Better, but Much Bigger!

There is one thing growing "bigger" in Elburn, and that's the size of our homes. The March/April 2005 edition of Mother Jones magazine outlines some of the recent trends we're seeing in home building. Here are some of the latest facts concerning our pursuit of the "American Dream" house:

1. Since 1950, the average new house has increased by 1247 sq. ft. Meanwhile, the average household size has shrunk by 1 person.
2. The National Association of Homebuilder's "showcase home" for 2005 is 5,950 sq. ft. That's 15% bigger than last year's model.
3. 1 in 4 Americans want at least a 3-car garage.
4. In 1950, 1 in 100 homes had 2.5 baths or more. Today 1 in 2 do.
5. 14 million American households own 4 or more televisions.
6. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition recently gave a 6-bedroom, 7-bath, 7-television house to a family of 4.
7. The average cost of a luxury kitchen remodel is $57,000. That's $10,000 more than it costs to build a typical Habitat for Humanity home.
8. The average new home requires 13,837 board feet of lumber and 19 tons of cement.
9. Only 2.7% of its teachers, 5.7% of its cops, and 4.2% of its nurses can afford to buy a home in San Francisco.
10. Since 20o1, the number of Americans who have bought second homes has increased by 24%.

I thought those were some interesting facts to share with you. But I also have one additional personal observation to share. I spend my working hours treating patients in a 1200 sq. ft. dental office. I then spend 95% of my non-working hours living in less than 1000 sq. ft. of my 2525 sq. ft. home. In America, we "want" more than we "need," this blogger included.

A direct link to the article mentioned in this blog can be accessed at "This New House." The home pictured for this blog is a 7800 sq. ft. home recently built in the mountains near Seattle, Washington.