Housing Life Cycle

The life cycle of different houses we live in throughout our lives was the main topic for this past week.
We started out the week with discovering both the physical and psychological needs that a house must fill in order to be healthy home environment.

Physical Needs:

1. Shelter - The house must provide shelter from the elements that rage outside.
2. Sleep - The house must supply a safe place for you and your family to sleep.
3. Food - The house must have a convenient place to prepare food.
4. Storage - The house must be able to store your things in an organized manner.
5. Safety - The house must provide protection from predators, thieves and other unruly characters.

Psychological Needs:

1. Love & Belonging - The home should make you feel as though you are part of a community or at least give you a sense that you belong there.
2. Privacy - The home should be able to be the place you go to in order to get away from all the stress. Having a good sense of privacy and that safe area is very good for your mental health.
3. Identity - The home should reflect your values and lifestyle.
4. Creativity - The home should provide a place for your own self expression. Make your home yours by adding variety/beauty and your own unique spin on it. 

Housing Life Cycle:

         A housing life cycle is the changes over time that depend on your needs and what you need at certain points in time. We worked on what we would want in three stages of our lives. We were asked to identify our needs/wants for when we were 22, 33, and 42 and work within a set budget.

When I am 22, with a set housing budget of $150,000 my main criteria for a home would be simple one bedroom, one bath with a nice kitchen that is big enough for me to cook in without feeling cramped or causing a lot of clutter. The apartment I decided on however is a two bedroom, two bath just in case I have a guest and want them to stay over. It also gives me just a bit more space to grow with me through my life as well. I decided to live in Lakewood, Colorado because I would have just graduated from college which is near there and will wanted to start working on my career. This location would give me a good commute time to any main cities near by in case that is where my job is. With My budget being only $150,000 I chose an apartment that was only 100 off from my max budget because it was one that did not need any renovations.

At the age of 33 I will hopefully have a family of my own. We had the option of randomly choosing another income so that made my housing budget go to $554,000. I wanted to get a house with enough rooms so that my kids can each have their own space. The open space and big kitchen were the real selling points for me. I enjoy the thought of having a big enough area for the whole family to be together. The location was because the Littleton school district is a very well respected one. It also is a good sized suburb not far from the city but far enough so that it is a good place to raise a family. I went under budget when purchasing this house but I feel like this was the best house for me when it came to what I hope for in the future.

For my last house, at the age of 42 and with a budget of $662,000, I chose a big enough house that if I have guests or life happens and for any reason my kids need to come back home for a while they will still be able to have their own space. I loved the front of the house with the patio and open space. I decided to live in the city because I think it would give me good access to things and when I am this age I am pretty sure I will want to be close to everything. I decided to not go up to my full budget because in case the house had a few issues I would have some money set aside so that I can repair what is needed, or rather pay someone to repay it because I won't want to do it myself at that age.



When it comes to the life cycle of a house it is really important to have a basic understanding of what you want out of life but of course there is no way to truly know what is coming until it is happening. The needs you have through out your life change and that is why the houses that you choose to live in change as well. The house you live in at any age should meet your needs as well as reflect yourself in it.