Foo - How big is your place?

Can I live comfortably in 370sq ft with 5 bicycles? :)

Can I live comfortably in 370sq ft with 5 bicycles? :)

Can you convert that to square metres?

34 sq meters

I'm thinking I need to get rid of my queen size bed, and invest in a sleeper sofa... get rid of 4 of my bikes (keep my fixed gear), get rid of my trainer and most of my bike tools, sale one of my snowboards, my desktop computer... hmmmmmm :)

Can I live comfortably in 370sq ft with 5 bicycles? :)

Can't hurt to try. Ceiling hooks might help.

34 sq mtrs isn't much room. Can you store any of your gear off-site?

Get a loft bed or a futon. I live in a ~900 sqft apartment with a roommate. My bedroom is 8x10 not including the computer desk or closet. I am about to get a bike rack so I can up the number of bikes in the living room from 2 to 4.

If I cleared out the stuff under my bed I could put a ton of bikes there!

Joe,
Get some hooks, take off the pedals turn the bars sideways or perpindicular to the top tubes and they will take up much less space. We hung 10 bikes in a storage space of less than 150sq ft in the shop. If they went against or along a wall they would take up less moving space.

What about getting a small storage space for the things you don't really use??? This should leave ya some room.

(keep my fixed gear)

good thinking;)

Does your new cell have a window:-P? You might be able to deal w/ it if you have a view of the outdoors. I've got 1100 now, had 1700 before, least ever was 550 and that was alright for me on my own. As is now, I have 3 bikes in the kitchen, a few frames in the hall, and other bits and whatsits everywhere else.

Are you joining the Navy? :-P

I lived for a year in 600 sq ft with 4 bikes and had plenty of extra space. It all comes down to how much stuff you have. I had a full-size futon, small entertainment center, computer desk, 6' table, coffee table, 4 bikes, and a half-dozen storage boxes, and still had 200-300 sq ft of empty space left over.

With that much stuff, and hopefully you'll want more, you should look for a place with more space. Keep in mind that you'll need space to boogie around a bit, and sit down to eat and chat with a friend. Look for a place with 500 to 600 sf. When I was in college I rented a small apartment over this couple's garage, and they let me keep my two bikes in the garage and use the workbench when I needed to.

Thinning the herd & replacing the desktop w/ a notebook sounds good, but if you offload the tools you'll probably miss them in the future.

Never sell your tools. It is never worth it later.

Tight Joe, Tight.
Yah you might be able to do it, but it would drive me nuts,
need a bit more than that personally (and I'm small ).

Marty

I'm thinking I need to get rid of my queen size bed, and invest in a sleeper sofa... get rid of 4 of my bikes (keep my fixed gear), get rid of my trainer and most of my bike tools, sale one of my snowboards, my desktop computer... hmmmmmm :)

they're probably pretty nice sleeper sofas out there, but i wouldn't ditch a real bed for one. I would go with a smaller bed before i went the pull out route.

Can I live comfortably in 370sq ft with 5 bicycles? :)

Is that your only option?

We have a great sleeper sofa in the condo which we just sold.

Beautyrest and just as comfortable as any bed.

I could do okay in about 600 sq ft, but 370 is pretty small!

I usually have between ten to twelve bikes around somewhere. The trick is to not put them in one spot.

I have three out on the front porch (you ride more often if you trip over a bike walking out the door). Four in the entranceway (wasted space, otherwise). Two in the living room (who needs a sofa anyway?). Three or four in my friend's garage (which she never uses anyhow).

I had a plumber doing some work last month. He looked around for a minute at all the bikes and said "So, I guess you ride bikes, huh?" And that sort of insight is why he makes $100 a hour, and I don't.

There are two loft's I'm looking at, both right in down town SLC. One is 370sq ft, one is 535sq ft, the larger costs $45K more, and I'm not sure if its a worth while upgrade, other then more room for a real bed and bike storage. I really doubt I'll use the loft as anything more then a bedroom, being right in the city, I can work from one of the 80 open wireless networks within walking distance, and I already eat out 3 times a day...

