No More McMansions
Size matters. Larger homes cost more to build, buy, operate and maintain. And yet homes have been growing in size for more than 30 years—until now.
The average single-family home ballooned from 1,600 square feet in the 1970s to more than 2,500 square feet through 2008. The following year, however, home size dropped to 2,480 square feet, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Surveys show the era of the McMansion is over. Americans today want smaller, lower-priced homes that have more energy-efficient features. Construction industry professionals in the Tampa Bay area say the emerging homebuilding trend in 2010 is “right-sizing,” which means designing and building homes that are practical and efficient rather than oversized and extravagant.
They say the trend can be tied, in large part, to two factors: the economic downturn and the green movement.
“Consumers today are changing their lifestyles, product needs and product designs,” says Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty. “Current economic conditions and a worldwide recession have affected nearly everyone, and there are many important design trends emerging as a result.”
Those trends include smaller, more practical floorplans that can be added onto as required, says Soderstrom. Square footage, he adds, is often less important to buyers than energy efficiency and upscale features and finishes. Formal, rarely used rooms are out.
Small homes can live big when they’re thoughtfully designed to make use of every inch of space. Cardel Homes, for example, is building homes in Tampa Bay as small as 1,437 square feet with niches, vaulted ceilings, arches and columns. Prices start at $189,900.
K. Hovnanian Homes has built 1,200-square-foot homes priced at $150,000 in the Riverview community of Ballymore at Panther Trace. The homes are Energy Star-rated. Both builders have also been building homes in the eco-friendly Trinity community of Longleaf.
Lennar is building new single-family homes that range in size from 1,350 to 2,400 square feet in the San Antonio community of Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club. The homes are priced from the low $140s.
Even at that pricepoint, the community hasn’t skimped on amenities. “Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club practically defines active adult living in the Tampa Bay region,” says Mark Metheny, president of Lennar’s Central Florida division, “It’s a thriving community with a wide range of amenities and activities every day.”
To build smaller, every square inch counts. So rooms need to be flexible enough to be used for more than one purpose. In addition, home-owners must employ an array of storage options, including vertical storage.
FishHawk Ranch Named Development of the Year
The Tampa Bay community of FishHawk Ranch has been named the 2010 Development of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The award honors Newland Communities’ dedication to creating sustainable, livable communities.
“It’s our philosophy that true sustainability is conceived in the planning stages of development,” says Rick Harcrow, senior vice president of operations. “Being recognized by NAHB really reinforces that approach.”
FishHawk Ranch was recognized for its systems, practices and policies, including a land use plan that promotes the preservation of ecosystems. Also, the community has preserved/provided aquifer recharge areas in uplands and planted nearly every street with native trees.
In 2009, FishHawk Ranch became Tampa’s first residential community to be certified green by the Florida Green Building Coalition.
“This development is a great example of green building done right while also done beautifully,” says Eric Borsting, chairperson of the NAHB Green Building subcommittee. “This should be an example for builders and developers everywhere to look to when constructing energy-efficient and earth-friendly housing in their own communities and developments.”
FishHawk Ranch offers homes as small as 1,200 square feet for less than $120,000.