A Bathroom for Everyone...

S

sparrow

Cathlete
Hey All:

Went to work an open house with DH today, and thought I'd share a couple of comments I heard from people who came through. There's absolutely no point to this thread beyond possible sparking an interesting conversation about American excess. :D

Anyway, the house is a $1.5 million property. Very nice place, not my taste, being new construction but gorgeous. 4000+ square feet, 4 bathrooms. One lady who came through commented that her 4 person family really needed more room because their 3500 square foor house was just too crowded. Another couple commented that they liked the 4 bathrooms because their three kids right now are sharing one bathroom and in her words it's "inconceivable" to expect them to continue to do so for much longer (their house actually has 3 bathrooms but apparently is so huge that the kids can't be expected to trek from one end of the house to another in search of a free bathroom, at least not without taking water, sandwiches and a flare.) Now, I have no issue with everyone having his/her own bathroom or people having big homes. But it did strike me as odd that they did not see these things as luxuries but necessities for everyday comfort. It's this just totally crazy American excess or am I too frugal? DH and I try to avoid consumerism (not always successfully) and recently commited to doing what we can to reduce our impact on natural resources, that's the energy we hope to put into the world, so maybe I just am out of touch with what people expect?

What say you all?


Sparrow

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
"What say you all?"

I say I'm surprised I'm not all screwed up for not only having to share a bathroom with my mom AND my sister, but a BEDROOM with my sister as well!!!! Wow - I guess I had it really rough. Who knew? :p

Suz

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France

http://www.picturetrail.com/dogs2birds
 
Well, I suppose the fact that my sons share a bedroom AND a bathroom just dooms them for any hope of normal development. PLUS, I'll have to listen to their stories of a deprived childhood til I die.

And me, my parents, my sister and myself shared one bathroom. This explains my mental shortcomings...right? I did have my own bedroom.

:p
 
Sparrow, this is very interesting. Growing up my mom, dad, brother, and I lived in 1000 sq ft with one bathroom. It was tricky but we did it and I have to admit that it would have been nice to have one more bathroom. Now DH and I are looking for a house and we would like about 1500 sq ft and people think we are nutso. They don't understand why we don't need at least 2500 sq ft and we had one person laugh at us. The culture has definitely changed. I just don't want to have to a) pay for that square footage, b) heat and cool that square footage and c) clean that square footage. But I guess to each his own.

Karin
 
Well, my two teenage sons and I share a bathroom and have been for the past 11 years. Most likely, we'll continue to do so for another 5 years. It would be nice to have a 2nd bathroom, but I don't foresee it in our near future. We've all learned how to time-share the one we've got. Kind of a nice lesson in cooperation, y'know. And our house is slightly less than 1300 square feet. A larger house would mean more upkeep, a huge increase in property tax (since our tax base is on what we paid for this house years ago), higher insurance, and higher heating bills. As it stands now, I am in a good position to put the boys through college. Should I jeopardize that for the convenience of one more bathroom? I don't think so.

There's a lot of wealth and over-indulgence in this area and I won't succumb to it. Nor will I feel badly for not keeping up with the Jones's.

I'm afraid you ran into the upper 1% of the nation that feels entitled to massive houses.
 
I agree with you Sparrow. We are a culture of excess whether it food, clothing, housing....
 
It is total excess. That's fine for them that they can afford a $1.5 million house, but they should at least realize they are in the minority and it is a luxury that most people don't have. Most people have one bathroom and share bedrooms, come on! There is real poverty in this country, with some people having no homes at all. I don't resent anyone who can afford luxuries, but to act like it's the norm, that's just being out of touch with the majority of people in this country. There's no excuse for that.
 
"water, sandwiches, and a flare..."

Ha!!!! That is too funny! What about their oen private cellphones clipped securely to their PJs, in case they get lost?

Susan L.G.
 
Just imagine how screwed up I must be. Up until the time I was seven, there were 7 of us and just 1 bathroom. (5 kids 2 parents). My brother's have told us stories how some mornings they would run to the gas station on the corner. LOL After 7 years of age, we always had 2 bathrooms, one in the master bedroom and 1 for the kids. The kid's bathroom didn't even have a shower it in, only a bathtub (well commode and sink too)
 
I recognize that living in a big home is a luxury. Personally, I've become accustomed to it. Even though I have space I don't need and rooms I never use, I love the spaciousness because it brings me a sense of transquility as opposed to feeling cluttered or crowded.
 
From someone who came from a large home & still has a large home, that is what is normal to me. I do not feel 4 bathrooms for 4 people is excess, to me it is normal. The house I live in now (just me along) has almost 2500 square feet, 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms. To some people it is large, to me it is a normal size place for one to live.

Karen
 
Thanks for the responses ladies :)

And please know, those who do have big homes, that I am not being critical of owning a large home. My house has 2000 square feet, and my sister lives in an 1700s farmhouse that came with 5 bathrooms! I was just struck by the belief that this amount of room is of course necessary for comfort, as opposed to being a thing one is lucky to have. I do think our view is a little skewed in the Land of Plenty, you know? And I do sometimes wonder, if the you know what should ever hit the fan and Americans really, seriously, truly, had to adopt a simple, bare bones way life, would we be able to do so?

Sparrow


Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
"had to adopt a simple, bare bones way life, would we be able to do so?...."


I don't think we could, what with all the important phone calls we need to make while driving....
 
If someone can afford a large home then why its it excess? It is all relatvie to what one is used to.



BTW I was raised in a very small house with 7 siblings two parents and one Grandmother. We had one bathroom. I much prefer my updated home with bathrooms for everyone.

I am raising my kids to clean their own bathrooms. They are not perfect, but they are learning a valuable lesson.



Judy "Likes2bfit"


If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.



http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce94279e1404fa00000016108AatHLZo3buN

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=9978144&uid=4817615&members=1
 
Judy, I don't think anyone is saying that it's excessive. I think the point was the attitude of the people who have them, like anything less is absolutely inconceivable! You can bet that if my DD had her own bathroom, as soon as she was able, she'd be cleaning it herself;)
 
Shelley, that's exactly it. Big homes are fine, I grew up in nice homes, and I know many people who have them. It simply struck me that we live in a place so blessed with abundance that many of us take it for common belief that every person in the house, including the grade schoolers, should have their own bathroom. With 9/11 upon us it also got me wondering if this expectation of "everything" is preparing us as a nation for more troubled times. No judgement of anyone intended, on my part.

BTW, my niece (6) and nephew (8) have their own bathrooms, and they most definitely clean them themselves.

Sparrow

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
<<Who in the heck wants to clean 4 bathrooms???>>

Ditto. This is exactly what goes through my mind whenever I see a "McMansion".

Sparrow - I think a lot of people would be seriously screwed if they had to adopt a simpler way of life.
 
Well, people who can afford 5 bathrooms also can afford to have somebody else clean them :) DH and I have 3 bathrooms for just the 2 of us and he wanted to have somebody come and clean them once a week - I told him I thought we could handle it on our own ... now if we had 12 kids or something, that might be a different story ... although I'd agree, they should be cleaning up their own bathrooms, too!

arancini
 
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