I look at both places next week... :)

Or I can buy a townhome with 2200 sq ft in the suburbs for the same cost as the larger loft... 3 bed, 2 bath, a yard... ewww.

A nice big yard...you're looking at two days a week cutting grass during peak riding season.

Would it be possible to buy a bunk bed, give away the bottom mattress, and use the empty space to store a few bikes?

Wouldn't the townhome be better? More room yet it should be low to no maintance (unlike my farm) like the loft's. You need some place to do things fix a bike, get on the internet... Where do you work would it be much of a commute? You can save a bunch doing your own food. You'd be surprised the stuff you can cook on a grill - even a lot of vegatables are better grilled.

Joe

Can I live comfortably in 370sq ft with 5 bicycles? :)

You asked "How big is your place?" Well, I live in a big place. (I have a big ole 4 bedroom ranch-style house on 100+ acres.) I can't even imagine living in a 370 sq. ft. place, but then I have never lived alone, either.

Good luck, Joe! If you get too cramped, load up your bikes and move to Texas. I'll bet we could fit you in here some place!

I live in much less than 370 sq ft - closer to 250 - and had four bikes in there for a time... It was tight, but doable. It's all about choosing the right furniture; I built most of mine, and most of it has more than one purpose - ie, there's a fold-out desk built into my bookshelves, and my kitchen table folds out so that it can seat anywhere between one and six, with comfortable folding chairs that store inside it when I'm eating alone (though when it's set up for six it pretty much takes up the whole apartment). It helps a LOT if you can store bikes vertically against a wall; I can't, but I do get to keep two of them locked in the hallway outside my apartment, and if I couldn't do that, I really wouldn't fit!

There are two loft's I'm looking at, both right in down town SLC. One is 370sq ft, one is 535sq ft, the larger costs $45K more, and I'm not sure if its a worth while upgrade, other then more room for a real bed and bike storage. I really doubt I'll use the loft as anything more then a bedroom, being right in the city, I can work from one of the 80 open wireless networks within walking distance, and I already eat out 3 times a day...

I look at both places next week... :)

Or I can buy a townhome with 2200 sq ft in the suburbs for the same cost as the larger loft... 3 bed, 2 bath, a yard... ewww.
You say loft. How tall are the ceilings? In my last two lofts, I had 17' ceilings, and in my current loft I have 14' ceilings. I have the bikes hanging so that the wheels are about 7' or 8' off the floor, thus utilizing wasted space and freeing up floor space for other things. I have two in the closet and two in the entry way. I remember seeing a pulley system years ago that would allow one to hoist the bikes up above the floor and out of the way of foot traffic without the need of a ladder, you might look into something like that, too.

There are two loft's I'm looking at, both right in down town SLC. One is 370sq ft, one is 535sq ft, the larger costs $45K more, and I'm not sure if its a worth while upgrade, other then more room for a real bed and bike storage. I really doubt I'll use the loft as anything more then a bedroom, being right in the city, I can work from one of the 80 open wireless networks within walking distance, and I already eat out 3 times a day...

I look at both places next week... :)

Or I can buy a townhome with 2200 sq ft in the suburbs for the same cost as the larger loft... 3 bed, 2 bath, a yard... ewww.


gobbledy gook man. just move some to cheap state and buy a house. why the crap would you pay $45,000 MORE for 535 sq ft?

the larger costs $45K more,

45K more than what?

My first house was an 1840's 2 1/2 story townhouse on a 20 x 100' lot in a gentrifying neighborhood... we paid 26K in 1983

Maybe but chances are you'll freak out any chicks stopping in. Unless they're bike chicks.
Actually, it's all how you figure out how to deal with it. The wife and I have 1800 square feet, a garage and a shed and still own too much crap. People are like goldfish for the most part. They adapt to fit their environment.

Or I can buy a townhome with 2200 sq ft in the suburbs for the same cost as the larger loft... 3 bed, 2 bath, a yard... ewww

do that.

Maybe but chances are you'll freak out any chicks stopping in. Unless they're bike chicks.
Actually, it's all how you figure out how to deal with it. The wife and I have 1800 square feet, a garage and a shed and still own too much crap. People are like goldfish for the most part. They adapt to fit their environment.

