Also on top of that is there anyone who feels one gallon batches are or aren't a good idea. I also feel it has the ability to try alot more brews instead of having to make 48 beers to see what I like.
Welcome to the beer club.
1 gallon batches will yield you only ten (10!) 12oz bottles at best. That's a lot of work for 10 bottles. And practically you'll end up with only 8.
Most of us here make 5 gallon batches which will yield 2 cases on average. If that's too much, scale it in half, to 2.5 gallons. That's down to only 1 case now. I wouldn't go through all the trouble for anything less.
Why not pick a beer you like or may like and brew a 2.5 gallon batch? That's easy to do on the stove top. Heck you can do a partial mash or even an "all grain" at that size if you want. All you need is a 4 gallon "canning" pot. One of those enameled speckled pots.
That said, I do 1 gallon experiments at times, but they are taken from larger 5 gallon brews, split up.
To answer your second question, yes, you can do "partial boils" in smaller pots, and add top-up water at the end.
Wherever you live and whomever you share space with, there is always a way to make it work. I had a full color darkroom in a student housing unit. Be inventive. And carboys are cute (that's what my wife says). Put a jacket, towel, or t-shirt around them.