I have experience living in my own apartment and in own house. Based on this experience, in accordance with the theme of the community, I will try to outline the pros and cons of both.
Pros of living in an apartment:
1. You don't care about cleaning adjoining territory, entrance cleaning, elevator cleaning, staircase lighting, roof repair and common property at home. You just pay for all this, sometimes (or often) not adequately to the quality of the services provided.
2. The infrastructure you need (kindergarten, school, shops) may be close to your apartment (although it may not be ...).
Cons of living in an apartment:
1. Entrance. You cannot influence the state of the entrance, if it is dirty, you practically cannot do anything with it.
2. Neighbors, they periodically like to turn on loud music, their children stomp on your ceiling, they like to work as a puncher, some can throw out garbage right in the entrance, sometimes they flood you, sometimes you flood them, and then, in addition to paying for repairs in your apartment, you pay more repairs in their apartment.
3. Machine. Parking your car next to your driveway or at least next to your house can be a problem. The parking lot is at some distance from the house, from very close (if you're lucky) to not at all close. It costs money to park your car. As a rule, you cannot use electric heating in the parking lot, or use it for a fee. If you keep the car near the house, there is a risk of losing, if not the car, then some part of it.
4. Hot water and heat can be supplied when it is already very cold (in our city, hot water and heat are turned off in apartments in May, they are turned on in October, or even in November). In the event of an accident in the heat supply, you can still be left without electricity (everyone turns on electric heaters and the substation takes off from the load).
5. You cannot store summer/winter tires, tourist and other equipment in the apartment (for example, I have diving equipment, two sets, a kite, a parachute, skis, a snowboard, buying a paraglider with a motor in planks, etc.), and if it is stored then it is not convenient.
6. You can’t store all the tools you need in an apartment, since you still can’t work fully with them in an apartment.
7. You are limited by the area of your apartment, and you are always forced to compromise on the placement of something or someone.
8. You are at risk of losing your property because of someone else's, and not because of your own mistake (gas exploded at the neighbors or they started a fire, etc.)
9. You have an apartment, a dacha, a garage, and you wind between these objects, because there is no other way.
10. Often you cannot open a window to ventilate an apartment because the windows face the road.
11. Children brought up in an apartment, in a common yard, are often deprived of the feeling of a master, owner, they have a lower threshold for responsibility for their actions and a causal relationship between what you do and what you get is worse. Of these children, it is easier to make the cogs of the system, which go in formation where they point. From childhood, they get used to the fact that they are not responsible for anything, and that in which case their uncle will come and fix / fix everything.
12. The cost of an apartment is not commensurate with the quality of life in it, because in addition to paying for the apartment itself (the cost of its construction), you also pay an "administrative" tax, that is, the money that the builder spent in addition to the actual cost of construction, on bribes, permissions, etc.
13. You cannot evaluate the quality of the construction of an apartment, as you have not seen how apartment house built, that is, you buy a pig in a poke. And such an apartment can hide a lot of surprises.
Minuses own house:
1. You have to do everything yourself. If it snows, get up an hour earlier, shovel in your teeth and clean the paths. In the summer, a couple of times a week, please mow the lawn, otherwise it will not be beautiful. Mark tracks, etc. You need to provide yourself with firewood (with stove heating), you need to be aware of what and how works in your house so that you can emergency repair the plumbing, sewerage, electricity. You need to constantly do something around the house (and there will always be work).
2. It may turn out that it will take you a little longer to get to work from home, to take your children to school or to classes.
Pros of owning a home:
1. There are no problems with parking, you drive cars into the yard and you can not even close the doors and do not pull the keys out of the ignition. In winter, you can turn on the electric heating, and in the summer, cover the car with a light awning and no one will steal it. And you don’t have to pay for parking (two cars in the parking lot while living in an apartment cost us 28,800 rubles a year (now, probably even more expensive).
