom now.