This Compact Family Life

This Compact Family Life is a section of Blog Of Dad for recognising and celebrating the realities of the modern lifestyle. It is a place where I share my experiences of, and tips for living a compact and efficient life, with a family. It is about celebration and recognition of the smaller family home, as that is the reality of life for many Australian families.

Through This Compact Family Life I provide simple solutions for maximising space in a compact setting.

This Compact Family Life

Once-upon-a-time the Great Australian Dream was a house on a quarter acre block. They were simpler times, no doubt about it. These days, that dream of a house with a yard seems like pure fantasy for many. Almost daily there are stories on the radio and television about how impossible it is for first home buyers to get a foothold in most major Australian cities.

When you look at the statistics, that’s no surprise. The median price for a house in Sydney is an eye-watering one million + dollars. Many find it depressing to think about.

But, what if there was another way? What if you could live a better lifestyle, for less money? What if we shifted our dreams from the large house with the yard to something more manageable, more realistic? Is it possible that we could be just as happy, or even happier?

There is a way, but it requires a shift in perspective. It requires us to move away from the collective assumption that bigger is always better and to really evaluate what it is that makes our lives enjoyable. I, for one, don’t find too much enjoyment in an overbearing mortgage or savings-destroying rent.

So what are the alternatives? The duplex has gained popularity in recent years (an under construction duplex is a very common sight in Sydney), but often well-appointed modern duplexes creep into house-price territory.

There are also apartments, which offer a lot of bang-for-buck, with shared amenities and plenty of modern conveniences. These certainly offer better value, but the limited amount of personal space can be too much for some.

Sitting in what I like to describe as The Goldilocks Zone (not too expensive, not too small) is the townhouse/villa/terrace . In my experience, this is the ultimate space in which compact family living can occur. With the right attitude, a clever and considered approach to storage and the correct furniture and appliances, you might just be able to live a comfortable and happy life!

In this blog series, I examine how to make the most out of the smaller family home.