Could you live here?

ardinn

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/simple-life-in-manhattan-a-90-square-foot-home-2472666/

The average size of the American home is shrinking -- it dropped in both 2008 and 2009 after 15 straight years of growth -- but most of us are still living larger than people in the Big Apple. Home size in Manhattan is about half the national average.

One New Yorker has taken her love of frugal living to the extreme. Felice Cohen’s apartment measures just 90 square feet, but she doesn’t see it as a sacrifice. With such a small space, she pays just $700 to live in a part of town where rents average $3,600 per month.

Her kitchen consists of a toaster oven, hot pot, and mini fridge, but she claims her backyard is larger than average: “I look out my window, and it’s New York City. I mean, that’s my backyard. Central Park is a block away. I can go into the park. I have Lincoln Center. I have libraries. I have gyms all over the place. Sometimes, I feel like you’re in college, and it’s a huge campus, and you can take advantage of everything you want to take advantage of.” Learn how Felice organizes her 90-square-foot home.



Granted, Cohen had a bit of a panic attack the first night in her apartment when she woke up in the loft bed with the ceiling 23 inches from her face, but she’s grown accustomed to the small space. Now when she goes back to her childhood home, she misses her apartment’s coziness:

“I think a lot of people have a lot of space that they’re not using. I grew up in a place where my bedroom was 17 feet by 17 feet with two walk-in closets that combined were almost the size of this apartment ... when I go home now, I go in the closet just to feel like I’m back in New York.”

Saila

yeah, it makes a lot of sense

pragmatic1

No shes crazy. It may be the best city in the world but its still just a city.

Hank_Jones

I'd crack after a while, need space to be able to move around a bit.

Fair play to her though, sorta.

WoollyRedHat

I guess it's a case of location, location, location... Ireland is not the only place that has experienced a case of overpriced apartments/houses.

There is a potential of a happy medium, people shouldn't have to sacrifice a nice area for a tiny living space , you should be able to achieve both, without living in a place where you live in a claustrophobic experience just for the sake of a great view and amenties and vice versa.

If you look hard enough you should be able to get both, we don't need to live in massive houses at a ridicolous price, and we don't need to live in places that are ridicoulously small either just because it's a great location, we should be able to achieve both, at an afforadbable price that doesn't hang over your head and cause unneeded worries in terms of money and that are ultimately unafforadble.

In before rent money is dead money btw.

No, I wouldn't live there, I'd look around, to answer your question.. it's your home at the end of the day, you want to weigh up the options and be ultimately happy there. So not a mansion and not a cupboard either

El Horseboxo

I could do it. But i wouldn't be in any hurry to do it. I prefer the Bronx or Queens anyways. Wouldn't live in Manhattan.

Einhard

Yeah, why not? On a temporary basis, I'd be happy to. Rather live in a tiny apartment in NY than a large house in the middle of nowhere. I imagine she spends most of her time out of there anyway.

Saila

she has a studio downtown too, so more space there dont forget

mawk

if i were her id bring back guys and keep a photo blog of their faces when they saw the place

Saila

mawk wrote: »

if i were her id bring back guys and keep a photo blog of their faces when they saw the place

I can see it now:
missionary only guys, sorry

Savage Tyrant

Saila wrote: »

I can see it now:
missionary only guys, sorry

Dealbreaker...

mawk

personally id call only having 23 inches to the ceiling to be a deal-breaker, id have to spend the whole night on my side.

Poor Craythur

It's interesting that house sizes are decreasing in the US - the age of the McMansion is drawing to a close.

Huzzah!

Glico Man

mawk wrote: »

personally id call only having 23 inches to the ceiling to be a deal-breaker, id have to spend the whole night on my side.

Start doing those sit ups tubby :pac:
































sorry

Poor Craythur

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

No, I wouldn't live there, I'd look around, to answer your question.. it's your home at the end of the day, you want to weigh up the options and be ultimately happy there. So not a mansion and not a cupboard either

But WRH, rents for even a crappy place in NYC are absolutely extortionate. Seriously, look it up! :eek:

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

sounds posh...!

I pay 300 euro for a 30m2 room, not conting kitchen or bathroom, utilities included. Not sure I could sacrifice the extra four hundred uero for.... for... for... what is it she's paying the extra 400 euro for again...?

