==Have you ever built a cedar strip canoe, or are you making wooden spoons==

No, I haven't built a cedar strip canoe (nice flex), but I do have the room in my 2.5 car garage if I wanted to. Partly because we only need one car in the city for a 4-person family (which is also part of the "cost" calculation). I could also use my basement, if I was inclined.

==It would cost double what I pay for me to live with 1/4 of the space in a city.==

This is impossible to say without knowing how much you pay and how much space you have.