So I splurged on my vacation and got a 480 square foot hotel room, because aside from my wife, I also have a toddler with me.
It's a 1-bedroom suite. The bedroom has a king bed and a desk and dresser. The bathroom is large with a separate bath and shower.
The separate living room has couch and a couple if sofa chairs as well as tables and entertainment cabinet.
Overall I'm impressed with this 480 sq ft unit as it feels reasonably spacious.
No kitchen of course but I figure adding in a kitchen and dining area, and adding in more closet space while taking away some space from the living room and bedroom would mean it would translate into a 550ish square foot unit.
In fact it felt bigger than expected so I asked the front desk about the size and they confirmed the quoted 480 square feet.
My kid has some space to play and run around. Note though there are essentially no toys in the place. I was just in a friend's apt which is substantially larger and yet it feels totally cramped because a bunch of the space is needed for workspace for the two adults, and much of the rest if the space is filled up with children's toys and a crib.
So while I think a 550 sq ft condo may be fine for a couple, it's just inadequate for a family IMHO.
I would say anything less than 700 sf is inadequate.
Yesterday I visited a friend who just moved into a 2BR2BR advertised as 850 sf. They're renting for a year until they can find the perfect larger place after just having sold their house in Riverdale. The unit is east of Yonge and the building is about 10 years old. It's an easy walk to the St. Lawrence Market, a No-Frills and LCBO but the Sobey's just closed.
The kitchen is JUST adequate although I found the cupboards small and she complained that her dinner plates have to go on a bottom shelf of a bottom cupboard because the upper cupboards are too shallow and narrow. Now mind you, they unit doesn't have the nicest finishes so a reno would renovate that. The fridge is not very large so, if you have to stock up on kids' milk and such, you're outta luck.
There is a round DR table seating four, two love seats in an L and a few side pieces. Most of her stuff, which was pretty minimal anyway, is in storage or went to her grown-up kids or to charity. The TV has yet to be connected and they are at a bit of a loss as to where it should go.
There are precisely three closets. One double when you walk in, one double in the second bedroom which now holds a desk and a futon, and a small walk-in in the MBR. She keeps a vacuum cleaner in there.
The place where the washer and dryer is kept has no room for linens -- although two narrow shelves up top hold cleaning supplies -- so my friend has them in rollout bins under the queen-sized bed the MBR.
The bathrooms -- one 4 piece, one 3 piece -- are tiny and without storage.
There is no room for a dresser in either BR.
Turns out there are many young couples in the building who have started families and my friend -- who chats up everybody -- said all these young folks want to stay downtown, or as close to it as possible, because they are all refugees from the burbs and never want to return. They would prefer to cram in their strollers, kids' toys, their winter boots and clothes, electronics, etc. in these places than buy even as far out as Leaside or East Riverdale or whatever the hot hood is, assuming they could afford to do so. They like being able to walk to their jobs on Bay Street and pick up dinner at the Market.
The largest unit in the building is 975 sf -- I looked at layouts online -- and, compared to some of the newer stuff being built, they are cavernous. But still too small for some of these families and with no closet space.
I just cannot imagine. It's as if downtown Toronto has become Hong Kong real estate-wise.
The crunch is going to come.