Houses Getting Bigger, Not Smaller (Commentary With Stats)

[someone123]

Originally Posted by vid

Architecturally speaking though, most of the houses in the suburbs are disgusting pieces of shit that have no idea what they're supposed to be. It's just a combination of the ten most popular residential architectural features in some way, regardless of whether or not they actually work well together.

My favourite McMansions have neoclassical design elements made out of foam.

[vid]

[JManc]

Originally Posted by PA Pride

My house is a 2 story brick with 3 bedrooms. It's 841 sq ft.

Built in 1943. Perfect size for a single guy such as myself.

?

i have a 900 sq. ft. 1 bedroom townhouse with no eat in kitchen and tiny dining area and this place isn't exactly roomy. even had to store a chair in the garage due to lack of space in living room. can't imagine 3 bedrooms in same area size.

Originally Posted by philvia

and what's the average US household size now? 2.5?

1000sf per person is ridiculous. too many americans buy for the sake of vanity (in terms of size) and not purpose.

yes, because we all should live like we are college students with a minimal amount of belongings.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by TarHeelJ

Wow...it looks pretty nice to me. I certainly wouldn't mind living in it.

I guess we all have opinions.

I grew up in that stank.

I had a city of cheap 19th century rowhouses sleeping before me.

It pisses me off, and nobody can talk me out of that anger.

[mhays]

Originally Posted by JManc

?

yes, because we all should live like we are college students with a minimal amount of belongings.

Uh what? If 1,000 sf per person is excessive, then we want to live like college students?

With a roommate in college, my share was 300 sf.

A few years ago I was between permanent places for four months. So I got a hotel room. It was maybe 250-300 sf. Wasn't bad, really.

[599GTO]

Oh stop trying to kid yourselves, if any of you ever experience an increase in wealth you'd all leave your cramped dumps and buy more space.

Another case of envy with a dash of misguided urban faux-snobbery.

[10023]

I guess I'll weigh in on the house in the picture like everyone else?

Plus: the front door is not the garage (!), style is at least consistent.

Minus: I'm not sure fieldstone is appropriate for that style, the proportion of the windows is off, and that little narrow section with a slightly lower roofline has no architectural purpose. Plus, that neighborhood has no trees (I don't ever want to live in a neighborhood without trees).


I'd prefer something like this... 3,200 square feet but it carries it well:

http://www.homedsgn.com/2011/11/28/p...si-architects/

http://nymag.com/homedesign/greatrooms/67126/

[10023]

Originally Posted by 599GTO

Oh stop trying to kid yourselves, if any of you ever experience an increase in wealth you'd all leave your cramped dumps and buy more space.

Another case of envy with a dash of misguided urban faux-snobbery.

This is absolutely true - people will always try to maximize their living space. That's been the case throughout human history.

The more valid complaint is about quantity vs. quality. And most suburban McMansions are the residential equivalent of a meal at Olive Garden - all the crappy food you can eat for one low price, made for people who either lack taste and standards, or are simply (and unfortunately) ignorant of the real thing.

[mhays]

Originally Posted by 599GTO

Oh stop trying to kid yourselves, if any of you ever experience an increase in wealth you'd all leave your cramped dumps and buy more space.

Another case of envy with a dash of misguided urban faux-snobbery.

I could have bought a house like that but prefer my downtown condo. No envy here.

You don't seem to understand the market. A lot of people choose to locate centrally with less square feet. A lot of others are still choosing houses but skipping the supersize part. Many people still go as big as they can, but it's not universal.

[J. Will]

My apartment is 690 square feet, and my only complaint is not enough closet space, so stuff is literally stacked on the shelves near the ceiling. 750 square feet (with the extra 60 all closet space) would be ideal to me.

[Jelly Roll]

Originally Posted by mhays

I could have bought a house like that but prefer my downtown condo. No envy here.

You don't seem to understand the market. A lot of people choose to locate centrally with less square feet. A lot of others are still choosing houses but skipping the supersize part. Many people still go as big as they can, but it's not universal.

I didn't take the original post you quoted as a house versus downtown condo so much as buying a bigger downtown condo versus a smaller downtown condo if money was no object.

[10023]

Originally Posted by mhays

I could have bought a house like that but prefer my downtown condo. No envy here.

You don't seem to understand the market. A lot of people choose to locate centrally with less square feet. A lot of others are still choosing houses but skipping the supersize part. Many people still go as big as they can, but it's not universal.

People go as big as they can all else being equal, though. I could live in a much larger apartment if I wanted to live in Midtown or the UWS/UES. I don't. But if I were willing to spend more on rent, I would certainly get a bigger apartment right around the corner.

