Big House Trend Will Shrink

Big House Trend Will Shrink

The "Supersize Me" era of home building might be coming to an end after a three-decade run.

The size of the average new home swelled by about 50 percent from 1973 to 2006, but this trend toward expansion will probably be ending in the next decade, according to an elite panel of 135 builders, architects and designers surveyed by the National Association of Home Builders recently.

In a report released this month, these residential-construction experts said the downsizing tendencies of aging baby boomers, soaring home prices in much of the country and a fundamental change in consumer tastes will dampen future demand for ever-larger homes.

The average size of a new single-family home in the first three months of 2006 was 2,459 square feet, up from 1,660 in 1973. But a new single-family home will most likely average 2,300 to 2,500 square feet in 2015, as it has since 2001, the survey found. Instead of focusing on space, homeowners will turn their attention to what makes that space special.

Not everyone agrees that there is a trend or, if there is, that it's here to stay. Kira McCarron, chief marketing officer for Toll Brothers, said that during her 21-year tenure with the company, she's heard similar predictions about shrinking home sizes, particularly when consumers get spooked by rising energy costs. But these forecasts have not panned out in the past, she said.

"I don't believe the fundamental dream of bigger, better, more is going to end anytime soon," McCarron said. "I think people do like nesting spaces, but I think they like them in their 4,000-square-foot houses. They like the idea of reading areas, where they can curl up in the morning and read the newspaper. But they want one for him, for her, for the kids."

Some of the survey results appear to support that idea. For instance, while most of those polled said home size will not grow, 62 percent said demand for two master bedroom suites will increase significantly by 2015.

Frederick Cooper, a senior vice president at Toll Brothers, said the bottom line is: "If you go to someone and say: `Do you want more space or less space,' they would say more."

Tell us about your preferences as far as the size of your dream house is concerned. If you are in the market looking for a house do you look for big spacious house or rather a small and cosy one…?