In Land of Giants, Smallest Houses Larger Than Ever
Home Buyers Redefine Concept of Starter Home
By Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 9, 2006; Page A01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...070801072.html

...

The virtual disappearance of smaller new homes -- which has occurred even as the average size of households has declined -- has implications for the region, planners and builders agree. It worsens sprawl, they say, because some residents end up living farther out, where smaller new homes are easier to find because land costs less.

...

"We're only designing for 20 percent of the population right now. That can't last forever," he said. "As a society, we'll have a problem because eventually no one's going to be able to afford this other stuff."

...

North Carolina architect Sarah Susanka said the popularity of her best-selling book, "The Not So Big House," suggests a growing appreciation that, with design, "you can have a house that lives much larger than its square footage." But it's still common to determine a house's quality by its size, she said.

This is particularly unfortunate at the lower end of the market, she said, since it means that buyers often end up with homes that are quite large but otherwise poorly made. Such buyers are shortchanged by not having the option of smaller but better-made homes.