Exactly - wife and i share a 3700+ sq.ft. house with barely a single crap-free inch to spare.
Some years ago, i shared a 24x8 foot sailboat with a lady with no problems whatsoever.
I did, however, store my bikes outside the boat:(

One of those immutable "laws" - like Murphy's.

The crap shall expand to fill all available space.

My wife and I moved into a 4,000 sq ft home (3,100 sq ft finished) 3 years ago, with a 3 car garage, and carefully sorted and threw all extra things away prior to moving.

Guess what?

It is now full! With what? I haven't a clue. I think it grows inside the house, like bacteria.

Her closet is twice as big, and it is bulging. I have my own closet, also overflowing!

Somehow, I have managed to accumulate 7 computers - but 4 of them are now antiques, and one of the remaining three is a Pentium 167 mhz (it is our traveling laptop).

Anybody want some W'95 and W'98 computers?

Let's see - 6 bikes, a complete home gym, etc., etc.

HELP!

I'm with brokenrobot- livin for about a year now with about 250-300 sq. ft. of space in my apartment. To give you guys an idea, my friends tease me about not needing a cordless phone because my corded phone can reach everywhere when I'm home... Luckily, though, I have a balcony and an extra small storage room downstairs. I keep one bike in the apartment on my Park stand, which doubles as somewhere to hang coats, etc. I have a small child-size table and chairs, for function, and to be funny. Futon bed helps alot, and living like this will make you very creative-think vertically, like someone mentioned earlier.

I would say the hardest things to deal with are what to do with a dirty/wet/muddy bike, wanting more cooking room, and having people over. Space isn't really an issue with company, but you are directly inviting them into your bedroom-can be a little awkward. As well, no, uh, privacy in the bathroom... :)

That's a riot! I live in 740 sq ft and they tell it's worth $750 K. Go figure.

I don't need much space, Joe. Can I come live with you?

:love:

i have a tiny place - probably about 220 sq feet. it's small, but i don't need much stuff, so it works perfect. plus i'm 5 minutes away from central park, all the transportation you could ever want, the best resturants, movie theaters (there are 6 within a 1 1/2 mile radius from me), the NYC public library, the science library, etc., etc. etc.

living in a tiny place has drawbacks, but being centrally located in a city has huge benefits as well. i don't want to live like this when i'm in my 50's, but for now, it's great.

i have a tiny place - probably about 220 sq feet. it's small, but i don't need much stuff, so it works perfect. plus i'm 5 minutes away from central park, all the transportation you could ever want, the best resturants, movie theaters (there are 6 within a 1 1/2 mile radius from me), the NYC public library, the science library, etc., etc. etc.

living in a tiny place has drawbacks, but being centrally located in a city has huge benefits as well. i don't want to live like this when i'm in my 50's, but for now, it's great.

Some of the reasons why we chose our current location (in the burbs)

1. We can walk (or bike) to supermarkets, 7 restaurants, barber shop, dentist, cleanres, etc., etc. All within one mile. This is VERY important to us.

2. We have a "downtown" with movie theater, library, gyms, etc., again, all within biking or longer walking distances.

3. We are .5 miles from the public recreation center.

4. We are right on a bike/walk trail system - I can ride 100 or more miles on excellent trails, with hardly any cross traffic.

5. Our small subdivision (340 houses) has 55 acres of open space and parks.

6. I am within one mle of freeway access, but also have a great "feeder" and alternate road system if I desire not to use the freeway.

7. I can bike (or a long walk - 5 miles) directly to our church on the bike paths, where we spend a lot of time.

Alternatively, a lot of our friends have opted to move several miles out east, "in the country" where they can raise horses or whatever, but they give up all of the amenities listed above, and are entirely dependent on cars.

I don't even like horses!

My place is ~700sq.ft.

I'm lucky that I'm single in that I have dedicated the "dining room" to my bike area -- got a rack to hold three bikes, service 'em right there and got storage space for gear and tools.

This isn't ideal when dating non-cycling women who'd rather me cook 'em a meal and serve 'em in the now non-existent diningroom.

