10 Disadvantages Of Big Homes People Don’t Realize

Big homes can be great because you get a lot of space. You also get the option to have separate rooms for different activities.

You can have a dedicated room for working, exercising, watching movies, entertaining guests, and basically whatever you can think of.

However, living in a big house isn’t always nice and nifty because there are some drawbacks to it, and some of them are things that people don’t often realize until they’ve actually moved into a large house.

Here are the disadvantages of big homes that people don’t realize:

1. Big Homes have Higher Maintenance Costs

Houses generally need regular maintenance because they go through normal wear and tear as the years pass.

Some walls may need patching up. Some parts of the house may need to be fixed. With large houses, even minor repair and maintenance work can be significantly more expensive.

Here’s a good example:

If you want to freshen up the look of your house with a new coat of paint, you would have more walls and surfaces to paint if you live in a big home.

If the wallpaper gets damaged and the current print is no longer available, you would have to spend more to replace the wallpaper on all of the walls in your home just to keep the design consistent.

In addition, big homes typically have many electrical systems, heating and cooling systems, and plumbing systems to ensure that all areas of the home are suitable for living.

These systems need regular maintenance and upkeep so that they’re always functioning as expected and to prevent their components from deteriorating.

Maintaining all these systems is more expensive compared to if you’re living in an average-sized home.

2. Big Homes are More Tedious to Clean

In relation to what was discussed above, big homes are more tedious and difficult to clean.

With a big home, you have larger square footage to clean and this takes more time and effort on your part. This is especially true if you have young children or pets in the household because they tend to make a lot of mess.

You would have to deal with the mess, clutter, liquid spills, or dirty paw prints here and there, and it can be annoying to find them everywhere or in random areas of a big house.

Living in a big home means that you have more rooms, more areas, and larger square footage to clean and maintain. And this requires more effort, time, and resources.

• With smaller or average-sized homes, general cleaning could take up an entire day while cleaning a big home may take up 2 to 3 days.
• More rooms and larger square footage also mean that you tend to use up more household products quickly which easily adds up to more expenses.

Another thing to consider is that most of these homes have sprawling outdoor spaces which also need cleaning and maintenance. These homes may have gardens that need landscaping, which means that there are also more plants or greenery that need frequent watering and trimming, plus lots of care and attention.

In addition, it’s quite common for large houses to also have swimming pools and recreational areas. These amenities also require regular cleaning and maintenance.

Of course, you can always hire a professional to do all these for you but they would charge you more since you have a bigger home.

3. Big Homes have Higher Energy Costs

Big homes generally need more energy for heating and cooling to ensure that every part of the home is comfortable enough for its occupants. You would want to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the house.

With more rooms and larger square footage, more energy is consumed by the heating and cooling systems leading to higher utility bills. This is especially true if the home has high ceilings and huge windows, or features an open floor plan.

More rooms also mean more electrical devices and appliances that consume a lot of energy. These homes often have larger refrigerators, multiple TVs and audio devices, more lighting fixtures, home security systems, and other gadgets for the comfort and convenience of the occupants.

All this adds up to higher utility costs.

4. Big Homes have Higher Property Taxes

Depending on where you live and the specific tax laws in your location, property taxes can either be paid monthly, semi-annually, or annually. When paid monthly, property taxes are part of your mortgage.

In general, big homes have higher property taxes.

These taxes are based on the assessed value of a home, and for this, many factors are taken into consideration, including the size of the home.

Large houses typically have more square footage, more rooms, more amenities, and more outdoor space compared to smaller homes, and this makes them more valuable.

In addition, they are usually located in nice, upscale neighborhoods with premium amenities and scenic views, which also adds to their assessed value.

So if you have a big home, then its assessed value is higher, which means that your property taxes are higher.

Check out our article with reasons why news houses are so big – why so few small homes?

5. Big Homes are More Challenging to Furnish and Decorate

Sometimes, a house may be so big that you could end up having a hard time deciding how to furnish and decorate it so that it doesn’t look and feel empty.

Big homes have more rooms which means that it would be more tedious to furnish and decorate all of them. And if you don’t furnish some of the areas, it just becomes wasted space.

With these houses, you have more walls to paint or apply wallpaper. You also have more floors to tile or carpet. Because you have many rooms to decorate, it can be hard to find a design that makes all the rooms look cohesive.

It is also more expensive to decorate a big home. You have to buy furniture to place in all rooms of the house so that they don’t feel empty.