[urbanactivist]

I'm finally in a position to "buy" something, but truth be told I really don't want to. As a single male with no need for additional space, and no desire to acquire copious amounts of lawn maintenance and fix-it issues (where now all I have to do is call the landlord) I just don't see the point of owning anything. I'd rather buy gold and silver than put equity into a home.

Here's the problem with our current housing market... there's a lot more people like me out there, and a lot fewer people that are interested in a far-flung McMansion. Until they figure out how to build what the new generation wants, there will continue to be a glut of unsold homes in the market.

[pacarlson]

Originally Posted by 599GTO

Oh stop trying to kid yourselves, if any of you ever experience an increase in wealth you'd all leave your cramped dumps and buy more space.

Another case of envy with a dash of misguided urban faux-snobbery.

Great post!

[SteveD]

I live in a large home and I love it. When I met my partner 5 years ago, we started looking for a 4 BR house. We both work from home, so we wanted two bedrooms to use as two home offices, a Master, and a guest. We were looking at numerous in-town Atlanta neighborhoods. Ultimately we found one even larger than we were looking for (5 BR) but it was a great deal because it was in foreclosure. It was built in 2005, and sat vacant until we bought it as the first owners in the summer of 2007.

Even with the collapse of Atlanta home values since then, we are probably still pretty much breaking even on the house (not under water, or if under water, not by much). We're two miles from downtown and 15 minutes from the airport, in a lively, diverse neighborhood. Our place is 3,450 SF.

Some might call it a "McMansion", but it doesn't share many of the traits of a McMansion. It doesn't have a complicated gabled roof system, we have no garage, and it was built by a single owner to his specific design. There are no other similar houses close by, although there are several "McMansions" close by.

Our three dogs love it too.

[Mr Roboto]

Originally Posted by 599GTO

Oh stop trying to kid yourselves, if any of you ever experience an increase in wealth you'd all leave your cramped dumps and buy more space.

Another case of envy with a dash of misguided urban faux-snobbery.

Sounds like a bunch of dismissive bs to me. People have different tastes and not everyone wants to spend all their income on a living space, live in a huge space, or to live extravagantly even if they have the means.

I dont want to brag but I make a good salary, as does my wife, and we both prefer smaller space. We live in a two bedroom condo with our child. I dont want a huge house and I dont like buying useless crap I dont need to fill up a bunch of useless rooms. I also dont like living in an isolated place, driving 20 minutes to go anywhere, and I dont mind living in a dense building with a lot of neighbors.

We had a choice, we chose smaller and simpler.

So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

[Mr Roboto]

Originally Posted by 10023

People go as big as they can all else being equal, though. I could live in a much larger apartment if I wanted to live in Midtown or the UWS/UES. I don't. But if I were willing to spend more on rent, I would certainly get a bigger apartment right around the corner.

Thats not what he said. He made a blanket statement that we all wish we could buy a bigger place. But even what you said isnt true either.

I could buy a bigger condo in the same neighborhood, I didnt. I dont like big spaces to live in, thats my preference.

Im not saying I want to live in a cramped 600 SF apartment either, but some people make it sound like there is no limit to the space they would buy if money isnt an issue. Thats simply not true, especially for those who are less materialistic.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by Mr Roboto

Thats not what he said. He made a blanket statement that we all wish we could buy a bigger place. But even what you said isnt true either.

I could buy a bigger condo in the same neighborhood, I didnt. I dont like big spaces to live in, thats my preference.

Im not saying I want to live in a cramped 600 SF apartment either, but some people make it sound like there is no limit to the space they would buy if money isnt an issue. Thats simply not true, especially for those who are less materialistic.

There is a big difference between living in a larger space with more room and "no limit to the space they would buy if money wasn't an issue".

That's great if you like living in smaller space...but the fact is that you're a small minority. Certainly not everyone would buy a bigger home if they could, but I'm pretty sure that most people would.

[10023]

Originally Posted by Mr Roboto

I could buy a bigger condo in the same neighborhood, I didnt. I dont like big spaces to live in, thats my preference.

So if money was not a concern (either you had so much it didn't matter, or you were offered a free apartment), and you had to choose between an 1,800 square foot 3-bedroom and a 700 square foot one bedroom in the same building, you would choose the 700 square foot one bedroom?

I'm sorry but I don't believe that for a second.

[mhays]

A few years ago I sold my 600 sf and bought 900 sf in a slightly nicer building. I'd have bought 1,200 sf I had the money. But 1,700 would be too much. Even if dues and electricity were the same, I don't want to rattle around in a big place. If I have a family at some point it'll be different...but never 1,000 sf per person.