DH and I have recently been talking about downsizing.The kids are all grown and have homes of their own. We have a 5 bedroom house with 11 rooms total. While I do agree it's a whole lotta house I think what is really scaring me is losing all of my sewing space. Right know I have the entire second floor. I have a beautiful sewing cabinet that my Dad built with a lift up extension to make it 6 ft square. A sit down tin lizzie 18. A stand up homemade frame with a jenome 1600p that I am in the process of trying to sell and a grace hand quilting frame. My spinning wheel , My embroidery machine and all of the gadgets and fabric to go along with all of it.
Maybe I'm just afraid of packing it all. The good thing is we are looking at 2 houses that are in walking distance of my favorite quilt shop.( this could be trouble).
Has anyone else been through this recently. Our neighborhood isn't what it used to be and I really would like to go somewhere new. I guess just a little scary when you have lived in the same house for 20+ yrs.

Hard decision to make. Pray about the choices you have.

We too will be downsizing within the next couple of years. Our home, yard and pool are too large and getting so hard to maintain. We want to go to a single story home. We have a two-story right now. As I watched our folks try to manage our stairs I realized that this is not a home we will be able to retire in. We do have another home in the San Diego area that is half the size of this one and single story that our son and his wife are living in. When we retire there I am taking over one entire bedroom for my sewing area. Hubby already knows this. That will leave our master bedroom and one other bedroom for guests. Enough room to my thinking for houseguests. lol

hey there, I have moved a continent recently just to be with the man I love. I gave up all my swing space, sewing machine and stash plus family and friends of a lifetime to be with him. Was it worth it? Yes a thousand fold!! Just bite the bullet and do whatever seems the best to your heart, and follow it through. if you follow your heart you won't go wrong. It y be a big move or a small move but it will be the right move :) My heart is with you...

I think I'll be ok once we really start to look .It's just the thinking about it and the what ifs that are making me edgy.

We downsized when our son graduated from HS. It was great, until he got married and had a child. Then we had to upsize to have room. I got a (very small) sewing room in the move, so I was excited about having a little more space again.

You are talking about big changes and they aren't easy. Good luck!! It will work out but I do hope you get a big sewing room. Sounds like you have some great stuff! :)

Our old house was 1700 sq. ft., my sewing room was 20x20, a 3 car garage on 4.5 acres with a seasonal creek, 35 miles out of town. Our "new" home is an old 1963 single wide mobile home with a small add on, for a total of 800 sq. ft., my new sewing room is 9x15, we have sort of a "garage" and a "barn", dirt floors, no windows and certainly not air tight, but we do now have 80 acres and we're 7 miles out of town, plus it's a MUCH smaller town, 2,800 compared to 500,000. I look at it as a temporary situation, because after we get our granddaughter out of college, then we'll either build a home or put a much bigger modular home on our property.

If you are using that much space for quilting, etc. would you be happy in a smaller space? What you have now seems like a dream to me, and many others, I would bet!

What a blessing you two will be moving in to a new home together. Your fears are justified, and understood, but please look at the blessing you have. I am downsizing also, but it will just be me when the move occurs. I simply cannot mange the property on my own. You see, my DH of 45 years has incurable esopogeal cancer. His tearful episode today, the first since July '10 diagnosis, of "I'll die worrying about you and all this stuff, and the mess it will be. We have to get it all sorted out". It's just stuff. If downsizing will ease his mind---it's done! Please don't think I am throwing stones, I'm just suggesting you really look at your blessings.

YIKES>>.you will still need quite a bit of space for all of that stuff!...and you know what I say about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence....greener means it takes more fertilizer(nice word) and work to keep it green! Our neighborhood is NOT what I would have chosen, but it is a nice house and we can afford it...sooo we make do....story of my life...

my best friend from school searched out the PERFECT state, city, block etc to retire and build her DREAM home....a year later they sold and moved 8 states away...why you ask...her NEW perfect neighborhood had 3 crack houses busted in it within a year.....we are talking $250,000 plus homes in an upscale area of Oregon....

goes to show you...you just NEVER know who lives next you...and perfect is usually in our heads...not in the realm of reality!

same house for 24 years.
1 thous. square feet three steps down from front and back doors. main floor 1500 square feet 9 steps up.
we moved down to the college student, MIL apartment due to the steps..
so, I MISS a sewing room.. be sure you have that one room to spread out !! don't loose a sewing room !
My daughter and her family ( husband, 2 children and dog) moved in main house while husband traveld so much. he no longer travels, my disablity has them living here anyway.. so our down size was not to find a differant home. but did get rid of one floor of STUFF.. ahah
STill WARNING.. give yourself a sewing room dear.. you will MISS it.
Ell

Yes we have to. Live in a six bedroom home for the past 34yrs. Kids grown. I just look at all the stuff and think I'm to old for this.

I downsized 6 years ago. Current house is 3 bedrooms and two baths. Just me so you would think this is enough space. NOT!! Former sewing room as 18 x 30. Considering building a seperate building for sewing, or moving to larger house. As my dad always said, it's easy to move up but difficult to move down. If sewing/quilting is your passion, give that space serious thought.

I downsized 6 years ago. Current house is 3 bedrooms and two baths. Just me so you would think this is enough space. NOT!! Former sewing room as 18 x 30. Considering building a seperate building for sewing, or moving to larger house. As my dad always said, it's easy to move up but difficult to move down. If sewing/quilting is your passion, give that space serious thought.