You also have to buy more decor items such as wall art, small sculptures or figurines, vases, table accents, indoor plants, and other decor pieces. All these can quickly drive up your expenses.

6. Big Homes have a More Harmful Environmental Impact

Big homes are generally more harmful to the environment for several reasons.

One reason is that big homes have bigger energy consumption. As mentioned earlier, these houses typically need more energy to heat and cool, and all this can result in higher greenhouse gas emissions.

Big homes also consume more water, not to mention that many of them have larger lawns and swimming pools that use up a lot of water for maintenance.

If homeowners aren’t conscious of their water use, this can affect the local water resources, and in areas where the water supply is limited, it may affect the supply of neighboring homes.

Building a large house requires more materials such as wood, concrete, glass, and steel. The production and transportation of these building materials can harm the environment.

For example, sourcing building materials made from wood involves deforestation. Meanwhile, the production of steel and glass can lead to carbon emissions, not to mention all the other emissions caused when these materials are transported to the construction site.

Lastly, building a large house often requires a large plot of land. When building a house, you often have to clear the area and prepare it for construction, and this leads to the destruction of natural habitats.

All of these things add up to why big homes have a more harmful impact on the environment compared to smaller or average-sized homes.

7. Transportation To and From Big Homes can be Difficult

Big homes are often located in suburban or rural areas, where public transportation is scarce, making them less accessible from the city.

While there may be supermarkets and other stores in these areas, you’d find that there aren’t a lot of options. That or you won’t find everything you need in one store. So if you need to buy a lot of different items, your best bet is to go to the city where there is a store for almost everything.

If you live in a big home in a suburban area and you work in the city or if you frequently go there to run errands, then transportation can be a hassle, not to mention expensive.

You would have to be dependent on cars so that you can easily go to wherever you need to be. This also leads to more expense on your part because owning and maintaining a car can be costly, especially with the constantly rising fuel prices.

And if you don’t know how to drive, you would have to be dependent on ride-hailing or ride-sharing apps, such as Uber or Lyft, which can also be expensive especially if your location is far from the city.

Please also check out our article where we explore whether city life is more expensive.

8. Living in a Big Home can Reduce Family Time

Another disadvantage of big homes that people don’t often realize is that it can reduce family time.

With a large house, every family member tends to have their own rooms or areas for privacy. Because of this, family time can be reduced, especially when family members prefer spending their time in the confines of their own room.

In big homes where each kid gets their own bedroom, they don’t get to spend time with their siblings especially if they have large age gaps. Oftentimes, teenagers would prefer being in their room instead of bonding with their young siblings.

This means that living in a big home can give you fewer opportunities to bond and do fun activities with your family within your home.

9. Living in a Big Home can Limit Social Interaction

Living in a big home can feel isolating especially if you are in a suburban or rural area where houses are usually far apart from each other. This means that living in a big house may not give you a sense of community.

If you live in a big home, you may get limited social interaction with your neighbors since you don’t live next door to each other. The nearest neighbor could be a few hundreds of meters away.

People who live in big houses with sprawling outdoor spaces rarely get to see their neighbors, which means that interactions with them can be very limited.

This is why some neighborhood associations organize events for their residents to socialize with each other and have a sense of community. Not everyone has the time to go to these events, so it really doesn’t guarantee an increased interaction between neighbors.

10. Big Homes Come with More Expectations from Friends and Relatives

If you live in a big home, friends and relatives can get the idea that you are financially well off. Once they find out that you have a larger house, certain expectations will form on their end.

Whenever you have friends or relatives in town, you are often expected to accommodate them and offer them a place to stay. After all, you have all these extra bedrooms.

And if there’s a holiday coming up, you are also expected to host a gathering in your home because you have the space for it.

Of course, this disadvantage doesn’t apply to everyone because some people love to host. In fact, some people actually buy big houses just because they love having their friends and relatives over.

However, if you’re the type who doesn’t like having other people in the house apart from household members, then it can get annoying when friends and relatives have these expectations.

Yes, you can always decline, but there is always a slight chance that they will take it personally.

Big homes have their advantages and disadvantages, and if you’re thinking of getting a big house, it is always worth knowing the different pros and cons so you can make a sound decision that you won’t end up regretting later on.

Sources:

6 Reasons Why Buying A Bigger House Isn’t Always A Good Idea

Why Do People Buy Big Houses? 5 Disadvantages Of Having A Big House

Pros And Cons Of Moving To A Big House