RE: [GBlist] monster houses

[deumling@socrates.Berkeley.EDU]

<http://www.netnews.org/bookstore/materialworld.html>
The website points to a wonderful book called "Material World: A global
family portrait."  It is both a photo essay of how people in 30 nations
around the world live and the stuff they live with and in, as well as a
thoughtful description of who and what we are being shown.

The part that has always impressed me most about these portraits of
families and their possessions around the world is the small note at the
beginning of each chapter noting the square footage of each (average)
house.  For most countries represented in the book (with the exception of
the US and a few other overdeveloped imitators) the square footage of the
houses in which often anywhere from 5 to 15 people live is often less
than 500 square feet.  I love the book for its small voice reminding
me what the world looks like to most people inhabiting it.  I think it
gives a healthy perspective from which to assess the subject of
appropriate or necessary square footage in U.S. homes.

Reuben Deumling

On Thu, 3 Jan 2002, Gilbert Midonnet wrote:

> 1. What is the definition of a monster home?
>
> >2,500sq ft
> >5,000
> >10,000
>
> 2. How many people are using it?  (square feet per person)
>
> In other words one person in a 2,500 square foot house is using more space
> than an extended family (parents, 2 children, one set of grandparents and an
> elderly aunt) in a 14,000 square foot house. (14,000/7)
>
> 3. What are the uses?
>
> a. How much of the square footage is actually indoor/outdoor space
> (greenhouses/atriums, etc...)
> b. Home offices (parents don't commute to work everyday hence less
> transportation pollution and business rents less office space)
>
> I live in NYC in a 1200 sq foot house.  My wife and I are calculating the
> square feet we need for ourselves, home offices for the two of us,  space
> for a set of elderly parents to move in, space for kiddies. Not here yet :-)
>
> Ideally we would create two homes in one, separated by an enclosed
> atrium/garden. Including the enclosed atrium, garage, workroom, tool shed
> we're over 10,000 sq feet.
>
> -- gilbert midonnet


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