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325 square foot apartment

 
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(from http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/LAUNCHPAD-FLOORPLAN-thumb.jpg)

Some people are blogging what it is like to live (temporarily) in a NYC Micro Apartment that is 325 square feet. This one is in a museum, but they are going to be building real ones.
 
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It appeals to my love of organization. However, my love far outstrips my ability to actually be organized, and I'm afraid that would turn it into a fiasco. Sure, a lot of what's bulky in my life ... books, files, music ... has been slowly turning into computer files, so that would help, but jeez. Even as a male nerd, I find that closet space a little tight, especially for a city where I'd need heavy coats and sweaters in the winter.

Also, is it a weird shape? How would they interlock them inside a building? Even if you made a mirror image one, there would still be a big hole in between them.
 
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I'd go stark-raving mad within about 10 minutes.

And, no windows? Make it 5 minutes.
 
Greg Charles
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I assumed that thing with a big V on it is a balcony, with a panoramic view overlooking Central Park. I'm dreaming though, huh?

Give me land, lots of land, and the starry skies above ...
 
Bear Bibeault
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Greg Charles wrote:I assumed that thing with a big V on it is a balcony


Ah, I think you're right. I assumed it was the closet, but apparently the actual closet is only big enough for one change of clothing. Hope the laundry room is nearby!

So, with the balcony, maybe back to 10 minutes.

Aside: back in the mid-90's I visited a friend who lived not too far from the Empire State Building. This is almost exactly the size and layout of his apartment. No Murphy bed though. He kept a mattress propped up behind the sofa and brought it out each night. So it is possible to live in something this size -- but it's not for me by a longshot.
 
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So how many tenants are allowed to share the place?
 
Bear Bibeault
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Maximum occupancy: 0.75 people.
 
Greg Charles
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Bear Bibeault wrote:Maximum occupancy: 0.75 people.



That's a good deal. Most apartments in the city cost an arm and a leg.
 
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Bear Bibeault wrote:Maximum occupancy: 0.75 people.


Then how many people will be required to change the light bulb in this apartment ?
 
Jeanne Boyarsky
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Greg:
Yes that is a balcony. A balcony is actually worth more than the equivalent amount of space added to the inside. As far as stacking them together, there will be different sizes of microapartments. This is the smallest. And they don't all have a balcony.

Bear: Your friend's apartment was a lot larger (or an illegal sublet). Up until now, it was illegal to build an apartment that small in an apartment building. People renting out a room or basement have often had smaller though.

Martha: The number of people is interesting. While they are designing it for single people, I haven't seen anything about that being the limit. (It should be.) Two people have long shared a studio (a little under twice as big) which seems tight to me too though.

Here's another floor plan

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/01/23/article-2266745-17197031000005DC-101_634x330.jpg
 
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I've lived with my wife in a 290 square foot flat (plus additional 72 sq. ft. glazed loggia, plus about 15 sq. ft pantry, which was always full up to the ceiling) some years ago. The loggia became sort of a warehouse during the years. Kitchen was a separate room, and when we wanted to replace a broken fridge with a slightly bigger one, we had to dismount a light on the wall.

We even had a few overnight visits during the years. And in one period, when my mother become ill and needed care, she was with us for a few months until we've found a better arrangement. I worked at home at that time. In retrospect, that period was a little taxing.

I'm not sure how I would accommodate to similar conditions today. Young people can endure anything, apparently.

But the interesting point for me is that single-room flats of 320-370 sq.ft. are normally built and sold (often to young couples) in my city. And I've always though it's New York which is cramped!
 
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325 square feet? Luxury! Shortly after I left college, I was renting a room in a shared flat in Edinburgh, where I had a guy living in my cupboard.

It was a 19th century tenement building, and I had a normal sized room looking out onto a leafy terrace. The room also had a walk-in closet, with access from my room (blocked by my wardrobe) and from the hallway outside. The closet was just big enough for a single bed with a small table next to it - maybe 30 sq ft - and the only natural light came from a small skylight in the roof. And the guy who lived in it felt he was lucky, because his girlfriend had lived in the equivalent "room" in the flat below, which of course had no skylight.

Mind you, we probably weren't paying anything like the same rent per square foot as people in NYC!
 
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My wife and I just moved into a 3500 sqft house. With a basement and crawlspace for storage.
Living in one tenth of that bobbles my mind.
 
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One of these would be a mansion compared to these 40 square foot apartments in Hong Kong.
 
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yeah..come on...
i lived in a 25' single wide for almost 10 years. that could not have been more than 250 sq ft
for a little while i lived in one half that size
 
Greg Charles
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Randall Twede wrote:yeah..come on...
i lived in a 25' single wide for almost 10 years. that could not have been more than 250 sq ft
for a little while i lived in one half that size



With padded walls, right?

 
Randall Twede
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no, actually it was entirely wood panelled. it was a 1953 trailer. same age as me
 
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In my opinion, I think it's just priority. Some people wants to be in Manhattan (meaning even the outer boroughs of New York City are not acceptable) -- and they wind up with ridiculously small apartments (or sharing them). On the other extreme, some people want space and lots of it -- and they wind up with a very long commute. Personally, I don't think either case is wrong, it is just priority. And if your priority is different, of course, you are going to think that it is crazy.

Henry
 
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