House Square Feet Per Person: Surprisingly Little Needed
You only need about 150 square feet per person (150sqftpp).
150sqftpp is a core or baseline that was not unusual for over a century in America until the strange McMansion culture of the late 20th Century and 21st Century housing bubble.
Source: NPRAverage Square Feet of US New Single Family Home (NPR, Census Dept., medians slightly lower)
2007 = 2,521
2000 = 2,266
1990 = 2,080
1980 = 1,740
1970 = 1,500
1960 =
1950 = 983
1947 = 750*
* 1st Levittown model, Cape Cod style, 1947, 750 sqft (not US average)
The explosion of space occurred as families shrank and "household size" shrank (divorces and living alone) so the change in square feet per person is even more stark.
Square Feet Per Person
(various examples, not all US average)
2007 = 970 (2,521sqft/2.6 people)
1954 = 125 (1,000sqft/8 people, Levittown ad)
1950 = 289 (983sqft/3.4 people)
1947 = 208 (750sqft/3.6 people)
1845 = 150 (150sqft/1 person, Thoreau)
Note how similar the per-person space was for 110 years 1845-1954 but the 2007 consumption is 3 TIMES to 8 TIMES more.
Next: The how and why of efficient square feet per person:
Efficient HVAC Plumbing: Levittown Family of 5 in 750sqft: Inexpensive Floor Plans Part 3
Sources/Credits:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5525283
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:1nd09TewlokJ:www.census.gov/const/C25Ann/sftotalmedavgsqft.pdf+house+increase+average+square+feet&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
http://www.freeenterpriseland.com/BOOK/LITTLEBOXES.html
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts
http://www.levittowners.com/images/HOUSES/JUBILEE/JUBILEE%20FLOORPLAN%20WINTERGRASS.jpg
http://www.levittowners.com/images/HOUSES/JUBILEE/JUBILEE%2025TH%20INFO.jpg
http://books.google.com/books?id=k3Llnc5RBtQC&pg=PA152&lpg=PA152&dq=average+household+size+1947&source=bl&ots=0PyvC7SenB&sig=KGuBHKTi2Jw0I3z68jiQYEE0WRU&hl=en&ei=JFD8SfLfIOOwtgfO5qGjDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
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posted by J at IHB and HFF @ 7:18 AM
19 Comments:
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Facinating stats. Having been in the homebuilding industry myself for 30 years, I've made the same observation but never put it to numbers. In the 70's in Northeast Ohio 1200 to 2000 sq. ft. colonials, ranches and splits were all the rage from one cul-de-sac to the next. The "ski-roof split" was for the neighbor that had really "made-it" If you had a whirlpool bath and a seperate shower in the Master Bath, you were in a really exclusive club. Oh yeah, you rarely saw a roof pitch other than a 4/12.
The 80's ushered in the new social class called Yuppies with a whirlpool in every master bath and at least an 8/12 pitch on every roof! The 90's was the same as the 80's except on steroids. The big deal was the must-have 2-story family room. The purpose? To usher your guests into the family room and exclaim, "We have a two story family room" and wait for their response: "Oohhhhhh" I'm wondering how the current economic conditions will affect the current generation of new homes.
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