2. There are no problems with heating, you turn it on when you need it, and not when the maintenance office decides and turn it off when you need it, and you don’t open all the windows with the batteries blazing with heat so that you can at least somehow comfortably exist. If you have your own well, then you don’t need water meters, you don’t pay for sewerage, if you have a septic tank, you don’t pay for heating and hot water (and tariffs keep growing).
3. You have no problems with clean air (if you live outside the city).
4. You are not afraid to let the children go out alone, as you know all the neighbors around and all the neighbors know you.
5. You do not need a cottage and a garage, because your house is an apartment and a cottage and a garage and a workshop, and so on and so forth. If there is not enough space, you can build yourself another shed / garage on your territory without any problems. The same applies to equipment (snowmobile, boat, ATV), you store it all in one place and operate it, often right from home, you don’t need to take it all anywhere.
6. You have a sauna in your house and when you come in from the cold you don't have to climb into a hot bath to warm up, instead you warm up in your own sauna. And you, for sure, have your own bathhouse on your territory, so you can not go to a public bathhouse on Saturday, but relax in your own. And you can make kebabs right in your yard, and if it’s cold, then in the fireplace (I have special grills for grilling in the fireplace).
7. You can get livestock to feed (rabbits, geese, chickens) and it won't bother you much.
8. If you build a house yourself, then you make the layout the way you need it, and do not depend on the imagination of some architects who designed your high-rise building. Therefore, everything in your house is convenient, thought out, functional. Plus, you are able to check the quality of construction at all stages from the foundation to the roof, and you can’t build something bad for yourself of your own free will.
9. Children brought up in their own home are more independent, more responsible, because in one way or another they are involved in the maintenance of the house, in housework, they have a sense of ownership, their own space, responsibility for this space, a sense of the owner. It is more difficult to make such people believe in another ideological nonsense, they are more “on their minds” and their life can turn out better, because they are better aware of cause-and-effect relationships and they have a greater sense of responsibility (the chickens didn’t feed, they died :)) .
10. If you live in wooden house, with a minimum of plastic or synthetics, then you begin to understand on your own health how this affects you for the better after living in an apartment.
11. You are not exposed to electromagnetic waves from neighbors' Wi-Fi routers, of which there may be several dozen.
12. The cost of your own home in terms of area / price / convenience is either equal to or even less than the cost of an apartment.
From the experience of living in a house and apartment, I can say the following, no matter how life develops, I will hold on to my house to the last, because the quality of life in my house cannot even be compared with the quality of life in an apartment, no matter how overdressed it is.
Each person has a different level of income. This means that housing is not the same for everyone. Someone can afford a luxurious house, and someone can afford a small one-room apartment. If the living area is minimal, then this can adversely affect the state of human health.
It seems that small housing is no different (except for the area) from spacious apartments, but this is not so. Although a small apartment has everything you need, there can be cramped living conditions. In other words, you will feel uncomfortable, which will negatively affect your health.
If we believe the latest research by scientists, we can conclude that constrained living conditions not in the best way affect psychological health. The more people live in one small apartment, the worse it is for them. Such conditions have a very bad effect on small tenants. Children can grow up closed, not very sociable, with complexes. The physical health of the child also suffers.
People who have chosen too small an apartment for life suffer from acute and chronic diseases. If for each person the minimum amount square meters, then the risk of stress, neurosis and even alcoholism increases. Scientists believe that cramped living conditions can be one of the causes of frequent infectious diseases. To prove this fact is very simple: in a spacious room, the air environment is better.
It is not entirely correct to say that living in a one-room apartment is bad for all people. If each person has his own personal space, then no problems will arise. The house should be such that all family members can live in it without problems. There are certain social norms for living space, but in addition to this, there are also physical and hygienic and. The architects found that the minimum number of square meters for one tenant is 14.7.
According to research by scientists who deal with hygiene issues, it turned out that the area per tenant should be approximately 9 square meters. This is the smallest value, the higher it is, the better.
