Tiny House Dilemma: Where Should the Little One Roam

2 years ago

🏠 We're embarking on a cozy adventure into a small three-bedroom house! There are two decent sized bedrooms, and one teeny tiny bedroom (enough for a crib/twin size bed and small desk).

So here’s the twist: With two adults who work from home and one kiddo in the mix, we've got to decide who gets the big digs and who gets the snug space.

Do we let our son rule the roost in the spacious room while making the small room a cozy home offices? Or do we reserve the larger room for the occasional guest (squeezing in a home office), while giving our little one a pint-sized paradise? 🛌💼 Help us solve this space-saving puzzle!

"Guests, Be Our Guest!": Reserve the larger room for guests, giving our son a snug space to call his own while still having a spot for work-from-home needs.

“Big Dreams for the Little One": Let our child rule the kingdom in the big bedroom while we carve out cozy corners for our home offices in the small spaces.

Featured Answer

S M

2 years ago

I may be the only one with this opinion, but I’d give your son the larger room. Children have more stuff than adults do… toys, books, etc. I never understood why house plans seem to have massive primary bedrooms and usually super tiny secondary rooms , presumably for the children. Especially if there isn’t a dedicated play space somewhere in the house, the larger room would give him some play space and keep toys ( at least pretty much, lol) out of the living room. Our old house had a smaller bedroom on main floor and two larger bedrooms upstairs. It was only about 1350 sf. The kids had upstairs bedrooms and we used the smaller main floor room. Kids had plenty of room for desks, art supplies,toy storage and bookshelves as well as floor space to get toys out and play. As they get older kids also spend more time in their rooms, too.

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Comments (6)

beeboo22
2 years ago
I would absolutely do office/guest room in the bigger room. If you decide later that your son needs more room, then swap.

We had a similar set up in our old house. Just make sure you have plenty of smart storage for all the kid stuff.
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beeboo22
2 years ago
@S M you make good points, all I agree with. @ L Rg, I think we need more info: how often do you have guests and would the small office suffice for you work-wise? My previous WFH office was in our den and I now work in a small, narrow room that’s all mine. I love it. You could always put a bigger bed in your son’s room and boot him out when you have guests.
S M
2 years ago
^this is true! It definitely depends on how often you have guests and how much space you need for work. When people used to come into town they just knew to stay someplace else because we had no extra room. In our new house I have my own separate office space ( I work from home and used to have my work set up kind of where I could, but nothing ideal) and I do love it. We usually have a spare bedroom since kiddo has an apartment at college now and isn’t here much. Haven’t had an overnight guest since the build though. Maybe they’ve been trained, lol. Smaller spaces can be tricky for sure
Sigrid
2 years ago
A small room with built-in desks works well for an office. A big kid bedroom means when he has friends over, there will be space for them. Of course, if you are hosting guests often, then maybe space for the guests takes priority.

It's worth noting that if you have another kid, having them share a bigger bedroom works better than sharing a tiny one. That said, it's a question of selling it. Sometimes that sale is easier when it's a new room, not just a toddler with a bunch of needs (quiet before big brother's bedtime) now sharing his room.
Toronto Veterinarian
2 years ago
How old is your child? If he's pre-school aged (1-3 or 1-4), I'd say give him the smaller room, but if he's in school, give him the bigger room, and forgo saving a room for guests. Once he's in school he'll start having more friends, more projects, and more dreams.