Bigger Flat: Greater Comfort or More Trouble? 

Tabassum Ara lives with her family of four in a 2,000-square-foot flat. For her, the biggest advantages of a large flat are enough space, separate rooms and privacy for family members. But over time, she has realised that a bigger home does not always mean greater comfort. It also brings extra responsibilities and problems. Here is her story:

I live with my family of four in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. When we moved into this large flat, I felt that having more space would make our family life more comfortable. It certainly has many advantages. We have separate rooms, enough space for everyone and more privacy.

But after living here for some time, I have realised that a bigger flat does not always mean greater comfort. It also brings extra work, responsibilities and some unexpected problems.

The biggest problem for me is maintenance. A large flat has more rooms, larger floors, more windows and doors, bathrooms and other areas that need regular cleaning. A lot of my daily household work goes into keeping the flat clean and organised.

Sometimes, after I finish cleaning one room, I find that the children have made a mess in another room. By the time I finish arranging one part of the house, another part may need attention. Keeping the entire flat clean can therefore become a tiring task.

But for me, a more important issue is keeping an eye on my children. In a large flat, they can stay in separate rooms. I cannot always know when they enter or leave their rooms, what they are doing, whether they are studying or how much time they are spending on mobile phones or computers.

When we lived in a smaller space, everyone was usually closer to the same living area. I could easily see where the children were and what they were doing. In this larger flat, I sometimes have to walk from one room to another just to check on them.

This is particularly difficult when the children are young. If they close the door of their room, I cannot always know whether they are studying, playing, sleeping or using a mobile phone. I have to check on them myself.

I also feel that a large home changes the way family members communicate. One person may be in the bedroom, another in the study room and someone else in the living room. Although we are living under the same roof, we may not always spend enough time together.

There are also financial issues. A large flat needs more furniture and more curtains, lighting, air-conditioning and maintenance. If we use lights and ACs throughout the 2,000-square-foot flat, the electricity bill can be higher than that of a smaller 800-square-foot flat. Even unused rooms can increase costs if lights or ACs are left running.

Still, I cannot deny the advantages of having a large home. My children have separate places to study, I can have some personal time, we can accommodate guests and everyone can have a certain level of privacy.

So, from my experience, the question is not simply how many square feet a family has. The real question is whether the space is being used properly. For me, a good home is not just a big home. It should give family members enough personal space while also keeping communication, care, safety and togetherness alive.