Changing Storage Requirements of a Family
Unless your family has a large home with respect to its size, there is probably a constant battle with clutter - the curse of our acquisitive society.
As a young family it is likely that you would start off as a couple in a small apartment, perhaps struggling to find sufficient furniture to fill the space. As you acquire more and more furniture you begin to feel some satisfaction that you have at last "made it" to the "big leagues" - you've managed to fill the few rooms with the necessities of life. You have a small living room set, a dining room suite, a decent bedroom and a kitchen with most of the dishes, pots and pans you need.
The baby comes along and suddenly you are back into buying (or being given) the baby's necessities - a crib, change table, and additional baby food needs for the kitchen. In addition there are a multitude of accessories one needs for a baby - baby carrier, diapers, diaper pail, spare bedding, stroller, outdoor clothes - the list can grow quickly.
Often a young couple will "make do" with their original apartment, struggling to fit the needs of their growing family into their first apartment.
However, when the second child is on the way (or perhaps after delivery) it is often time to move up to a larger home, whether apartment or small house. It doesn't seem such a large step from one child to two, but, particularly if the second child is not the same gender, the influx of clothing for the two children can be quite daunting.
Usually, at this point the couple needs at least one car, often two. As income begins to build, the family acquires more and more material things around which to build their life. The children, as they reach five years old demand more and more toys, clothes, outdoor clothes (particularly in colder climates.)
Storage of unused items starts to grow. Clutter can increase almost exponentially as every corner and every closet seems to be utilized. It is a good idea to ensure there is plenty of vertical storage available because floor-space gets used up very quickly whereas the addition of heavy-duty shelves can relieve many of the problems of filling up basement storage and garages that will not take one automobile, never mind two.
The next phase is the growing kids in their 'tweens' and teens needing room for bicycles, skateboards, sports gear. This often indicates a need for a further move into larger quarters where the cycle repeats itself.
Then the teens move up to vehicles with engines - motorbikes and cars. Visiting teens needs parking and, often, spare bedrooms for overnight stays.
Finally, the kids move out themselves, getting married and having kids themselves. Isn't it nice that the house is now a Mecca for weekend and week-long stays for several young families? The need for storage is finally leveling out, with only a need to store the temporary requirements of your children and grandchildren.
Life in those middle years can be good.
Of course, retirement brings the need for hobbies and storage for the wood-shop, the quilting, the watercolors, the cross-country skis, the RV and everything else.
