Americans May Be Shifting Away from Super Sized Ho
Mooresville, NC, June 24-- Over the past three decades, the square footage of new homes has increased by approximately 55 percent* from 1,500 in 1970 to 2,330 square feet today. However, design and architectural experts see a burgeoning plateau on the horizon based on a declining interest in so-called McMansions in favor of smaller, more thoughtfully designed homes.
According to a recent survey conducted by Lowe's and Harris Interactive, homeowners are split over how much space is enough. Nearly half (46 percent) of all homeowners admit to wasting up to half of their home. The flip side (42 percent) feels they have no wasted space.
"It's really about quality versus quantity. Americans want homes more manageable in size to reduce upkeep, lower utility costs and ease the burden of furnishing. They want all of this without sacrificing unique design, quality building materials and luxurious upgrades," said Melissa Birdsong, trend and design director for Lowe's.
The architecture and design community is responding to these desires by building homes that marry upscale tastes with more intimate design touches. Homebuilders saw the developing trend and reacted with a home that meets a variety of needs.
"We created the Imagination Homes by David Weekley line to meet the needs of more and more people who want a high quality home that is smaller and more affordable," said David Weekley, chairman and CEO of the second-largest privately owned, single-family homebuilder in the nation. "We're seeing more attention to the thoughtful use of space. We have minimized hallways and created a traffic pattern on the edges of the room to make the home feel larger and more gracious."
Between 1950 and 2004, home square footage expanded from less than 1,000 to an average of 2,330 -- roughly the same size as a U.S. regulation singles tennis court. Despite this 268 percent increase in home size, the size of the average family declined by nearly 20 percent (3.1 people to 2.6).
