> Houses are much bigger. Houses have almost tripled in size [2].
I know the numbers support this but I always wonder why my observations are so different.
When growing up (I'm Gen X) all my friends houses and mine were pretty big. Most of us were lower middle class so these were cheap houses. Land was dirt cheap so houses used the space and still had huge yards. Houses were simple, but spacious.
By the 90s houses had shrunk, since now land was quite expensive so builders had less space.
All the construction going on right now in my town is even tinier, since land prices have skyrocketed, so builders have the incentive to stuff as many tiny units into tiny plots as possible.
I just had this conversation with my grandmother today. She was describing her own grandmothers house- and how huge it was. The large bedrooms, a whole room dedicated to the telephone even! The way she described it, it was a straight up mansion.
I was curious what this house looked like, so I asked the address. Looked it up on Redfin. It was less than 2400sq ft. The house she was standing in and comparing to was twice that size.
The big houses are REALLY big. And, while I can find a small apartment, new homes under 2000 sq ft are tough to find. The house I grew up in was 1500 sq ft and plenty for a family of four. I wish I could own a 1100 or less sq ft home but they’re all very old
I suspect that something has changed in the way square footage is calculated. Perhaps there are more finished basements or something. I was very involved in several moves my family undertook when I was younger. I feel like I got a good sense for home sizes. Many of the ones listed for 3000 sq ft. today look more like the 2000 sq ft. houses from yesteryear.
I also think about Louis Rossmann's quest to find a NYC storefront for his repair business a few years ago. He brought a laser measure with him, to document how the actual space squared with advertisements. I don't know that he ever found a place that wasn't lying. Yes, New York and, yes, commercial, but I wouldn't be surprised to see similar tactics in place for residential, across the country.
Almost all of the middle class tract homes built in California (for example) in the 60s/70s are around 1200sf. They also used cheap materials, had no insulation, maybe 2 bathrooms but often 1.5, very simple kitchens, etc.
The stuff that people buy now are much bigger and much more luxurious even at the bottom end.
I know the numbers support this but I always wonder why my observations are so different.
When growing up (I'm Gen X) all my friends houses and mine were pretty big. Most of us were lower middle class so these were cheap houses. Land was dirt cheap so houses used the space and still had huge yards. Houses were simple, but spacious.
By the 90s houses had shrunk, since now land was quite expensive so builders had less space.
All the construction going on right now in my town is even tinier, since land prices have skyrocketed, so builders have the incentive to stuff as many tiny units into tiny plots as possible.
So, where are these 3x larger houses these days?