It’s no secret that houses come in all shapes and sizes. From mansions to tiny houses, and everything in between – there is a house that’s perfect for everyone. You may be wondering WHY there is such a discrepancy in size. Are all rooms in a mansion even used? How can people who live in tiny houses manage with such little square footage?

Generally speaking, the answer boils down to what the owners of each home feel they need + want in their property. Whereas the owners of the mansion may feel justified to include a large home gym, 15 bedrooms, and an Olympic style swimming pool in their floor plan, the tiny house owners may decide that they prefer to live with only the basics to be comfortable. The size of your home is truly a matter of preference.

Whether building a new home or buying, it is important to decide early on in the process what your needs + wants are in a home. And those decisions are made by conducting a home needs analysis. In this article I will explain how to conduct this analysis, which will help you determine not only what size of home you should buy or build, but also the quality and function you wish your home to provide.

 

Before we get started on the steps, a couple of notes:

Keep in mind that you are creating a ‘best case scenario’ list. It should be compiled without too much thought about the costs involved, at least for now. Use common sense though, this isn’t a fairy tale! You should also be thoughtful about knowing what is a true need, and which items are wants. This list will be a guide for you when house hunting or drawing up the plans for your new home, and you need to be willing to let go of some of the ‘wants’ should money or selection of suitable properties become an issue. It is very possible that you may not even be able to get everything in the ‘need’ category.
The goal here is to be mindful of how your family functions and translating that information into spatial needs.

STEP 1: WRITE A LIST OF THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE USING THE HOME

Using the template provided below, make a list of each person or group of people who will be using the home. Think primarily about those family members who live in the house full time. Also consider family members who are part time residents, whether that is half of the year or for a week or two at a time.

In addition to family members, also include extended family that visits for holidays, frequent guests, co-workers (if you have a home business), and even friends if you do a fair bit of entertaining. It’s okay if you group the larger categories of people, such as friends, instead of listing them individually.

STEP 2: FILL THE PAGES WITH NEEDS + WANTS OF EACH PERSON/GROUP

Go through the list one by one. Under each ‘user’ title, you will see three categories: Needs, Wants, and Tends To.  Fill in these sections with information about each user, and be sure to add at least a couple of items in each column. Think thoughtfully and thoroughly. Ask each person that will be living in the home full time to provide input.

For example:

CHILD #1 (NAME)

NEEDS: quiet place to sleep, bathtub in the bathroom.

WANTS: separate playroom, own bedroom, close proximity to mom & dad’s bedroom.

TENDS TO: wake up early, play loudly, get messy, love the outdoors.

For people/ groups who are in the home only part time, some of the wants may be dictated by the homeowners preferences.

GRANDPA & GRANDMA

NEEDS: place to sleep when they visit that is not accessed by stairs, clearance for wheelchair movement.

WANTS: private guest bedroom with attached bathroom for easy access.

TENDS TO: have a hard time hearing, be cold, sleep in late, use the bathroom frequently.

STEP 3: MAKE A LIST OF ROOMS

Time to do some brainstorming. List all of the typical rooms and spaces you can imagine that at least ONE of the previously listed people/groups would use.

To help you complete this step, I have compiled a chart of the most common rooms in the American home and the average size/ square footage of each. This chart is available for free in the resource library.

Next to each room name, write down which people/group of people from the list of home users would utilize each space. Once you have completed this exercise, read back through the list and place a star next to those who would use the room on a DAILY basis, as shown below.

HOME OFFICE: Bob*, Nancy, Joshua* (co-worker)

STEP 4: DETERMINE THE MOST IMPORTANT ROOMS IN THE HOUSE

Read through the room name list one more time and count the number of stars attributed to each space. Write that number in the left margin next to the room name. The rooms with the most stars are going to be the most important MUST HAVE rooms in your home. I’m willing to guess that at least one of those with the most stars will be the kitchen. The rooms with the fewest stars are much less important. Perhaps two or three of these lesser important rooms/spaces could be combined into a multi-purpose room. (ex: a play room + family room combo)

STEP 5: THINK AGAIN ABOUT THE QUALITIES OF SPACE

To keep things organized, we are going to list these rooms once more – in chronological order. Use the ‘qualities of space’ worksheet linked below. Rooms with the most stars (as determined by the previous step) should be on the top of the list and rooms with the least on the bottom.

Begin thinking about comforts of the spaces themselves. On the line next to each room/space, write any important characteristics you imagine it should posses. You may find it helpful to reference the information gathered in Step 2.

Be thinking about light levels, proximity to other rooms, the noisiness or quietness of the space, and potential connection to the outdoors. Question whether the room should have designated storage, if views from the room are important, if it should be open or cozy, have a high or low ceiling.

You can be as detailed or general in this step as you would like. Remember that although we are not designing a floor plan during the home needs analysis, thinking about these qualities of space can help you determine the amount of emphasis that each room should have, and will serve as a guide when you eventually do begin the planning process or start your home search.

STEP 6: CONVERT ROOMS/SPACES TO SQUARE FOOTAGE NUMBERS

Now it is time to get out the calculator and determine the amount of square footage that should be allocated to each room.  It is important to note that the star count from the previous step will not necessarily dictate room size. Square footage is determined by multiplying the room’s width by it’s length. (ex: 10′-0″ long x 5′-0″ wide = 50 square feet).

Reference the chart from the resource library for average room sizes. Then get out a tape measure and think about these averages. Do they seem too large to you? Too small? If you currently live in a home or apartment, measure your existing rooms and jot down their sizes. Make note if those rooms feel comfortable to be in, cramped, or too expansive.

Once you have determined a room size that seems right for the way you live, write it on the worksheet in the box labeled SF (square footage).

STEP 7: COMBINE FOR THE FINAL NUMBER

This step will give you a basic idea of how large of a home you are looking to build or purchase. Simply add up all of the room square footage numbers that you calculated in step 6. Then add 10% for circulation (stairs, hallways, etc). The circulation square footage may be less or quite a bit more in the actual built house, but 10% is a good rule of thumb average to use when planning.

Example: For a cumulative 1,200 square feet (once the spaces are added) : Multiply 1,200 x .10 = 120.  Add 120 sf to 1,200 sf, for a final TOTAL of 1,320sf.

This final number will give you a general idea to the size that your family would feel comfortable living in. It is not a perfect science – the home you find or design may end up being slightly larger or smaller – but this square footage number gives you a great starting point.

I hope that with this information you will have a better idea of what size house you should build or buy. In future posts we will discuss how these spaces can connect in a thoughtful way, so be sure to keep your completed worksheets for reference!