The New Rules for Figuring Out How Much Home You Can Really Afford by Shaina Mishkin It didn’t take long for Amy Rutherford’s 6,000-square-foot dream house to become a nightmare. The day after she and her husband Tim moved into their new home in Parker, Colo. in 2008, Rutherford regretted spending money on square footage she didn’t need — even though she says it was well within her carefully-calculated budget.