Why we have people live with us

How can you stand to have people just walking through your front door at any time?

What about noise?

Don't you wish you had more privacy?

Those are just a few of the questions we hear regarding the fact that people live in our basement.

When we built our home we designed the basement to be able to function as it's own living space (minus sharing the front door and laundry with the upstairs).  Of course, this offers multiple opportunities, but in the nearly six years we've lived here, we've chosen to rent out the space.  We've had a married couple, some college students, young professionals, and now, another young family live with us.  It is a decision that is often met with lots of questions and even a bit of confusion.

There are plenty of questions, but the reality is that we really enjoy having other people living in our home.


We do charge some rent.  
We like that we can offer a rate that is very affordable compared to other places in our town.  And at the same time, we supplement our monthly income with funds that help us be able to save more, give more, and take on fun projects.

We like the sense of community.  
While we would consider ourselves introverts, for sure, we enjoy having people around.  I love the spontaneous chat times that happen as people come and go from our living space (and we from theirs).  This arrangement also lends itself to occasional shared meals and other acts of service and common experiences that are just easier to offer when you live under the same roof.

I like not feeling alone.
Similar to the previous point, I like having people around.  Especially on days when I'm at home all day with the kids, I appreciate that I have the opportunity for at least some adult conversation.

It's great for babysitting.
We try to be really sensitive to not overuse this, but this is such a great perk.  There have been countless times that our housemates have held the baby monitors for us while our kids are asleep.  It's freed me to take some afternoon walks by myself and allows for the occasional date after kids are down for the night.  And while we do utilize other people to babysit, it's nice that when our housemates are able to care for our kids, they are all comfortable with one another and familiar with routines and such.

We don't need all that space.
Of course, we'd fill it and use it if we had the basement for our use, but we really don't need it.  And the good Lord knows I have no desire to have to clean more space!

It helps our kids learn something about sharing, respecting, and living life with others.
At least I hope so.  I like that it's "normal" to Hannah to have people coming and going from our home.  And in our current arrangement with some of her sweet little friends living downstairs, she has had to learn almost daily lessons about how to share and be respectful (not to mention dance and pretend and squeal).

We've had some amazing friends live in our home.

 

Now we are starting to search for some new cellar dwellers.  The Sapp family will be moving out when they finish their home in a couple months.  So if you know someone who might enjoy living in our home next semester, please let us know.  We'd love to chat with them.