Three's Company

Courtesy of homesteadygardens.com

While pulling into the driveway after a long day at the office, I noticed the tall grass covering the front lawn, the overgrown azaleas bordering the side yard, and the pine trees shedding needles that had to be raked.

I loved our big, lush yard located just a block away from the Intracoastal Waterway, however maintaining it was simply time-consuming and overwhelming.

“I’m ready for concrete,” I declared to Tom one day.

He understood. It was time to downsize.  

After all, it was he who did most of the yard work. I mainly complained about it. Besides, it was just he and I, all the kids were grown and moved out.

Before long, we found ourselves in a newly-built three bedroom townhouse surrounded by concrete. I was delighted. So was Tom. It was wonderful to live in a low-maintenance community where a landscaping crew, not us, took care of what little shrubs and grass surrounded our townhome. I also enjoyed decorating our new home. It felt great to have a new place.

We’d lived in our townhouse for about a year when our daughter, Tish, moved back home to complete college. She stayed in the spacious bedroom downstairs with an adjoining bathroom, thus giving her ample privacy and a quiet space to study. Upstairs was my and Tom’s bedroom, his office and the laundry room.

Sadly, over the coming months our son, Thomas, went through a painful divorce and custody battle. In the end he won custody of his two daughters, Grace and Bella, ages 2 and 1. He also moved back home – our downsized home.

How do we fit four adults and two little ones into a small, 1,350 square feet three bedroom townhouse?

Very creatively!

Our first order of business was to find sleeping quarters for everyone.

We moved two-year-old Grace into our room. She slept in her toddler bed next to my and Tom’s bed. I loved having her in there, too. Her little face was so angelic; at night I would often lie in bed for hours and just watch her sleep.

Thomas moved into Tom’s office. Thankfully it had a bed as it doubled as a guest room as well. Miraculously, we managed to fit Bella’s crib in there. It was a tight fit, but it worked.

Our second order of business was locating closet space for everyone.

To say closet space was limited would have been an understatement.

Tom’s office also served as his hobby room where he repaired fishing rods and worked on model boats. His office closet stored his hobby supplies. But somehow Thomas managed to squeeze in a few of his clothes.

Our next challenge was figuring out a place to keep the girl’s items.

The downstairs pantry where we kept our canned goods was huge. It was located just beneath the stairs. The builders didn’t waste any space; they made our food pantry almost the size of the entire wall.

It was also the only remaining storage space available. So Tom installed a shower curtain rod in it to hang the girl’s clothes and I added some pink storage boxes for shoes, toys, diapers, etc. As makeshift as it was, it was perfectly effective.

 

Photo courtesy of homedit.com



Almost ten years later, we are still living in our three bedroom townhouse. Tish has since landed a great job with a local non-profit and living on her own. Thomas has moved in with my aging parents in order to help them. He sees the girls on a regular basis and works with Tom at his landscaping business. Tom has reclaimed his office/hobby room. The girls now share the large downstairs bedroom with its two large closets and adjoining bathroom. It's been perfect for them.

My advice for grandparents, caregivers, or anyone for that matter having to make living accommodations: although it is a sacrifice, you need to be creative and flexible. Use whatever space you have available. And when I say whatever, I mean WHATEVER space you have, even if it means rearranging spaces. You can make it work, you’ll be surprised. We certainly were!

 

This would also be a great opportunity to de-clutter; to get rid of those things collecting dust around your home that you don't use anymore. Donate or consign them.

Homedit.com has over 60 great ideas for under stairs storage. You’ll be amazed at the wonderful spaces you can create right under your stairs!

 

Photo courtesy of homedit.com



Need help getting started? Please visit my friend Melissa Capps at Simple Spaces for ideas on getting organized and finding solutions to reducing clutter in your home. She’s an organizational whiz and also a regular guest on WWAY. Check out this recent segment on closet organization.  

Friends, thank you for stopping by today. Please leave a comment below and share your unique ideas on creating spaces, getting organized or reducing clutter. I want to hear from you!

 

The Lord also keeps safe those who suffer. He is a safe place in times of trouble.  Psalm 9:9

-Beth