A homeowner living in a 1,300-square-foot paid-off starter home recently posed a question on Reddit that resonated with many middle-class families. With plans to start a family soon, they were debating whether to move into a 2,200-square-foot house or go even bigger with a 3,000-square-foot-plus home in a desirable suburban area. The homeowner said they had always preferred keeping things simple, owning fewer possessions and avoiding unnecessary clutter. But with children on the horizon, they wondered whether extra space would improve their quality of life or simply create more work and expenses. “At what point does it become more of a burden than a blessing?” they asked fellow homeowners. Don't Miss: See if you can cut your monthly debt payments by 40% — check your eligibility in minutes. Find out if your retirement plan is exposed to risks most investors overlook — get matched with a fiduciary adviser today. Bigger Houses Bring Bigger Responsibilities The most common response was that larger homes often come with costs people don’t fully appreciate until they experience them. “I would start dusting my 2,700 square foot house and when I was done with one side the other side would be dusty,” one homeowner joked. Others pointed to rising utility bills, property taxes, maintenance costs and cleaning responsibilities. Several people who had owned homes larger than 3,000 square feet said they enjoyed the space initially but eventually realized they were spending time and money maintaining rooms they rarely used. “Keeping it all clean was a huge pain, and heating it sucked. Absolutely dumb to have that much space just because we could,” one person who previously owned a 3,600-square-foot home in the Northeast said. “And hello property taxes , oh boy.” Trending: Access private-market funds that may include exposure to companies like SpaceX— available through SoFi Invest with entry points starting at just $10 Many homeowners also warned that bigger houses tend to get filled with more belongings. “The trap most people experience is more space = more sh*t to fill it with,” one person wrote. “Be wary of that pitfall.” Another said that while they loved large, open spaces, they found themselves accumulating furniture and decorative items simply because there was room for them. Layout And Location Matter More Than Size While opinions differed on the ideal amount of space, many agreed that layout is often more important than square footage. One homeowner said their family downsized from a 2,000-square-foot home to a 1,500-square-foot house, yet visitors frequently assume the smaller home is larger because the floor plan is more efficient. “Layout is everything,” another commenter wrote. People also said that many modern homes waste ... Full story available on Benzinga.com