New Homes Get Bigger, Yards Get Smaller

Apparently, bigger is better when it comes to new single-family homes.
Chicago Tribune: REALTOR® Magazine Online
Despite the dwindling size of households, new homes are getting bigger and bigger — averaging 2,400 square feet in 2005, according to the National Association of Home Builders. That’s a 50 percent increase over the typical 1,600 square foot new home built in 1973.

Among other facts and trends revealed in the association's report on new homes:

    • One-fourth of new homes have at least three bathrooms.

    • Ceilings are at least 9 to 10 feet on the first floor and upscale houses have
      a standard ceiling height of 10 to 12 feet on the first floor and 9 feet on
      the second floor.

    • Front doors are single and wider.

    • The living room in homes with less than 3,000 square feet are being replaced
      by a room known as a den, parlor, retreat, library or music room. In homes
      larger than 3,000 square feet, living rooms are remaining.

    • Stairs are moving from the front of the house to the middle or the rear.

    • Master baths have shower stalls and a compartmentalized toilet. Mid-to-upscale
      homes have multiple shower heads and a tub. Upscale homes will continue to
      have whirlpool tubs even though nobody ever actually uses them.

    • Yards are shrinking. The American yard is expected to decline to 7,000 square
      feet from today’s 9,000 square feet in the next few years.