No biggie. I'd rather be with a woman who rides anyway :)

Can I live comfortably in 370sq ft with 5 bicycles? :)

Need cubic feet to provide answer. i.e. how vertical can you go with bike storage?

check out sites like tinyhouses.net (.com? .org? search for tiny houses) for ideas on efficient use of space. 'simple living' are also good keywords on which to search.

There are two loft's I'm looking at, both right in down town SLC. One is 370sq ft, one is 535sq ft, the larger costs $45K more, and I'm not sure if its a worth while upgrade, other then more room for a real bed and bike storage. I really doubt I'll use the loft as anything more then a bedroom, being right in the city, I can work from one of the 80 open wireless networks within walking distance, and I already eat out 3 times a day...

I look at both places next week... :)

Or I can buy a townhome with 2200 sq ft in the suburbs for the same cost as the larger loft... 3 bed, 2 bath, a yard... ewww.

Joe, go for the larger one, you'll get that money back when you sell, probably be easier to sell the larger one when the time comes too. With the right financing you won't feel the extra cost, and it will appreciate more so that you'll get more profit when you sell. I think the extra space will make a huge difference.

Joe, go for the larger one, you'll get that money back when you sell, probably be easier to sell the larger one when the time comes too. With the right financing you won't feel the extra cost, and it will appreciate more so that you'll get more profit when you sell. I think the extra space will make a huge difference.

My man Shifty beat me to it...if you're having issues, and you're obviously a minimalist, the next person buying it will have issues too. An extra $45k is <$300/month. This point is null and void if you decide to live there til you die, though.

My place is ~700sq.ft.

I'm lucky that I'm single in that I have dedicated the "dining room" to my bike area -- got a rack to hold three bikes, service 'em right there and got storage space for gear and tools.

This isn't ideal when dating non-cycling women who'd rather me cook 'em a meal and serve 'em in the now non-existent diningroom.

No biggie. I'd rather be with a woman who rides anyway :)



I ride. Just cook me a meal! I'll eat it standing up!

Can I live comfortably in 370sq ft with 5 bicycles? :)

Probably - at least if you are talking about your garage!

I can't believe you're considering paying that much money for that little space. I can't imagine you'll be able to resell it in even a couple of years and not take a significant loss. I haven't lived in that little space since college... well, except for the couple of cruises I made where 8 of us shared not much more space on an aircraft carrier.

Holy Cow!

My work cubicle is about 144 cuft. My bike, wet clothes, drafting table, bookcase, three chairs, files and a potted tree fit in there just fine.

And they pay me to work here.

You live in a space slightly twice that size.

Hope you get out a lot!

I live in a two bedroom duplex w/ my girlfriend. Livong room,kitchen bath and two bedrooms. Sadly there is not enough room in our "spare" room for me to set up my drums becaue there is a computer, bikes and a desk for her to get ready on,makeup and hair. Need more space, just for drums and other music related items.

My work cubicle is about 144 cuft.

My bike, wet clothes, drafting table, bookcase, three chairs, files and a potted tree fit in there just fine.




144 cu ft would be a space about 4.2 feet by 5 feet by 7 feet, assuming ceiling height of only 7 feet. How in the world do you get all that stuff in there? Do you have miniature furniture and bikes?

144 cu ft would be a space about 4.2 feet by 5 feet by 7 feet, assuming ceiling height of only 7 feet. How in the world do you get all that stuff in there? Do you have miniature furniture and bikes?

Ooops. Make that square feet. 12 X 12.

Dogone nit-pickers! :D

Ooops. Make that square feet. 12 X 12.

Dogone nit-pickers! :D

:D :) :D :) :D

As I remember, it was Lockheed/Martin scientists using English measure in one part of the USA and scienttists using metric in another part that caused a multimillion $$ satellite to fail recently. The world NEEDS nit-pickers!

I live in a 134593 sq ft house.

Can I live comfortably in 370sq ft with 5 bicycles? :)


Joe.....like the Big Bang....so much from such a tiny space.....

Well, I went and looked at the loft, as much as I love the location right down town, I don't think I could ever make 370sq ft work for me. Atleast if I'm in the suburbs, I'll have a longer commute (by bike...) to work! ;)