Appropriately-Sized Housing

The narrative of?single-family housing in the US over the past couple of generations?is only partly about cost. And, yes, costs are totally out-of-control.?

But, the main character in the story is size. Specifically, the hockey-stick-shaped trend of average home sizes in the US growing nearly 400% over a span of two generations, while average household size continues to decrease.

The question today, then, is what’s the right size for a home? What’s appropriate?

Like everything in housing, it depends on whom you ask and where you’re asking them.

Talk to a family of four in Manhattan. Many 4-person households call 750 SF home. Pretty tight. Down in the sunbelt? Few families in the Phoenix area move into a home smaller than 2,500 SF. Pretty empty.

So, does location determines what’s an appropriately-scaled home? Not entirely. More often, it’s the construction date?- and the social mores and expectations of that era - that determine sizing.

More than 75% of all single-family homes in the United States have been built since 1950. Let’s take a quick look back in time to see how home sizes have changed.

The Upwards March towards Inappropriate Home Sizes

In the 1950s, the average newly-built American home had 983 square feet of floor space with an average household size of 3.37 people. That’s?292 square feet per person.

In the 1960s, the average new home size grew to 1,200 square feet and housed 3.33 residents according to census data. That’s?360 square feet per person, within a layout that included 2.5 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms, on average.

In the 1970s, homes grew again, and the household size kept shrinking. 1,500 square foot homes housed 3.14 people on average, giving each inhabitant?478 square feet per person. And,?1.5 lava lamps/household?(note: source unknown).

In the 1980s, we bloat to?630 square feet per person or 1740 square feet for a household of 2.76 people.?

1990s? You know where this is headed. 2,080 square feet of floor space for 2.63 people, or?791 square feet per person.

In the 2000s, the exploding sizes of homes took a breather and things returned to an appropriate scale. Just kidding! They got way bigger, of course!?865 square feet per person, from a 2,266 total square foot average housing 2.62 inhabitants.

And in the 2010s? By the end of the last decade, the average newly-built home in the US was 2,392 total square feet and had 2.59 people under its roof. A whopping?924 square feet per person.

New Houses are Too Damn Big

Like that guy that ran for Governor?of New York a few years back by screaming “The Rent is Too Damn High,” the HUTS platform is pretty simple:

“New Houses are Too Damn Big!”

1,000 square feet per person?in a house is just?not appropriate, no matter how you look at it. It’s a housing type that:

• Only benefits crappy single-family tract home developers who look to build as much square footage as possible as cheaply as possible.
• Will always be out of touch for most people, as traditional property assessment techniques rely entirely on $/SF metrics
• Is exceedingly expensive to heat, cool, and condition - it’s a big, empty, box.
• Is exceedingly expensive to furnish or decorate tastefully
• Is generally too large to make attractive to rental, or other means of flexible ownership.

We’re not necessarily advocates for tiny houses or micro-living. We are, however, pretty into sanity. We’re a home design and development company that thinks we were probably closer to an appropriately-scaled home somewhere around the 1960s, where +/- 400?SF per person was the norm.?

We believe that yields a much better-constructed home. A more affordable home. A home with less wasted space. A home that’s more sustainable just by using less. A home with a smarter layout, a smaller footprint, and more flexible options for use.

Our Standards and ADU home designs are a study of appropriateness. Not excessive constraint. Not monastic minimalism. But, a way to see how much beauty, quality, and thoughtfulness can we wrap into an appropriately-sized package.

Let's Do Something!

Ready to discuss your appropriately-sized home design and development project? We've grown our team, scaled our operations, and are ready to chat about it, in most parts of the country. Get Started?HERE!

You can't design and develop a home that's floating in space (yet). You're gonna need some land. Start with?LAND. We've worked our butts off sourcing, documenting, researching and presenting the best buildable, affordable (150k and less) and beautiful lots within 4 hours of NYC.?

Have a smaller budget? Or, want a small cottage that can support a big life? Our ADUs are remarkable structures and no matter what you have in mind - guest cottage, rental unit, small home while you wait on construction, whatever - the construction cost vs. value on our ADU designs just make sense. Buy your plans?HERE.