Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 64,487
|
Post by Tennesseer on May 31, 2013 21:30:50 GMT -5
Is it worse than this?
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 6, 2024 6:27:46 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 21:48:34 GMT -5
15 people in 950 sq feet? No way. No friggin way!
|
|
HoneyBBQ
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 10:36:09 GMT -5
Posts: 5,395
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"3b444e"}
|
Post by HoneyBBQ on May 31, 2013 21:51:48 GMT -5
That makes me sad for them and for the kids.
|
|
mmhmm
Administrator
It's a great pity the right of free speech isn't based on the obligation to say something sensible.
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 18:13:34 GMT -5
Posts: 31,770
Today's Mood: Saddened by Events
Location: Memory Lane
Favorite Drink: Water
|
Post by mmhmm on May 31, 2013 22:11:12 GMT -5
That sounds like a recipe for madness.
|
|
Sam_2.0
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 15:42:45 GMT -5
Posts: 12,350
|
Post by Sam_2.0 on May 31, 2013 23:06:55 GMT -5
That's the size of my house. When my parents were moving they had to stay with me for a month. Five people in that much space was too tight for me!!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using proboards
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,910
|
Post by zibazinski on Jun 1, 2013 6:33:32 GMT -5
Is it a rental? If so, there are codes. If its owned, I'm not sure.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 6, 2024 6:27:46 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2013 6:46:03 GMT -5
Is it a rental? If so, there are codes. If its owned, I'm not sure. Some HOAs have rules about unrelated families living in a house together. If these women are unrelated, it may also be a violation of zoning laws if only one owns and the other 2 are tenants. When I was growing up, we lived in a 3 BR house with one bath and there were 7 of us (parents plus 5 kids). It probably wasn't much bigger than 900 SF although Dad eventually finished the basement so we could use it as a playroom. Even then it was stretching things with one bathroom.
|
|
busymom
Distinguished Associate
Why is the rum always gone? Oh...that's why.
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 21:09:36 GMT -5
Posts: 29,220
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"https://cdn.nickpic.host/images/IPauJ5.jpg","color":""}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 0D317F
Mini-Profile Text Color: 0D317F
|
Post by busymom on Jun 1, 2013 7:22:54 GMT -5
That's a violation of zoning codes around here, if the women are unrelated. We DO have one 3-generation family in our neighborhood. That is one busy house!
|
|
raeoflyte
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 15:43:53 GMT -5
Posts: 14,996
|
Post by raeoflyte on Jun 1, 2013 7:32:23 GMT -5
Definitely sounds tight and not ideal, but for single moms I think that can be a good arrangement. Between the 3 of them they can probably make sure one is always home so no daycare costs, and the shared rental/mortgage payment might let them actually save some money.
Although I'm glad just the 4 of us have more room than that.
|
|
MarleyKeezy78
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 22, 2011 13:20:34 GMT -5
Posts: 3,226
Location: Sittin in the mitten
|
Post by MarleyKeezy78 on Jun 1, 2013 8:13:32 GMT -5
The house I grew up in was the one my grandma and grandpa had seven kids in, about 900 sq ft or so. They did build a two story 4 bedroom next door eventually but they made it work. Crazy but doable for a while.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 64,487
|
Post by Tennesseer on Jun 1, 2013 8:53:44 GMT -5
Is the house maybe a halfway house temporarily housing abused women and their children?
|
|
Nazgul Girl
Junior Associate
Babysitting our new grandbaby 3 days a week !
