Are We Living Too Large?
This was the first home I owned. My wife and I lived in this cute little house in Shoreline, WA for 16 years! It was a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 860 square foot home. Our current home in Kenmore, WA has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and is 2440 square feet. I’ve thought a lot about the implications of owning a larger home. I’m not the only one……
Matt Thompson raises important questions in his most recent blog post on www.gigharborundressed.com, entitled Size matters…but bigger isn’t always better. He says: “Our society seems to be obsessed with BIG. Cars are getting BIGGER. Take out meals are getting BIGGER. Prices are getting BIGGER. And in Gig Harbor, houses seem to be getting BIGGER.”
“In a quick search of new construction homes in Gig Harbor (homes built in ‘08), there are currently 67 homes for sale with a median size of 3214 square feet. Looking at home SALES in Gig Harbor (any single family home that has sold thus far in ‘08), the median size is 2400 square feet.”
The growing cost of basic goods and services has increased the pressure American families are feeling, especially those who own a large house. Bigger houses use more energy and are more expensive to maintain. Many of these homes have been built in the suburbs and exurbia (those communities outside the suburbs) which increases commuting distances and fuel costs. It’s a complicated situation.
As a real estate professional, I see a huge variety of homes: from 700 square foot shacks to 15,000 square foot mansions. I sometimes wonder why anyone needs a huge house, no matter how wealthy the family. The fact is, the American family is 1/2 the size it was a generation ago and our houses have doubled in size. This is not a sustainable model. Sooner or later we will be forced to face the fact that we’ve overbuilt our homes and neighborhoods.
Let me end by saying that my little house in Shoreline was not a shining example of energy efficiency. It took years of remodeling to modernize our house. Our new home is far more efficient and comfortable. It would be nice if builders offered more energy efficient water heaters, solar panels and built with eco-friendly products. This may happen someday. For now, most families will focus on size as the measure of success.
For a thought provoking look at how to become more “sustainable” check out the British program “Outrageous Wasters.” For some of you it will seem a bit extreme, but our friends across the pond are wrestling with the same issues we are.
