how Big so many live in a huge house that is a waste of space....Texans live big, big open spaces, big houses, big big big.

Talking to a frend back in my home town and she lives in Senior Housing and pays $675 for a small adequat apartment, and telling me about her son who built a 12 room h ouse in TX and had only one child, and that child is now in college, so the house is such a Waste, it always was. So much money and don't know what to do with it so build monsters to live in. He's in the process of selling it, he had a room for his dog, cat, computer, gym stuff, office etc etc....she and I were laughing about the Waste of it all. It's not funny, pretty sad I'd say.

I believe there is a certain amount of brainwashing involved in making most Americans believe that enriching home builders and the banks financing them, is equivalent to the American dream.

What better way to convey "status" than with 12 tons of styrofoam, plastic, faux stone and particle board?

If I were to live in America with my wife, a modest three bedroom home would be fine by me, a bedroom for me, one for her, and another room that can be used for something else. I dont need a mansion and if I was a billionaire wouldnt have a HUGE mansion, the only difference would be a room with a huge screen to watch entertainment, I would have a pool and a sauna.

My parents built their house when I was about 14. What a pain in the ass that was. Of all the houses they looked at, they couldnt find one they liked so my father (because he does everything the hard way) decided to build a house. Took about a year and I was tasked with doing a lot of needless sweat labor on the thing because again, my parents could just buy a freaking house.

I notice looking at houses online how HUGE the garages are. HUGE. Like taking up a third of the house. Why? My car can sit outside, and can use that floor space for that HUGE garage for something else.

A yard, I dont want one. I dont want to cut grass or maintain it. I do not and would not barbeque outside since I have a kitchen and electricity. If I was very wealthy, a wooded lot would be nice maintained by a gaggle of Mexicans.

I want a house with no windows. There are people who bought decommissioned underground missle silos. That would be wonderful. Also, I dont want "cathedral ceilings" because it is empty space to cool and heat. No fireplace either. It is the 21st Century, I use electricity to heat my house and a fireplace is dirty.

My house turns 97-years-old this year. It's 2-story with 3.5 bedrooms and a full basement. The ceilings are high, so that does affect my heating and cooling. However, since I spend most of my time downstairs, I let the upstairs get colder or hotter. Also I've done things like weather-stripping to combat Mother Nature.

My yards are fairly small, so mowing is not much of a problem. But a long driveway keeps me really busy if it gets snow-covered.

As far as garages, I really like having a big 2-car one that was built 3 decades later. Since it's detached, there's no effect on my utilities. I wouldn't want my car left outdoors in the winter. Scraping ice off the windshield in sub-zero wind chills is not how I want to start the day.

People have found that housing in my neighborhood is a far less expensive way to live than renting an apartment. That's why my next-door neighbor in a very similar house is a visiting Notre Dame grad student, living alone. When she needs to move, she will make a profit, as the house has gained value. Replacement cost has soared due to materials prices, in the case of a loss due to fire, etc.

Pretty big house, wonder how many in your family? biff

I was born and raised in small and my life was always comfortable. As I got older left and got married etc, houses and condo was still small. I don't NEED a lot and don't want a LOT, more to get rid of.

From all I've read over my life, the Asians live simply and small spaces, very minimal. I would think this is so of Europeans, minimal space and living conditions. America is more and bigger.

One thing about liviing in the East and Midwest, the massive yards, another waste of ground... My parents first house had a backyard too long and empty but always needed mowed......

It's the family house and I'm now the sole occupant, with parents / uncle etc. all having passed on.

As I mentioned in another thread, I own the largest private collection of newspaper comics in Indiana. It takes a lot of storage space for that stuff, so trust me, the house is not a big empty shell. My South Bend Tribune comic sections alone number over 2,000, and that's just a small part of it.

This collection was started way back in the 1930s, so it's not a case of modern-day hoarding -- though still growing, as collecting is the only way of life I know.

I've donated some magazines to the Notre Dame Library that they wanted, but they're choosy. Maybe in the future, I'll let them have some of my "really good stuff" they'd love to own. ;)

Collection of comics!!! Where will all that stuff end up. A collector I am not, have had a handful of collections in my life, including bf's ha ha, but to me it's a hoarding in many areas. I watched that TV show yrs back on Hoarders and omg, very pathetic.

Sounds like a fire hazard too.

You mention Notre Dame and so do you live in South Bend? My ex went to N.D. in the late 50's and I'd also think these big empty houses would be good housing for N.D. students to rent rooms. No???

That's where steel cabinets come in. And I do have fire extinguishers, though I've never had need to use one.

You can laugh (no pun intended), but any form of media is worth studying. I was collecting colorful road maps by age 5. Paper is just something I've always had an affinity for.

That's where steel cabinets come in. And I do have fire extinguishers, though I've never had need to use one.

You can laugh (no pun intended), but any form of media is worth studying. I was collecting colorful road maps by age 5. Paper is just something I've always had an affinity for.

umm, over my life I've had plenty of paper come and go and started to get rid of books in recent years, giving some to the library and goodwill. And in that paper stuff I'd see little bugs crawl out of paper and books.

I just don't dwell in the past, know a little about a lot but not a hanger on to.

A friend of mine who is now 91, has clothes in her closet from Size 3 to 33 and can't get rid of them, thinks she may get into some of them again..:lol::lol:

Trust me, I'm pretty knowledgeable about things like silverfish you've alluded to, which is why I take every precaution. Heat, humidity, water, vermin, insects, and physical damage all are deadly enemies of paper. "If it's worth collecting, it's worth protecting." Mylar and other products are used by museums & libraries, and I follow their lead.

As you see under my avatar, "Near Notre Dame." I live in South Bend proper. But I have no need or desire to rent out rooms. I like my freedom of being up at any hour of the day or night, etc., and also I wouldn't trust anyone outside of family to have a key to my house.