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 23:25:02 GMT -5
Posts: 5,913
Today's Mood: excellent
|
Post by Nazgul Girl on Jun 1, 2013 9:05:19 GMT -5
Back in the olden days, when I was in school, the school bus used to rattle by houses with 5-7 kids and the two parents in the 3 br, one bath tract homes. I know the bigger houses in town with two stories were envied by some of the kids from those homes. They were always outside playing because Mom would shoo them outside to clear the house, I think. Big sisters and brothers watched their younger siblings and complained about them "tagging along." Some kids thought that I lived in "a mansion" because my parents had built a 1500 sq foot house with 3 BR ( later converted to 4 by Dad building a wall down the middle of the BR I shared with my sister because we fought so much ), and he added a second bath by using scrap marble from a public restroom being torn down from the site of his summer job ( he was a teacher ). We had two bathrooms, and the shower was Scandinavian-style with no separate stall, just a shower curtain and a drain in the floor. The whole room was either tile or marble except for the ceiling. ( It needed a fan to function correctly ). We lived on a lake and survived in our "mansion". Other kids were lucky to be in the 3BR tract houses with low monthly payments when the auto companies would strike. Otherwise, they would have been homeless ( circa 1950's - 1960's ). Strike pay wasn't very much.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 6, 2024 6:27:46 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2013 9:24:15 GMT -5
Definitely sounds tight and not ideal, but for single moms I think that can be a good arrangement. Between the 3 of them they can probably make sure one is always home so no daycare costs, and the shared rental/mortgage payment might let them actually save some money. I'd be really curious about the circumstances and the finances. I agree that it could be a good setup if it's 3 women with similar values and each is doing her share, whatever it's supposed to be. But are they getting public funds based on their "single mother" status? Are they working at jobs? It can't be easy for the kids, either. "Here's your new house, kids. Susie, you and your sister will be sharing a bedroom with Sally and Brittany. Joey, you'll share the hide-a-bed in the family room with David. I'm sure you'll all get along just fine."
|
|
TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 28,081
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
|
Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 1, 2013 10:59:13 GMT -5
Grew up in a neighborhood where the houses were 900 sq ft, with one bathroom. There were several families with a large number of children, the most being 9. We all seemed to survive. None of the houses in our neighborhood came with more than one bathroom or a garage. By the time my parents moved out, they had built a garage and added a bathroom in the basement.
In an earlier generation, my dad lived in a tiny house in Wyoming. In reality, it was 2 bedrooms. His parents had a bedroom and 4 sisters had a bedroom. The 7 brothers just slept in the basement--beside a coal furnace. Even he was shocked when he saw this place.
My mother grew up in a three bedroom house also. Mom and dad had a bedroom, 6 sisters shared a room and 7 brothers shared a room. No indoor plumbing.
People, including me, are spoiled now. My house has two bathrooms and it's just me. I do keep the water shut off to the bathroom in the basement since I don't use it.
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,910
|
Post by zibazinski on Jun 1, 2013 11:01:01 GMT -5
My mom rented a three bedroom to a lady and her three kids. We did an inspection and there were two sets of bunk beds in each bedroom. Meaning her sister, brother, and their kids all moved in as well. So twelve people were now living in a three bedroom house.
|
|
InsertCoolName
Familiar Member
Joined: Mar 1, 2011 17:32:48 GMT -5
Posts: 972
|
Post by InsertCoolName on Jun 1, 2013 11:21:00 GMT -5
I have 5 kids in a 1200 sq ft house with 1 bathroom. It's summer time so it's a normal thing here for there to be up to 10 kids here at once. <br><br>My best friend and her husband have 5 kids and lived in a 900 sq ft house with one bathroom. They now only have 4 at home and live in a place that has 1000 sq ft. <br><br>
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 6, 2024 6:27:46 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2013 11:32:06 GMT -5
Sounds like the house across the street from us when we lived in CA. Turns out there was a basement - they had dug it out by hand. But we found kids peeing in the street, diapers in the street, crying kids locked out of the house. It was super special.
