Living Large: Real Estate Dreams

How are we going to get our carbon dioxide emissions down with all these huge houses to heat and cool?

Because there are so many more huge houses now than decades ago, more illegal workers are needed to clean them and do the landscaping. Because wages have not kept pace with inflation over past decades, women must work and many hire illegal workers to clean their homes.

These houses are discustingly excessive. They are so over-the-top they seem fake. I would be embarassed to live in something like that. It makes me sick thinking of all the energy that will be wasted to heat and cool these monstrosities. These people probably driver Hummers, too. Why do people have to waste so much? I'm sure their children will thank them in the future for helping to waste our resources.

The houses are beautiful. The people can afford them. The world is going to end someday ... might as well go out happy.

I live in one of thoses over-the-top homes 10,000 sq ft. and trust me we very seldom get a chance to use all the space. If I had to do it again i would not purchase a home this large again, we're presently saleing.

I presently live in a fairly large home-about 5200 sq. ft.-and even though it is a lot smaller than sesmith1s' 10,000 sq. ft. home, I too am in the process of making plans to down-size. Fifteen years ago when we started to prep the building site, it was really exciting and I looked forward to living with my family in our beautiful home! The finish carpentry is unsurpassed, wool carpeting upstairs throughout the bedrooms and game room, ceiling high enough to put up a 24 ft. Christmas tree, large hand-made glass and brass chandelier, slab granite countertops in kitchen, the largest side by side Sub-Zero frig that I could find, 6 burner Garland gas range, beautiful flooring downstairs, and on and on. But do you know what the up-keep is like in a place like this?! It is a real killer! It takes me 3 hours to mow the lawn on a riding mower, I won't talk about the weeding, edging and powerwashing the 500 ft. long driveway and the porches that run the length of the house, both front and back, and that's just part of it. I haven't mentioned keeping 6 bathrooms and 6 bedrooms clean, vacuuming all the uncarpeted floors and some mopping, dusting, and then comes the cooking, and washing, etc., etc., etc.! I need a staff of workers, just to keep it looking decent. But then there is the problem of the over $1,000.00 a month for property taxes alone! If you ask me, a nice 2500 sq. ft. house sounds pretty darn good to me these days! At least I will be able to go on vacation once every couple of years or so. I'll even be able to take a couple of days off from housework and yardwork during the week and still have time to have friends over for dinner once in awhile.

I LIVE IN A DOUBLE WIDE TRAILER. I HAVE EVERY CAR I EVER OWNED SITTING OUT FRONT ON BLOCKS. AS LONG AS THE PIGS, GOATS, AMD THE WIFE HAVE A PLACE TO GRAZE, I'M OK.

What ever happened to cozy and comfortable. Do you really feel large cavernous spaces or warm or inviting? For couples I really don't see an intimate setting.

Obscene! We live comfortably in a 150-year old farmhouse and to see the opulence and wasted energy, no wonder Americans have the worst carbon footprints on the planet. That much air, computers, electric consumption not to mention gas, and oil is an embarrassment. And it is very heavily financed so they are house poor and live on the tip of a precipice folks in the EU would not allow to happen to themselves... More live for today and screw the rest of the world then you tell everyone else how to live and conserve energy?!?!?!?!? Shall we talk about the urban assault vehicle cars? When petrol reaches $7 dollars a gallon I am not sure much will change.

Ok....so, you can afford to live in a fortress. Are you REALLY happy with your life or yourself if you have to buy a 10,000 sq foot house so people will look at you a certain way? I think the bigger and fancier the house, the cars, the furniture...the more insecure you are. I live in a 850sq ft house with two smallish bedrooms, one bathroom, one living, one dining and a "two-butt" kitchen. I can afford a much bigger place but..this way, I'm able to take a vacation once a year. Do home improvements. Landscape like crazy and still have money left over for shopping, eating out, entertainment, etc. I'd hate to think I'm working my a** off every day just to pay for my house and that's it. BUT...to each his own!