Houses are Too Big and Take Up Too Much Garden Space

Monkeys need lots of open space to live in, not so much with roofed over places. Bedrooms need to be big enough to sleep in with maybe a couple nightstands, lighting and perhaps a dresser and flat screen. A closet/storage/dressing space can accommodate all the clothing, linens and other personal items and keeps the space neat. I built a sleeping room for a client by enclosing a large hallway adjacent to her old bedroom. It was on the upper floor with windows looking out on trees and a view of the lake with the third side turned into an arch that opened to the sitting room we made of the old bedroom, which made a real retreat. Her sons were 16 and 18 at the time and the older son really liked to have lots of friends over so that having a separate living space let her gave the boys free reign in the living and family rooms without disturbing her.

How social you are is a big factor in how much space you need. I've known tons of empty nesters who were not social and did not like to entertain yet had giant houses with tons of empty, unused space. Such places seem extra lonely and they are a huge waste of resources. There is nothing wrong with a big house filled with happy people. But big for bigness sake is a wasteful shame.

Bathrooms have been another big source of misuse of space. An ideal bathroom might have a double sink, separate water closet and shower bath and could reasonably accommodate four people at the same time in a fairly compact space. As a practical matter very few people actually hang out in their parlor baths, they are again mainly showpieces.

And the so called gourmet kitchens are probably the biggest waste of money. A well stocked and organized pantry can greatly increase the food prep areas efficiency, but scads of cabinets stuffed with gadgets and superfluous counters can actually work against a really good cook. Tight and efficient are the most likely attributes sought by the truly talented in this arena.

For the average family of four, a great optimum living space can easily be accommodated in 1500 square feet. In fact, unless the home is used for business purposes or a lot of entertaining and overnight guests, a number within 500 square feet of this, up or down, would be more than sufficient for almost anyone, yet the average US home has grown to 2500 square feet( a number that thankfully has fallen off a bit in the last couple years). Think of the implications for waste by having to heat,cool, light, clean and otherwise maintain 60 to 70 per cent too much space. Reversing this trend could eliminate in one effort most of the need to increase electrical generation. Ultimately it would single handedly drop consumption to below today's levels. Let it be understood that I have had my hand in a number of large residences design and construction. It was always my hope that we would make them so special that the owners would feel compelled to share them with others, thereby justifying their size. I'm glad that Versailles was constructed on such a marvelous scale. But one shouldn't forget that it was inhabited by thousands.

Perhaps most importantly, tighter, better thought out spaces would promote greater happiness and a sense of well being. They would be more aesthetically pleasing, the way that properly sized things always are. The monkey is making drawings and then you can see what he means.