Ten Reasons You Might Need a Larger Home

My wife and I built our current house in 2005/2006 just before the big BOOM here in Calgary...yes, we got lucky!

The house we had previously and BK...Before Kids...was a 1500sqft 2 Storey home with a Bonus Room and a finished Basement.

LOTS of space for just two people. We built a larger home knowing that we would be starting a family, however we made a little mistake in our design. This time we skipped the bonus room. It was certainly larger (about 600sqft on two levels), but in 2008 when our kids came along, it all of a sudden felt like we were back in our old house.

EVERYTHING WAS ALL ON THE MAIN FLOOR! ALL their toys were on the main floor. And not just toys...no...high chairs, potty training potties, blankets, swings, jollly jumper scooter things, diaper holder thingys...you get the picture.

My point is, we went from a smaller home to a home that was larger for the better part of 2.5 years until the kids came along.

Things Can Get Small Quick!

We got smart over the course of our first 4 years in our house...we finally decided to develop our basement. This gave us an extra 850sqft of living space, an extra bedroom, an extra full bath and a large playing area for the kids.

FINALLY their toys were off our main living space and 'neatly' organized in the closet in the basement. If you're a parent reading this you will understand and appreciate neatly in quotations!

Ok...here we go then...my Top Ten List of Reasons it Might be Time to Upsize:

1. Kitchen cupboards are getting smaller because of increased amount of dishes(sippy cups etc)
2. More pantry space because of more mouths to feed
3. Maybe you only have 1 bathroom...this could be an issue if you have a three girls in your home
4. Your guests are on a blow up bed in the unfinished basement during Stampede
5. The yard...that was HUGE when it was just two of you....ya not so big anymore with that Huge play structure back there!
6. Maybe the location isn't what it once was. The bohemian, inner city, coffee shop life might not be suitable for the younger versions of you
7. Maybe you've made a decent amount of $$ in the past couple of years and it's time to increase your net worth
8. Where are all the schools at? Might want to think about walking distance to a school that way you're gaurunteed entry to that school
9. Time to update? Cost's $$ right? Might want to get into something that is already done or a little newer
10. Wrong side of the street? Tired of shovelling snow ALL winter long when your neighbour shovels once a month? Ya...me too!!

Remember...if you are looking to UpSize your home, you will also be upsizing your taxes, utilities and mortgage. Just make sure that you can afford the move, before you make the move in your mind!