WoollyRedHat

Poor Craythur wrote: »

But WRH, rents for even a crappy place in NYC are absolutely extortionate. Seriously, look it up! :eek:

I know, I can imagine! Basically, in general I guess, I just don't buy into the whole idea that having a fantastic view and being so central, as is the case here, is worth substituting for living in a shoebox where you can barely move.. doesn't seem worth it you know.

sdanseo

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

sounds posh...!

I pay 300 euro for a 30m2 room, not conting kitchen or bathroom, utilities included. Not sure I could sacrifice the extra four hundred uero for.... for... for... what is it she's paying the extra 400 euro for again...?

You live in Berlin, she lives in Manhattan.

I was there once, we stayed in a hotel at 48th and 8th...basically you walked out the door, hung a left and into Times Square. Now if I could do that for €500 a month...jesus you wouldnt see me for dust if I could get the immigration

moonflower

No way could I sleep in that bed, I'd be terrified I'd fall out and I wouldn't like to not have enough space to sit up.

Other than that it looks grand, although I'm too much of a hoarder to ever live somewhere so small

I'd happily live there for a year if the cash saved meant I could enjoy the city.. Manhattan is a great place.
Different strokes and all that.. For the last two weeks, I've been in a 6 bed dorm with no personal space. Hasn't got annoying yet.

Schism

I actually like it. I'm fond of small tidy spaces anyway and she's made it very organised. Still, I'd imagine she's out and about a lot. You couldn't spend days on end in that small a space.

Dravokivich

Seems Cozy...

Azureus

I dont care how good my views and ammenities were, I couldnt live somewhere that tiny I'd go mad!
Then again, when im looking at apartments, one of my main criteria is enough living space for 2-3 friends plus the two of us living there to hang out so its all about lifestyle.

Acoshla

I lived in a 9ft by 12ft apartment with my 6ft 3 ex boyfriend for a year, it was hell. Our couch folded out to a bed, our socks and stuff were kept in the "kitchen" drawers because they were right beside the couch/bed, we had a little bathroom which had a stupidly big shower for the size of the place. It was meant to be a 1 person flat for $750 a month in the centre of downtown Toronto. Everyone that came in thought there was a separate bedroom that they couldn't see, nope.

Another 6ft 4 friend came to stay for 2 weeks, I could have happily murdered him by the second day.

stovelid

People that are obsessed with living in a certain area to that extent are profoundly retarded.

Apanachi

90sq ft????

jayzus, that over 10 sq feet (if my conversions are correct) smaller than my living room....

bonzodog2

stovelid wrote: »

People that are obsessed with living in a certain area to that extent are profoundly retarded.

I take it you are referring to location, not floorspace here ?

Naikon

bonzodog2 wrote: »

I take it you are referring to location, not floorspace here ?

The lack of an SI prefix would be indicative, yes.

Korvanica

Ive a bed like that, mines better though...

no way i could live in a place that small... I like my kitchen.....

DanGlee

Saila wrote: »

I can see it now:
missionary only guys, sorry

haha, was wondering how should would manage the old horizontal dance. Still a tight squeeze

Naikon

NY is horribly overrated for starters. Seriously, the place is filthy. The subway also smells overpoweringly of wee.

ejmaztec

If you heard the noise of someone breaking in during the night, the burglar wouldn't even need to deal with you, because you would have knocked yourself out on the ceiling when you sat up.

sunflower27

I'd be visiting friends and staying over a lot.

I would live there if I had to but only short-term I love New York...

stovelid

bonzodog2 wrote: »

I take it you are referring to location, not floorspace here ?

I am.

To paraphrase an old song:

Somewhere a landlord is laughing until he wets his pants.

NoDice

Definitely couldn't. I spend most of my earnings on my home and love to show it off - It's the only thing I can show off!! I like the big, open rooms and all that extra space.

Plus if I was living there I'd need to take my dogs with me.. I've a claustrophobic German Shepherd!

Surely she wouldn't be able to relax and chill out in a home like that? It'd be like constantly playing tetris with your body when you're at home!

sunflower27

NoDice wrote: »

Definitely couldn't. I spend most of my earnings on my home and love to show it off - It's the only thing I can show off!! I like the big, open rooms and all that extra space.

Plus if I was living there I'd need to take my dogs with me.. I've a claustrophobic German Shepherd!

Surely she wouldn't be able to relax and chill out in a home like that? It'd be like constantly playing tetris with your body when you're at home!

haha. But as there is only room for one player, you are always the WINNER!!!

stovelid

sunflower27 wrote: »

haha. But as there is only room for one player, you are always the WINNER!!!

Charlie Sheen, is that you?