First of all, this indicator depends on the size of the family:
If 2 people live in the apartment, then its area should be 20-25 meters;
For a family of 3 people, you will need 30-35 square meters;
When 4 people live in an apartment, an area of \u200b\u200b40 square meters or more is considered optimal.
If a person cannot have his own personal space or "comfort zone", then he will become angry, irritable. Over time, feelings of anxiety, discomfort, irritability appear. Cramped living conditions can cause quarrels with loved ones. Sometimes many of us dream of being alone, and in a very small apartment this is impossible.
Following the advice of experienced designers, you can even turn a small apartment into a chic and spacious apartment.
On our website, you have repeatedly seen the transformation of apartments of various sizes and layouts. Let's look at one of the options how to improve the used living space, visually expand and equip it in such a way that it becomes not only comfortable and cozy, but also convenient. Designer Sam Ben Hamida gave us the opportunity to look at his transformation of a 24 sq. m., where 15 squares is residential part and the rest is the adjoining bathroom and kitchen. Sam sent photos and recommendations for review, which we can read.
If you live in a small apartment and would like to conveniently arrange your space, first measure everything in it: the length and width of the walls of the room, the height of the ceilings, because in a small room, as they say, every meter counts. This knowledge will help to competently re-equip rooms and arrange furniture.
2. 3D and 4D layout
So that in the future there will be no problems with the installation and placement of furniture, “draw” in your imagination, or better in a special program, a plan for your future apartment and imagine how everything will be located in it. But besides this, depict how the new furniture will be used in everyday life, for example, a sofa, standing right here in this place, whether it will clutter up the space of the room.
3. What to hide and what to leave on display.
Today modern man uses more than one household appliance in his living space, respectively, if you want a small room to look aesthetically pleasing and tidy, take care to hide all the prominent and sagging cables from your eyes. Another point for the implementation of a harmonious interior in a small apartment - the main thing is to decide for yourself what kind of furniture and decor you really need, because. a large number of various figurines, or ottomans, chairs in the overall picture form a kind of clutter. The space of the room will look overloaded with small details. Leave for a start what is really necessary, and on the basis of this, you can further form the “decoration” of the room with details.
4. Pick colors
The most important and necessary condition for turning a small living space into a visually large one is decorating the room in certain colors. For example, if the room is presented in dark colors, it will look gloomy and the area will visually narrow. Try to avoid wallpaper with a large textured pattern, this element against the background of furniture will look sloppy. The most suitable option for the color of the walls remains, as before, light shades - from white to milky, when light enters, such surfaces reflect it and illusory increase the space. Moreover, against the background of a light wall, you can beautifully “emphasize” furniture, for example, an interesting sofa with pillows or an armchair. The designer will help you choose the color palette of furniture and decor, but if you want to prove yourself as a master, then use the color palette and knowledge of color combinations, which will help to avoid randomness or vulgarity in the room.
5. Mobile furniture
Another important aspect for the formation of a comfortable and harmonious space is functional, transformable furniture. Surprisingly, using such items you can add functional qualities to your room. As they say in the movie: "Pants turn ...". For example, a living room, due to simple manipulations, turns into a comfortable bedroom or, for example, into a high-quality work area, which is very practical. If your small room has high ceilings, then you can use a loft bed, which rises to the ceiling during the day and does not interfere at all. The use of built-in furniture can significantly save space, for example, everything that does not lie well can be hidden in a closet, and if sliding doors are equipped with a mirror surface, then visually you can add volume to the room.
6. Multifunctional space.
Today, many people prefer to use even a small room for only one purpose, for example, for a living room, which is not rational. By dividing your available space into zones, you turn the room into a multifunctional one. Here you can, at the same time, relax, and work, and dine, and most importantly - spend time with your family. In order to use the zones efficiently, furniture can be equipped with wheels, in which case, if necessary, the working area is removed and transported, and for example, a sofa bed unfolds and a double bed appears. This is what the designer Sam Ben Hamida actually implemented in his apartment. It is not only convenient, but also practical.
