Size of New Single Family Homes on the Rise 

Average sizes for new homes are on the rise. Based on research from the NAHB, the average size for new construction single family homes is up to 2,561 square feet.

When the great recession hit the United States in the late 2000’s, the average size of a single family home dropped considerably from around 2,500 down to almost 2,000 square feet. Since then, the average size for new single family homes has fluctuated due to a variety of reasons, but it has been steadily on the rise over the past couple of years. The trends show that this increase will likely continue in the coming years.  

The Rollercoaster Ride of Average Size for Single Family Homes 

While the general trend over the past 20 years has been a demand for larger single family homes, it hasn’t come without some ups and downs. Prior to the great recession, the average home size was on a steady incline. When the recession hit, the demand for a larger home dropped considerably for a variety of reasons—mostly due to affordability issues and a lack of new construction inventory hitting the market. Since the economy started its rebound, the general consensus from consumers has been the desire for more space at home, especially over the past couple of years.  

Why are Consumers Wanting Bigger Homes? 

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the trend for home sizes was actually headed in the opposite direction. Many buyers were downsizing the square footage in their new construction single family homes so they could focus more on traveling, working at an outside office, and even save some money on their mortgage. How quickly things can change! 

The need for a larger or smaller home comes from a variety of subjective factors. However, there’s been one main reason over the past couple of years since the Covid-19 pandemic shook the country that home buyers want more space at home. It has become very common place for employees of companies to spend more time working at home than they do at the office. This means that homeowners who may have already felt a little tight on space at their home started feeling that pinch even more.  

How do I Decide if I Should Build a Bigger or Smaller Home? 

Plan for the future when designing your new single family home.  

Upon planning the layout, design and home plan for your new house, remember to plan for the future. Whether that might be the potential need for more or less space, it’s important to consider. Empty nesters can quickly turn into long-term hosts for children who moved away but need to come back home for a while. You may have a constantly full house now, but what about in a few years? These are some things to think about when planning your space.  

How much time do you plan to spend at home? 

If you work from home a majority of the time, love to have spaces to decorate and design or consider yourself to be more of a home body than someone who prefers to get out of the house and travel, you may want to consider building a bigger home. Having more spaces to use inside your home amplifies your ability to host parties and events and leaves you with more opportunities for home projects. Consider how you envision your life to look and be sure to plan for the size of home that will allow for that vision to become an actuality.  

Consider the upkeep and maintenance required inside your home.  

If you are on the opposite side of the spectrum and prefer to spend less time at home, you may want to consider smaller home to limit the amount of upkeep you will have inside your home. The more rooms and space you have inside your home, the more time you’ll feel like you need to spend keeping it clean, decorating it, and simply spending time in it.  

If you want help planning out a home plan for a custom built, single family home, reach out to us! We can build our home plans just the way they come, with a few changes, or all the way through full custom. We want your home to fit you and your needs. Make an appointment with us today to start planning.