'There are certainly drawbacks': The family who downsized for a good school zone

Nobody ever said it was easy downsizing with a family from a suburban house to a small unit.

But one family who did exactly that seven months ago has some tips for other families dealing with space issues, such as the family of five (plus pets) that Stuff featured last week.

Mark and Selena Abbott of Christchurch downsized because they wanted to get their children into the right school zone. They have gone from 240 square metres to a 90 square-metre duplex in Sydenham, so that son Morgan, 12, can start at Cashmere High School next year. Daughter Lauren, 9, will follow in due course.

And it hasn’t all been easy sailing, says Mark Abbott. “It’s a lot more intimate, that’s for sure. There are certainly drawbacks that can’t be avoided. For example, any more than two people in the kitchen and it’s like being in a crowded bus. And areas like the lounge are much noisier.

“In our last house I used to be able to have a conversation with my wife in one corner, while the boys were chatting across the room. We can’t do that any more.

“Doing things like a jigsaw becomes a logistical nightmare when you realise that there is nowhere to put it once you’ve started it. And finding places to store things like pushbikes and scooters is a challenge.”

At present, the unit has just two bedrooms, so Mark and Selena Abbott have their bed in the open-plan living area, in the space normally taken by a dining table. They are in the process of separating this area off to make it a proper bedroom.

Abbott also notes it’s a bit of change to have to get used to one toilet in their small duplex. And the family has to be careful around the grass, as there’s not as much space for the dog to defecate.

But, on the “plus” side, doing the lawns is easy. “It takes all of five minutes and that includes getting the mower out and putting it away.”

And wait till you hear about the power savings. “Our power bill easily dropped by 40 per cent in the winter. And we can heat the place up much faster, in a really short amount of time.

“We have been quite impressed by the difference. We have one heat pump downstairs and an oil column heater upstairs on the lowest setting, just to keep the chill off. In our last house we would have a large oil heater on full and it would barely make a difference.”

Abbott says the family had originally bought a house in the school zone several years ago, but the zoning was changed and they found the house was outside of all school zones. “We have became inadvertent landlords renting that house out,” he says. “It has become part of our retirement plan now.”

But this family has come up with a few tips after seven months:

1. Think before you buy furniture, because large pieces will simply take up too much room. “Even our bedside tables are a lot smaller, because the width of the room is a limiting factor.”

2. Invest in mirrors. “We have bought a lot of mirrors because they bounce light around and make the space look considerably larger.”

3. Create an outdoor room – an outdoor living area can be an extension of the house. “We move outside to give ourselves space. We upgraded the lighting out there with LEDs so we can enjoy being out there in the evenings.”

4. Choose light colours for walls and choose furniture that lets the light through to help make the space appear larger. “We are aiming to replace our carpet, which is dark grey, and some of our wood doors, as well.”

5. Consider slide-away trays. “We have trays that slide under and our couches and ottoman.”

6. Consider multipurpose furniture. “We bought a bed that has a hydraulic-assisted frame that lifts the mattress right up so we can store items undeneath.”

– This originally appeared on Stuff