7. You can work in different ways
If you are studying or working from home, doing the same thing while sitting all the time in the allotted place is boring. To get rid of the routine in a small but functional space, you can comfortably sit on the couch and work on a laptop, i.e. thanks to the zoned space and functional furniture, there are many options for places to work. You can invite friends if you are studying and study together.
8. Lighting
Lighting plays an important role in any apartment, but using only one central lamp in a room or a ceiling dotted with a lot of lamps can achieve a terrifying effect. In the first case, the lighting will not be enough, which will affect the ability to work and the vision of the owner of the apartment, in the second case, a large amount of artificial light can tire the human nervous system, which will again adversely affect health. The way out in this case can be to illuminate the ceiling around the perimeter of the room, and the lighting of functional areas will be organized using table lamps, or, for example, furniture lighting from below will give the room some mystery, comfort, and a little zest to the pieces of furniture.
9. Sudden relative
You have guests - no problem! Folding, inflatable beds can serve as an ideal solution. And with a zoned space, compact furniture that can easily move around the room - this is absolutely not difficult.
10. Home is who you are.
Of course, when transforming rooms, it is better to listen to the advice of professionals, both designers and architects, but the most important thing is that you are the creator of your ideal space. After a long time, your home becomes an integral part of you, so develop design qualities in yourself, fantasize, try - and you will definitely succeed not only in transforming your small apartment, but also in discovering the talent of a designer.
Of course, every person would like to live in a large spacious apartment, where there are many rooms and a wonderful view from the window, but, alas, most people have to start with living quarters or cramped “odnushki”. But even here you can live perfectly, if you approach the organization of living space correctly.
How to solve the problem of space in a small apartment? Is it possible to make the most of small area for a fulfilling life? Of course, it is hardly possible to turn a one-room "Khrushchev" into a four-room apartment with two bathrooms, but some spatial solutions can be changed if certain rules are followed. Here are some helpful tips.
The kitchen is the center and soul of our home. After all, it is here that we spend most of our time preparing breakfasts and dinners, communicating with family and friends, celebrating important events and making plans for the future. When designing a small kitchen, choose a simple style and a minimum of details. So, for example, if you install cabinets from floor to ceiling, they will merge with the wall and visually disappear into the room.
In general, one way or another, but try to get rid of unnecessary things and huge furniture, minimalism - the best solution for a small apartment.
Nowadays, thanks to new technologies, we can not burden our kitchen with heavy kitchen utensils.
For example, put a built-in stove with two burners instead of four, a slow cooker or a mini-oven - instead of an oven, a dining table can be built-in or used like a cutting table. Multifunctional furniture is more relevant than ever in a small kitchen. Pay attention to folding chairs, sliding tables or, for example, mobile tables on wheels, which serve as both a work surface and an additional storage module. Do not clutter up the kitchen with cabinets and utensils, put only what will be used.
With proper zoning and use of usable space, even a small kitchen can be made comfortable, functional and cozy.
To all of the above, we can add that a small apartment is very disciplined and brings up the habit of not buying too much.
Good luck!
Do you know how living in a very small apartment affects your health and mood? It turns out that cramped living conditions have a negative impact on the psychological health of adults. Constant stress, scandals with loved ones, alcoholism and even drug addiction - this is what cramped living conditions entail. This conclusion was made by Dak Kopets - director of health and design at the Boston College of Architecture.
However, parents need to listen to this statement more, since it is even worse for children to live in such “micro-apartments”. This statement is supported by psychology professor Suzen Seiget. In her observations of children living in cheap and small apartments for a long time, they grew up withdrawn and unsociable. and studied poorly. But living in small apartments not only has a bad effect on the development of the child's personality, but also on his physical health.
It seems that a very small apartment does nothing harmful. Yes, there is not enough space, but everything is there: a toilet, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a sleeping place! But it is the area, including the volume (“air cube”), and there are two main factors that affect the comfort of living and human health.
