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People building their own homes are outliers. Most homes are built by cookie-cutter block developments, and they make the most money by: 1. Minimizing the siz

by vkou 3y ago

People building their own homes are outliers. Most homes are built by cookie-cutter block developments, and they make the most money by: 1. Minimizing the size of their lots. 2. Maximizing the size of the homes on the lots. They subdivide as much as they are allowed to, and build as big as they are allowed to. If the houses in your city are too big, it's because the smallest allowed lot size is. If we ever caught up with the housing shortage, and there was a glut of housing on the market, maybe developers would start to build smaller, but we aren't there, and we won't be there for the next ~30 years.

swatcoder 3y ago
Again: I know builders. The size of the home is not a structural rule of the building industry, and is not universal or permanent. Just like any business, it's something builders decide based on who their market is and what they think they'll buy. The described strategy might be what you're seeing in your area and might be the only thing that makes sense to your own tastes, but there are plenty of cities and counties where the pressing demand from buyers is for other things. In trend-leading communities, demand has been growing for years for denser housing with immediate access to retail and commerce; for efficient homes with low utility costs or green considerations; for small houses, condos, and townhouses that are well-appointed but accessibly priced and low-maintenance, etc and this is what builders have been building when they've been able to get cleared to build at all.
- giantg2 3y ago
  On a national level, the trends are that home size is increasing and lot size is decreasing. Sure there will be some local variances, and it is driven by what the market will support, but it's still the general trend.
- zbrozek 3y ago
  Builders build bespoke one off things for crazy people. Developers build bulk housing to try and make a profit, and they maximize FAR.
  - ben_w 3y ago
    The options are not limited to {"bespoke custom house", "one size for all"}. These ones from this builder vary from 80-320 square metres (~10 square feet per square meter): https://www.heinzvonheiden.de/hausfinder https://www.heinzvonheiden.de/hausfinder It would be hilarious if the famously choice-filled capitalist USA has a building industry limited to Cold War DDR "commie block" identikit construction.
    - aidenn0 3y ago
      In the US, price per square foot is an important metric for appraisal. If the appraiser puts too low a price on the house, the buyer can't get a loan. Therefore if you are building in the US to sell the house, then you will maximize the square feet to maximize the appraised value. In addition, it is relatively rare in the US for an individual owner to commission a custom house to be built. Particularly in the more populated areas, it is more overhead to build one house vs several houses, so people buying new houses are typically buying a new house in a development with mostly cosmetic differences as their only choices.
      - lotsofpulp 3y ago
        The number of buyers able to obtain a loan increases if the home’s price is lower. Increasing a home’s price reduces the number of potential buyers. The reason to build a more expensive home is to be able to sell for a higher price. But if the population of buyers in a location cannot afford to pay more, then a builder would be stupid to build the most expensive home they can, because insufficient people will be able to afford it. Hence smaller (cheaper) homes get built in some places, and bigger homes in other places.
        zbrozek 3y ago
        Exactly, and there is plenty of unmet demand from people who can afford high prices. It makes sense to build the most profitable thing you can sell.
      - 3y ago
SoftTalker 3y ago
In my view, it's also the aspect ratio of the lots. Most suburban lots are fairly close to square. That leaves wide side yards that are just wasted space. Who ever really does anything in their side yard? Lots should be narrower. You could get more houses on a block, and they'd could all still have a usable front and back yard. In fact I'd allow them to be built closer to the street, because nobody really uses their front yard either. A nice backyard is something most people would use and enjoy.
- uhohspaghetti 3y ago
  Replying to you from a typical suburban home (3k sf 4 bed, 3 bath with an office and a bonus room). It’s about 10 feet from the sidewalk at its closest point. It’s about 8 feet from each of the property’s sides. The back yard is very nice (about 6k sf, with nice outdoor living spaces, room for kids and dogs to run around, and good views). This seems fairly common for newer construction in the Seattle suburbs.
- cdchn 3y ago
  Wide side yards are moats to keep you away from your neighbors. This is widely seen as a feature, not a bug.
  - jeffreygoesto 3y ago
    "Not meeting your neighbors" works even better in a high rise, and that is tightly packed. :)
    - cdchn 3y ago
      Not really, when you can hear every breath they take through the walls.
  - xnx 3y ago
    For noise reasons and to prevent spread of fire
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
seanmcdirmid 3y ago
If there was a glut of housing developers would quickly exist the business or go bankrupt. It’s either feast or famine for them, and the 2008 crash is why it took so long to ramp back up a decade later (talent pipeline for people who build homes stalled big time).

