Small Homes: Why Less Is More

Consider this: since 1973, the average family home has increased by 49%. In 1980, the average family home was 1595 square feet. By 2009, the size swelled to just under 2500 square feet.

The irony, of course, is that almost every appliance found within a home – from computers to washing machines—has shrunk in size. Even 54” big-screen TVs can be now placed on the wall, making the footprint they demand negligible.

Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with large houses—if they’re used. But how many people actually use their dining room? When’s the last time your “exercise room” was used to well, exercise?

In fact, the days of the McMansion with two-story entryways and its own closet for spice racks may be behind us. The trend seems to be shifting to smaller, more manageable homes. And you can thank the economy for this shift. According to a recent Better Homes & Garden magazine survey, nearly a third-32%-of new home buyers said that they expect their new home will be smaller than their current one. Many talked about unused space and the extra costs associated with it.

Behind every 7,000 square foot home are two air conditioners and a hefty electric bill. Indeed, two-story tall entryways and "open" family rooms may look grand and impressive when one first walks in, but considering how much money it takes to heat spaces like those--spaces that are not even liveable--most new homes are doing away with such ornate features.

Not So Big Not So New

Smaller homes have always been around (my house is 704 square feet and was built in 1926) and has been covered in such books as The Not So Big House and the 2006 book Small House on a Little Planet. But the recession has only heightened our cultural awareness of the shear amount of wasted space that has been mortgaged within the past ten or twenty years.

McMansion McMakeover

Despite the current trend towards smaller homes, the last decade has seen a plethora of smaller, homes razed for larger, more ornate (sometimes, even castle-like) McMansions, severely distorting old neighborhoods.

With the recession, however, such garish over-consumption may be a thing of the past, as more and more people are realizing that oftentimes, small is beautiful when it comes to a home.