|
|
alabamagal
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 11:30:29 GMT -5
Posts: 8,146
|
Post by alabamagal on Jun 1, 2013 11:33:12 GMT -5
Agree we have gotten spoiled. My grandparents grew up in small row houses in Pennsylvania, 3 Br 1 BA, maybe 1200 sq ft. One family had 10 kids and one had 12. My dad grew up in a small 2BR apartment (not high rise, but several floors)in the Bronx with his 2 brothers, no yard. He has lots of stories about playing stickball in the streets . They all grew up to be well adjusted adults.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 6, 2024 6:27:46 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2013 11:57:24 GMT -5
I'm with you, wrongside. It's hard to imagine how you keep 15 clean with one bathroom, especially with children that age. There's a limit to what the plumbing can usually handle. We lived in a small house when I was a kid and the toilets clogged all the time and the hot water ran out quickly.
The house across from us was a rental too. There had been complaints to the landlord but she was elderly and didn't care. The house was a total mess. There were periods where the plumbing broke and didn't get fixed for weeks at a time. The kitchen was non-operational for the most part and was used as a storage area.
You feel pity for the kids but it doesn't mean it's a great situation for the neighbors to have random children basically living in the street. In our case they had kids sleeping on dirt in the basement, people sleeping in the living room, in the kitchen. It costs money for bunk beds.
|
|
Apple
Junior Associate
Always travel with a sense of humor
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 15:51:04 GMT -5
Posts: 9,938
Mini-Profile Name Color: dc0e29
|
Post by Apple on Jun 1, 2013 12:13:12 GMT -5
That's a lot of kids! My house is just shy of 2400 sq feet and it's just my son and me. The family that had it before us was a couple with an only child. The family before that had 10 kids! One of the ten kids was young when the house was sold and she found out the new family only had one child. She told the new owner she was afraid the house was going to get lonely with only one kid in the house...
So, as long as the kids are well taken care of, it just might be their normal, and while I can't imagine it (I LOVE my space too much, I hate being crowded), if it works for them, more power to them.
Actually, in a way I can imagine... My mom had a daycare in a small house next to our "real" house. My parents and brother pretty much moved into it, but I stayed in the big house. During the day I would have to go to the small house to help out and there would sometimes be a dozen kids--it was crazy. There was a long, small table for them to eat at lunch and snack time, lots of bean bag chairs and foam pads for naptime that could be stacked against the wall when not in use, making the room a play room as well. But, they all went home at the end of the day, and I could escape to my own quiet, empty house.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 6, 2024 6:27:46 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2013 12:32:04 GMT -5
My mother grew up in a three bedroom house also. Mom and dad had a bedroom, 6 sisters shared a room and 7 brothers shared a room. No indoor plumbing. People, including me, are spoiled now. I agree that the mindset that every kid has to have his/her own bedroom (preferably with bath) is overkill, but I wouldn't want to go back to the old days, either. DH was raised in a one BR house and it had outdoor plumbing till he was 9. He shared it with his mother, stepfather, 2 siblings and a half-sister. I wonder if the landlord renting out the place the OP described had any idea how many people were going to be living there when the lease was signed. I probably wouldn't make a fuss about it either as long as they kept the place in decent shape and the kids appeared to be treated well.
|
|
8 Bit WWBG
Administrator
Your Money admin
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 8:57:29 GMT -5
Posts: 9,322
Today's Mood: Mega
|
Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Jun 1, 2013 13:17:17 GMT -5
...:::"I wonder if the landlord renting out the place the OP described had any idea how many people were going to be living there when the lease was signed. I probably wouldn't make a fuss about it either as long as they kept the place in decent shape and the kids appeared to be treated well.":::...
I've heard a few stories like this, and what zib said too. One guy I knew found out 15 people (3 Vietnamese families) were living in his 2Br/2bath townhouse.
Now, I'm sure that you can put a "maximum occupant" restriction in the lease, and I'm sure that you can try to have caps on "extended guests" (not to exceed 14 consecutive days and/or 16 days per month) but once they are in your house, they are in your house and will try to get away with whatever they can.
|
|
973beachbum
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:12:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,501
|
Post by 973beachbum on Jun 1, 2013 15:11:57 GMT -5
Our old house was 1062 sq feet 3/1 rancher with a basement but no garage. There were houses down the street that were built before ours that were closer to 900 sq feet with no basement or garage.
