Is an 8.5 by 9.5 feet room too small?

[Zombie Rasputin]

Hey guys! I got an excellent deal on a furnished room, where its affordability is just unparalleled; however, there are some downsides, in that the room is 8.5 by 9.5 feet (which is ridiculously small). At first I was adamant in going through with this deal -- I'm saving money right and you can't go wrong with that? -- but now I'm having doubts that perhaps I'm being too naive about this and that I may start hating myself within mere weeks of living in the relatively-cramped room? Also, there are some stringent policies in place where I would have to notify the landlord 24 hours in advance of bringing over a guest, and considering my experience with friends, especially that of the opposite gender, bringing them over has always been more of an impromptu thing.

Basically what I'm asking here is if its worth it to compromise room size and some modicum of autonomy for a low price ($100-125 lower than the average price of a room in the area)? I'm absolutely torn here, so I would love to hear some opinions -- and if anyone had encountered a similar dilemma please let me know!   

[Verloren]

Hey, so I'm not in really in the same situation you're in, but I'll give you my thoughts anyway since I happened upon this post.

I'd say it depends on the person, for me, I don't mind a small space as space is secondary to me compared to privacy. If you happen to have a lot of stuff, or if you value being able to change things up often, this might not be a good deal for you. My experience on houseguests is that it depends on the housing situation. If you are sharing a room in a house with other students, I find that no one really cares as long as they are not bothered. If you're renting a room in the home of the landlord, they might have rules or restrictions, most often that the guest cannot stay overnight, some have more. I would definitely ask them. 

And 100-125 for me would not be worth sacrificing a more comfortable living situation, but again, that depends on your financial availability and the area. If you're working to make ends meet and that 100 or so could be used on something more important, it might be worth it. If you would rather sacrifice that (whether i be eating out, gym, etc) and have more freedom in personal living space, that would depend on your personality. How much do you value company, privacy, savings? 

And my most similar experience to what you're describing was deciding between sharing a five bedroom house with other students or renting a studio at a higher cost (about 120 more). In the end, for me I valued my privacy and personal space more than the savings. I'm not good with sharing spaces especially if people don't clean up, and for me the more expensive option made sense. But ask yourself what matter most to you and go with the option that works more in your favor.

[St Andrews Lynx]

I once spent several months living in a room only slightly bigger than a double-bed (and not even one of those king-size beds ). I was doing an internship in one of the most expensive cities and the rent was pretty damn cheap. I didn't have any problem with such a small space...

...But...

...It depends on the overall quality of the place. I was living in a nice clean house, in a safe part of town, near to food shops, a tolerable distance from where I worked. I knew that I was only doing the internship for a couple of months so I only brought along my essential possessions. When I wanted to see my friends I went out (restaurants, walking around the place, etc), I didn't entertain at home. Actually, I didn't spent huge amounts of time at home what with work and studying. 

It really comes down to personal lifestyle. If you are sharing a house with a family/landlord then impromptu evening gatherings might not go down well (it's often older folk who rent out single bedrooms in their homes). A small cheap apartment is fine for me because I like going out to restaurants and hanging around in coffee shops, but if you prefer to entertain at home then I'd suggest finding somewhere else. 

Lastly, have you seen the place? Does it look like a tolerable place to live?

[Volition]

Go for it!

Edited April 18, 2016 by Volition

[eternallyephemeral]

My room in my previous apartment was 8 feet by 8 feet. I had a double bed, a small desk + desk chair, and a laundry hamper. Luckily, I had a quite large closet (almost 8 feet by 1-2 feet) so I used that for storage.

I had no problem with the room, as I spent most of my time at school anyways, and I don't have too much stuff.

Now, I have a 7 feet by 9 feet room, and the layout is better so I can fit my desk, my bed, a tall bookshelf, and still have some space for storage. I also have a decent sized closet for my things this time.

So I think the size would be fine, as long as you don't have tons of furniture and you have some efficient storage bins/a dresser to put things in.

 

The reason I would tell you not to take it is because of those other stipulations. I came across apartments with these types of rules (no bringing people over without permission and without telling people in advance, etc) but I always stayed far, far away from them. The reason I'm living alone (or even with roommates) is to have independence, so I would never live in a place where people would restrict who I could have over or what I could do (within limits, of course nothing illegal/damaging).

Not having that, for me personally, is worth spending the extra 100-125 per month. But it depends on your financial situation.

[TakeruK]

I don't think saving $100-$125 per month is worth the tiny space and the ridiculous rules. I suppose the rules make sense only if this is like a room in someone's home and the landlord lives in the rest of the house. But, if the landlord isn't even there and is just renting out rooms in their house with these rules, then that's just crazy. I would also be worried about other weird things happening, like the landlord wanting to do a room inspection every week or something. Like @eternallyephemeral says, the point of living alone is to have independence! I am not a person that likes roommates, but if I needed to save money, I'd choose roommates over this arrangement! Of course, this is a personal choice, just giving my opinion

[Pitangus]

I think it's only worth it if the compromise isn't going to be much of a sacrifice anyways. For example, I'd be fine with a no guests rule because I never have guests visit me anyways. The room size wouldn't bother me either; I only care about not having to share space. That said, it sounds like the room is in someone's house and would require sharing the rest of the house with them, so I would say no to that no matter what the price.

So if you know the details of the arrangement are going to be a problem for you, then it probably won't be worth it. 

[F.graminearum]

Speaking from experience having lived in a room that was 9x9 w/o a closet. It can be extremely cramped I was able to fit a desk, twin sized bed one of those Rubbermaid wardrobes (to substitute for a closet) and a mini fridge, there was very little floor to be seen. If you're the type to be out all the time and only come home to sleep I would say that it could work, otherwise I would strongly recommend against it. 

[shadowclaw]

When I first met my husband, his Mom and he lived in a pretty large apartment. However, the landlord had some very annoying rules. One of which was no overnight guests ever under any circumstances. I have no idea why - there were four apartments in a row and the landlord lived across the street. She would come check every night to see if there were any unfamiliar cars parked out back. If I happened to be there past 11 pm, she would come knocking and remind me that I wasn't welcome to stay overnight.

Moral of the story - if you have any desire to bring guests over without planning it out ahead of time, you will get annoyed with your living arrangement. Very annoyed. 

I don't think the room size would be a huge issue, but personally, unusually restrictive rules would make me run in the opposite direction.

[GradSchoolTruther]

Don't sign a lease with a landlord you already know is going to be a pain in the rear.