by vkou 3y ago

swatcoder 3y ago

Again: I know builders. The size of the home is not a structural rule of the building industry, and is not universal or permanent. Just like any business, it's something builders decide based on who their market is and what they think they'll buy. The described strategy might be what you're seeing in your area and might be the only thing that makes sense to your own tastes, but there are plenty of cities and counties where the pressing demand from buyers is for other things. In trend-leading communities, demand has been growing for years for denser housing with immediate access to retail and commerce; for efficient homes with low utility costs or green considerations; for small houses, condos, and townhouses that are well-appointed but accessibly priced and low-maintenance, etc and this is what builders have been building when they've been able to get cleared to build at all.

giantg2 3y ago
On a national level, the trends are that home size is increasing and lot size is decreasing. Sure there will be some local variances, and it is driven by what the market will support, but it's still the general trend.
zbrozek 3y ago
Builders build bespoke one off things for crazy people. Developers build bulk housing to try and make a profit, and they maximize FAR.
- ben_w 3y ago
  The options are not limited to {"bespoke custom house", "one size for all"}. These ones from this builder vary from 80-320 square metres (~10 square feet per square meter): https://www.heinzvonheiden.de/hausfinder https://www.heinzvonheiden.de/hausfinder It would be hilarious if the famously choice-filled capitalist USA has a building industry limited to Cold War DDR "commie block" identikit construction.
  - aidenn0 3y ago
    In the US, price per square foot is an important metric for appraisal. If the appraiser puts too low a price on the house, the buyer can't get a loan. Therefore if you are building in the US to sell the house, then you will maximize the square feet to maximize the appraised value. In addition, it is relatively rare in the US for an individual owner to commission a custom house to be built. Particularly in the more populated areas, it is more overhead to build one house vs several houses, so people buying new houses are typically buying a new house in a development with mostly cosmetic differences as their only choices.
    - lotsofpulp 3y ago
      The number of buyers able to obtain a loan increases if the home’s price is lower. Increasing a home’s price reduces the number of potential buyers. The reason to build a more expensive home is to be able to sell for a higher price. But if the population of buyers in a location cannot afford to pay more, then a builder would be stupid to build the most expensive home they can, because insufficient people will be able to afford it. Hence smaller (cheaper) homes get built in some places, and bigger homes in other places.
      - zbrozek 3y ago
        Exactly, and there is plenty of unmet demand from people who can afford high prices. It makes sense to build the most profitable thing you can sell.
    - 3y ago

SoftTalker 3y ago

In my view, it's also the aspect ratio of the lots. Most suburban lots are fairly close to square. That leaves wide side yards that are just wasted space. Who ever really does anything in their side yard? Lots should be narrower. You could get more houses on a block, and they'd could all still have a usable front and back yard. In fact I'd allow them to be built closer to the street, because nobody really uses their front yard either. A nice backyard is something most people would use and enjoy.

uhohspaghetti 3y ago
Replying to you from a typical suburban home (3k sf 4 bed, 3 bath with an office and a bonus room). It’s about 10 feet from the sidewalk at its closest point. It’s about 8 feet from each of the property’s sides. The back yard is very nice (about 6k sf, with nice outdoor living spaces, room for kids and dogs to run around, and good views). This seems fairly common for newer construction in the Seattle suburbs.
cdchn 3y ago
Wide side yards are moats to keep you away from your neighbors. This is widely seen as a feature, not a bug.
- jeffreygoesto 3y ago
  "Not meeting your neighbors" works even better in a high rise, and that is tightly packed. :)
  - cdchn 3y ago
    Not really, when you can hear every breath they take through the walls.
- xnx 3y ago
  For noise reasons and to prevent spread of fire
seanmcdirmid 3y ago

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

If there was a glut of housing developers would quickly exist the business or go bankrupt. It’s either feast or famine for them, and the 2008 crash is why it took so long to ramp back up a decade later (talent pipeline for people who build homes stalled big time).