According to many studies of scientists, it became clear that the more people live in one room, the greater the risk of morbidity of the nervous system!
People living in small apartments are exposed to acute and chronic diseases. Children of preschool age are more sensitive to them. For example, with a decrease in cubic capacity from 25.5 m3 to 18.5 m3 per person, the risk of respiratory morbidity increases by 32.5%.
If we take children of all ages, then, as the hygienists established, the more the cubic capacity increased by 1 person, the less they got sick. All this is due to the better quality of the air in a larger room.
Think of an angry tiger or lion in a cage that growls furiously at the audience! Somehow conditionally, this can be compared with a city person living in a small apartment. Scientists have noticed that such people are often aggressive and irritable. And this is precisely because the condition, i.e. area, for comfortable life person is not enough.
Have you stood in line at a telephone booth for a long time? Surely it was like this: it seems that that person has been talking on the phone for an eternity, the minutes are dragging on for a very long time, it seems that the “chatterbox” is doing this on purpose, for evil.
So it almost is, but the man in the booth is not aware of this.
American psychologist Barry Rubeck conducted an interesting experiment. He measured the duration of telephone conversations among 200 people, and this is what happened: on average, a person spoke for a minute and a half without a queue, but when there was one, the conversation lasted 4 minutes.
The psychologist believes that this is due to the “territorial” instinct of a person at a subconscious level. Those. a person considers a telephone booth as his own territory and, without realizing it, tries to protect it from intrusion from the outside.
Why all this? In short, just like animals, people have an ancient defense mechanism (instinct) - free personal space. If you deprive a person of personal space for a long time, discomfort, aggression, anxiety, etc. appear.
Of course, with close and dear people, such a rapprochement does not cause such feelings, but quite the opposite. But this cannot last long either, since a person is still by nature inclined to maintain his autonomy and inviolability. Remember how sometimes it happens, you just want to be alone? When this is not possible, and the most common reason is cramped living conditions, then all these irritations, anger, discontent and quarrels appear even with the most beloved people.
To do this, you just need to realize that each person needs their own space. And for this, of course, you need to take spacious apartments. But what if money?
Then all that remains is at least to agree with family members about “their territory”. Those. for this, you don’t need to sign any “agreements”, but just let everyone make it a rule for themselves: when a person is on his “personal territory”, then it is impossible to disturb him if there is no need for that.
By the way, you can observe for yourself how you call these territories every day:
In addition, the apartment must also meet physical and hygienic standards: personal hygiene, sleep, nutrition, etc. To meet these standards, rooms with the necessary dimensions are needed.
For all types of families, architects have officially established that the preferred area per person is 14.7 m2. But according to surveys of families, each of them would like to increase the available area by a few square meters.
According to the studies of hygienists who used chemical and physiological-hygienic methods for this purpose, it turned out that the minimum cubic capacity of air should be 25-30 m3, and the recommended one should be 50-60 m3.
Those. to provide a minimum air cube, the area of \u200b\u200bthe apartment d. b. at least 9 m2 per person, with a ceiling height of 2.8 m.
Based on the foregoing, it should be understood that space is very important for a person. Personal space is an instinct that must be satisfied.
To determine the necessary living space must be based on the size of the family. So for a family of two people you will need at least 20-25 m2, for a family of three - 30-35 m2. If the amount of living space is even larger, it's only better.
French actress Catherine Deneur also believes that there should be a lot of sleeping places and bathrooms. She has 8 of them, and this is no reason to stop! As the actress says: “I shouldn’t put guests on the mats if there are too many of them!”
P.S. Young people, for example students, cope with crowding still quite well. But already with age, from 30 years old and the older, the more cramped conditions negatively affect a person and his psyche. Therefore, in order for life to be comfortable for children, adults, and the elderly, you need to live in a normal spacious apartment.
How small spaces affect us.