We never had more than 4 people living there and it seemed fine but the family before us had five kids plus mom and dad and at least one grandparent. That looked pretty cramped.
Then we met a family in one of the 900 square foot houses and they were a blended family with seven kids between them. the smallest bedroom was actually too small to put a bed in it except for one little spot. So the one kid told me that he and his brother slept on the floor in the living room because the younger sibs had gotten the beds in the bedrooms and the older one got the couch.
I was so gad to have the house size we did after hearing that!
|
|
constanz22
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 14:32:17 GMT -5
Posts: 4,219
|
Post by constanz22 on Jun 1, 2013 15:19:22 GMT -5
My father is one of 13 children. I don't think their house was much more than 1000 sf, maybe a tad bigger. But, at least his mom had children in "batches". She had several, then took a multiple year break, then had the second batch, so, almost two families, and as the younger ones started coming, some of the older ones were already leaving home. My father actually lived with relatives for many years when he was a teen to help on the family farm. It wasn't all that uncommon in those days. He's 73 (and part of the first batch...lol)
|
|
kgb18
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 8:15:23 GMT -5
Posts: 4,904
|
Post by kgb18 on Jun 1, 2013 19:24:22 GMT -5
My neighbors' house is about that size. They've got 5 kids and 2 adults. I call it Tom Thumb's house. Our house is a bit bigger, there are only 4 of us and I feel cramped.
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,910
|
Post by zibazinski on Jun 2, 2013 6:51:59 GMT -5
I taught, before I moved to Florida, in an affluent district. I remember house hunting one day and coming into a house and seeing two students I know sleeping in the sofa bed in the living room. Their parents could only afford a small house in the area and had more kids than room for them.
|
|
formerroomate99
Junior Associate
Joined: Sept 12, 2011 13:33:12 GMT -5
Posts: 7,381
|
Post by formerroomate99 on Jun 2, 2013 16:45:47 GMT -5
That does seem like a lot of people for such a small place. On the other hand, I think those laws preventing two single mothers with a couple of kids each from living in a 3 bedroom house are overkill. As long as they aren't going against the overall occupancy limits, it isn't anybody's business whether or not a group people who choose to live together are related.
|
|
alabamagal
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 11:30:29 GMT -5
Posts: 8,146
|
Post by alabamagal on Jun 2, 2013 17:41:16 GMT -5
My son lives in a rental house at college with several other guys. He said the zoning laws there only allow 5 adults (don't think they count kids though). He says the law was put in place to prevent brothels. I think they have violated the law with 6 guys living there (it does have 4BR, but definitely not a brothel.
|
|
cubefarmer
Established Member
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 14:08:21 GMT -5
Posts: 443
|
Post by cubefarmer on Jun 2, 2013 19:24:11 GMT -5
I don't think that is acceptable at all. I am surprised at how many people think this is do-able or okay. 12 kids plus 3 adults is 15 people- that is 5 people per bedroom. That is overcrowding and wrong. Somewhere something is being violated - Section 8 rules, lease, city code, Child Protective Services rules - something.
|
|
NastyWoman
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 20:50:37 GMT -5
Posts: 14,863
|
Post by NastyWoman on Jun 2, 2013 19:45:23 GMT -5
It sounds horribly cramped, but I'm sure it beats living under a bridge or in a car. And from what I have read about them, it beats living in a shelter by a couple of miles as well. I have no clue why these people live in such cramped circumstances, but I do think that they are not doing it just for the heck of it, so why all this talk about how they must be breaking some kind of law or ordinance? We want people to become self sufficient, yet when they try to work themselves up from the bottom we judge them rather harshly.
|
|