THE LIST! That should interest every builder.

I am of the opinion that it hardly matters how big you build. Storage spaces will always get cluttered. I grew up in a 75sqm apartment including a complete attic and a cellar room of about 20sqm, and we managed to store everything. (4 people) It was all full, but it worked. Then my parents built a house with over 250sqm living space, a full basement, a converted attic, and a huge garden. We all moved out of the old place, and what happened? The house was full to the brim after just a few years. They just buy a new set of garden furniture for the 50th instead of borrowing one from the neighbor. Now it just sits in the cellar until the next big party. Same with me. One shared flat room and everything fit in. Then several apartments including cellars, all full again. Now a (small) house, and a few months after moving in everything is full of all sorts of stuff.

That’s where it starts. What does “ready to hand” even mean? If I ride my scooter once a week and have to collect my clothes from the attic, I don’t have a problem with that. Someone else absolutely has to have them in the hallway wardrobe. Same with jackets, shoes, etc. The more space you have, the more junk you buy.

Since it was the same for us and I still dread what it looked like when we moved out of the huge house after 10 years in terms of quantity and cleanliness ... it is more important to develop a cleaning and tidying routine, especially if you have a lot of space. With our 205sqm for two plus double garage, I thought a lot about how I could solve this... Before that we moved every few years and each time we sorted out and did the spring cleaning where you also move the wardrobes and clean the blinds or whatever ... but with increasing size and a full-time job, all that would overwhelm me... So since moving in I have a cleaning and throwing-away plan ... called FlyLady in case anyone is interested ... Because my nightmare would be standing here in 20 years with everything bursting at the seams.... Not for everyone but since then I have the trash, the chaos, and the house under control .... I own nothing I don’t love or use .... Therefore, my Ypgs list would simply shrink by itself as soon as I realise, for example: I don’t even photograph anymore, so off to eBay with it .... There are a few things I allow myself space-wise even though they are ridiculous, like an unused piano and a (currently again very large) fitness room ...

The routines for a big house are a horror to us. describes it wonderfully. That’s exactly why we built rather small and compact with little storage space and took very little with us when moving. It’s really liberating.

The routines for a big house are a nuisance to us. describes that wonderfully. That’s exactly why we built rather small and clear with little storage space and took very little with us during the move. It’s really liberating.

That’s what it’s about: very deliberate storage space for necessities. It’s the laundry, it’s the spare light bulbs ... maybe some should not confuse size with grandeur. Often, planned and focused 4 sqm is more than 30 sqm of distributed space.

Often, planned and focused 4 sqm are worth more than 30 sqm of distributed area.

You say something great quite casually. That’s how I see it too.

namely the storage of necessary things. Why are there actually so many methods to fit a lot into a small space?

From my original thread...

I think the list is great. Everyone should really read through the list once before starting planning. Of course, not everyone has everything from the list But there are indeed very helpful ideas to think about. Certain things are simply needed; especially in the cleaning supplies area. A hand broom should always be quickly accessible. Sometimes things inevitably accumulate that are occasionally needed after all. We are obviously no standard, I also don’t want to generalize from myself to others, because we are probably a bit extreme ^^ Just so you know: In summer, there is a simple QuickUp pool in the garden. It is stored away in winter. But it’s not just the pool that needs to be put away, but also the sand filter system, some hoses, the skimmer, nets, pool noodles, etc. - this stuff takes up more space than the actual pool.