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Small Homes In Large Ones Out in 2010

Posted January 5, 2010 by Matthew Denton

A new trend is growing fast in home design

In 1991, The Atlantic published a lengthy article by Witold Rybczynski, a professor of urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. His article’s subtitle states, “Big houses may someday look as outdated and impractical as big cars, for many of the same reasons.”

But that was 19 years ago. Small houses were still not acceptable in American culture. He notes in his article, “The chief obstacle to smaller houses on smaller lots is not the consumer, nor is it the home-building industry. It is those of us who already own our homes. Municipalities, reflecting the attitude of homeowners, have staunchly resisted the idea of modifying zoning regulations to permit the construction of smaller homes, or to allow the subdivision of land into smaller plots. The chief reason is, sadly, selfish: smaller, less expensive houses are perceived as a threat to property values and to community status, even though housing in the $50,000-$80,000 range is still accessible only to solid middle-class citizens.”

Fast track to 2010 and things are way different. A recent report by Time Magazine’s Barbara Kiviat states, “What does the new American home look like? The shift is obvious as soon as you step through the front door. The grand entryway — the two-story foyer with a sweeping, often multipronged staircase — is quickly giving way to a more modest entrance. Stairs are less about architectural flourish and more about getting upstairs (if you can imagine). That means they’re either moving back up against the wall or turning into more-compact switchbacks. The two-story foyer is becoming less and less popular too — in an era of tighter purse strings, who wants to heat and cool all that empty space?... Part of the trend toward sensibility is being driven by a shift in buyers. With home prices back to earth and federal dollars encouraging first-time owners, Generation Y is out shopping in a way it never has before. People in their 20s and early 30s aren’t looking for large move-up homes, rather simple starters that put minimal space to efficient use.”

So what influenced this trend? You guessed that right. The financial downturn has made the typical American house a whole lot smaller. The challenge therefore is to maximize the use of space to fit in every practical idea by the homeowner. And that would have to mean acting like a New Yorker figuring out what to do with a 250-sq.ft apartment.

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