We too are talking abt downsizing from our main home of 33 yrs to living at our Lake hse...Personally don't know if I want to do that and live at the Lake full time...then it's not a get away anymore. So we're thinking of buying something smaller down south to spend winters and then summers up north at the Lake...Still love NY and don't know if I can leave.

Glad you posted. We are looking at downsizing in four years. We bought a 2 bedroom condo in Florida this spring and hopefully will use the family cottage we share in the summers (after selling our house). We don't have a huge cape but we do have a lot of stuff. And I do have the spare bedroom for all of my sewing stuff, craft stuff etc.

We didn't plan on moving so fast on Florida property but we found a real deal that we couldn't pass by. I had just bought a treadle from a friend too. That won't be going to Florida! My backup plan (just a pipe dream, really) would be to have a little RV in the driveway at the cottage just for sewing.

Lots to think about!

For me it's the thought of packing and going thru everything! After 20+ yrs in the same place u accumulate a lot of stuff!!!0

We "downsized" almost 3 years ago. We started talking about 2 yrs before, it was rather emotional. We had been in the other house 33 years and that is where the kiddos grew up...lots of memories but they go with you. Like you the neighborhood was changing and dh wanted tall ceilings and less land. Land was the only downsize part! This house is larger on less land...lol.

We have lived in this house for 28 years and I love it. Wouldn't know what to do without it. But I am sure that one day I will have to say goodbye to it. Its a big decision.

Everything will work out for you with the downsizing. Change brings anxiety but once you get into your new place... you will love it. Your decision to downsize is a great idea.

This is an exciting time for you, I dream of having a quilt shop within twenty minutes, never mind walking distance! Think of it this way, less to clean, and more time to sew. Just make sure your new home has a large enough sewing room, with lots of light and sunshine pouring in where you will be happy. Its especially important to have that one room that you can close the door to when company arrives. so try not to make it a room that you have to make into a guest room when you have overnight family/friends stays.

we think we found a house we might like. If it looks as good on the inside and the descriptions are accurate it is just what we need. It has 2 bedrooms down and one up. It's like a cape cod type house so the upstairs has the slanted sides. That would be my sewing room. The entire upstairs. DH would have the garage he has always wanted for his MAN stuff. The best part. I am3 blocks from the local quilt shop. I thinks its all of the stuff we have to do to sell ours and then to pack (ugh) and the move itself that has me nervous. I just hope we can sell our house. The way the market is I'm not so sure.

We downsized when DH retired by selling the house & keeping some ground with a 3 car garage on it.Eventually it was made into our retirement home.Large living room & family room, one bedrm & bath....plus a utility room used for my sewing space.We also have a lovely front porch where we spend lots of time from Spring till Fall.

When I had knee replacement surgery we were so glad to be in a one level house.This yr,I had a hip replaced,so smaller is better....for us.I can clean the whole place in a few hrs & deep clean in a couple days.

It also means lower utility bills.We're just 3 miles from town on a level road.It was a good decision,but one that is different for everyone.

It is scary when you first think about it. But, if you take it one step at a time and don't think about the "worst scenerios" you will be fine. You may come to wish you had done it sooner and what the heck you were waiting for! I was you about 10 years ago!

My husband and I moved across the country about a year ago. Left a home of about 3800 sq. ft. to one about 1800. We literally gave away rooms of furniture before leaving ... that alone felt great! The process was not as difficult as I thought it would be and it was a good feeling to just keep what we really wanted (and used).

Good luck and enjoy your new place!

I love this board, You all make life so much easier. Just to hear everyone elses experiences is calming.

our house is paid off and I always think of moving but with husband lost his job the only way we are going to move is if we have to sell. but I have had the whole upstairs for sewing and now I can't do stairs because I kneed a new knew and my sewing stuff is cluttering up the living room its a mess but husband doesn't mind. But I would love a house on one floor find the house with a large family room and turn it into your sewing room or combine two bedrooms there is always a way

We thought about downsizing too but with my requirements for a sewing room and his requirements for a workshop, we'd have to get a bigger place! Neither one would want to compromise on the space, especially since it would be our last house. So for now we're staying put.

when DH and I decided to live together (with my then-13 year old DD), we chose to gut my apartment to the walls and start over. I'd been there 20 years already. WOW did I find and chuck tons of stuff. The truth? I really didn't miss it. we built a sewing space for me that is also used for guests. The plus was livign with the man/prince of my dreams! so, I downsized sort-of and it was fine

I agree...it's good when you can make one room do the work of two.Our utility room only had a water heater & lots of stored junk.The junk went away & moved my sewing stuff in.Works great.
The family room has 2 sofas & room for 2 air mattresses.It's space for family when they need to stay over, or my Sis/DD comes from out of state.Lots of room to set it up as a dining rm during holidays.

I know this is a hard decision to make. I agree with other; make sure you have a dedicated sewing ares. Good luck!

We've owned our house for 35 years. When DH was transferred for work we rented it out. So the upside is it is paid for.
It is a 3 bedroom. 1100 square ft. Kids are all gone. However, if we moved I would want a bigger house. Sometimes this one makes me feel claustrophobic.

we often talk of downsizing. Its not the house so much as the huge garden - its hard to manage as we get older. But we have been in this house for nearly thirty years, and it will be a wrench. So, we talk and talk and don't do anything!! It is the thought of all the work involved in buying a new place, selling this one, packing, moving etc etc. Its been quite uplifting reading some of the posts from people who have been through this and are now glad they did. Good luck with your new home, it sounds great. Maybe it will turn out to be the best thing you ever did.