My friend’s 3-bedroom house was built in the 1930s, the two main bedrooms are both much bigger than the main living area. His house really needs a redesign, and my suggestion was that he use one of the main bedrooms as the main living area. And convert the laundry at the back of the house into a 2nd bathroom. Current living area becomes a sitting room, and if he still wants it to be a 3 bedroom he could convert the small dining room to a bedroom. But all the redesigning in the world won’t fix the key issue: he is a hoarder. If someone comes to visit he needs to move stuff so that they’ve got somewhere to sit. I went through and cleaned it all up for him about 7 or 8 years ago, but it’s back to the same state again. The reality is that he’s gonna kick the bucket in about 20 or 30 years and they’ll have to send in a cadaver dog to find him. His daughter will then hire someone to come in and clear the place out and then sell it. His house is worth about AU$2.2M, or US$1.5M, because it’s well located. My friend’s sister is an even worse hoarder.
Modern houses tend to focus on having a big living area, with small bedrooms. I’ve got to admit that I like small bedrooms, they feel cozy. My house has 2 big and one medium sized living areas. It’s an 80s house. We have ideas for a complete redesign so that there is one big living area, moving the kitchen to the current rumpus room. But I’m never going to be able to afford it.
