NL Kile Construction

Have you considered Downsizing your home to make ends meet in retirement?

It is no secret that the majority of Americans are reaching retirement age.  Downsizing is picking up steam.  Many of us will be forced to downsize in more than one aspect... our homes, our automobiles, our diet. With the ever growing price of food soon we won't be able to afford to eat unless we take alternative measures.   To remain mobile during this age of higher fuel prices we will have to downsize our automobiles.   Food and fuel keep going up and there seems to be no end in sight.  Our dollars are buying less and less.

Selling the 5,000 sq ft. home and replacing it with a 2,000 sq ft. home makes sense.  Building a smaller more efficient home that requires less maintenance and energy is the way to go.  By building it smaller you can still afford to make it charming while socking away money for retirement in the process.

When I think about building a new house for myself the first word that comes to mind is sustainability.   Will this new downsized home suit me as I grow older?  During a time that resources are more expensive and my income is fixed or not growing as fast as inflation, gives me cause to worry.    Will this new home require less maintenance and be laid out in such a way that lessens the burdens of old age.  

First,  a good idea still needs a good plan.  I would need to obtain a set of house plans.  You can find house plans in a variety of ways.  The most expensive would be to hire an architect  to design and draw a  set of plans.  Then the plans would need to be engineered.  The cost would be between 5000.00 and 15000.00 depending on the complexity of the home.  Mind you that we are talking about a house that is only 2000 to 2500 sq. ft.  Another way is to look in house plan magazines.  Or you can look on the web.  There are many different sites to choose from.  I found a site that advertized they could draw a set of plans from a picture!

When I think of my ideal house I see a home with a small footprint.  27 x 32 sounds about right.   Smaller footprint means smaller building site needed.  The fact that you need a smaller site means you can take that savings and put it towards a site with a view or next to water.   I like 2 story homes so a shaft for an elevator would have to be designed just in case.  I would not skimp on  windows.  I would buy the best I could afford.  My first choice for exterior veneer would have to be brick.  Brick is done once and it gets better with age.  I would design the roof in such a way that no gutters would be needed.  Gutters are expensive, a maintenance problem.  Without gutters an attractive eve detail is possible.  If you are like myself and live in a place that snows a lot then building a roof that can carry a huge snow loud would be prudent.  Its a lot easier leaving the snow on the roof until spring than shoveling it off!

Now for the floor plan.  I would have a full basement with a direct exit door to the outside.  A  dumb waiter that travels from the basement to the 2nd floor is a must.  The basement would house the mechanical room and laundry. 

The first level  would consist or a entry, powder bath,  living room with a fireplace, kitchen, Dining that leads out to a deck.

The second level would have a guest bedroom, office, and a master bedroom with a fireplace and master bath, and a hall bath.  In the hall there would be a drop down ladder for attic storage.

The days of the giant oversize houses are coming to an end for the common people.  Americans are going to be forced to scale way back.

Norm Kile