By Emily Chamberlain
A few months ago, I got curious and visited my childhood home. Built in the 1950s, it was a modest slice of the American dream; 1351 square feet of original owner pride. After WWII and the great push for home ownership, neighborhoods like mine were commonplace and the square footage recommendations for families of four or more were, by today’s standards, a casita!
Contrasted with the average home size between 2021 and 2024, Americans are now
trending at an average of 3200 to 3800 square feet and have shifted to a “vacation at home” mentality. Offices, fourth and fifth bedrooms, second kitchens or butler’s pantries, dog washes, casitas, etc. are all part of the creative process now for the average custom home client. The question isn’t, “can I have it?” but rather, “will it fit?”.
Priorities
At Bourn Homes, before we begin a conversation about square footage, we like to know how best to support your square footage needs. Oftentimes, seemingly secondary desires actually greatly affect how little or how much space to create, with what materials and how much time and attention to detail to attribute to each space. You might be surprised to find out that leading with a square footage number in mind could actually be the cart leading the horse.
Intrinsic Value, Quality, Time
If I handed you a sheet and asked you what mattered to you most in the process of building your dream home, what would you tell me? Size? A move in date? Maybe bespoke pieces? Would you believe me if I said all of this has a direct effect on the final outcome of your home size? Relaying a time constraint as your biggest concern, for example, could result in guiding you to design a home we would feel confident would be finished in the amount of time you would need. Quite the opposite would be true for quality or intrinsic value being the utmost priority. If time were of no consequence to you, we would know as your build team that a plentitude of options, including build time, were available to you.
So what’s best for me?
This is a question we get from every client. Do I add the sauna? Plumb that gas line now for the outdoor kitchen I want later? Should I go ahead and build in the casita? Is a 14’ ceiling in the kitchen really a bad idea? Yes and no. Taking what we’ve learned now from our previous conversations, we’re armed with the right knowledge base to advise the creation of a space you both need and want. For example, we know you won’t want to reach upper cabinets at 14 feet, so we’ll advise you to fur down your ceiling in your kitchen. And, we know how badly you want a Four Seasons inspired master bathroom space, so cutting down square footage and a little vertical height in the secondary spaces will give you the budget flexibility you’ll require to make those dreams happen. It’s all about balance AND beauty.
Conclusion
In summation, truly gone are the days of the classic two-room, three bedroom, All-American box. We’ve come a long way, baby! Today’s custom home really is something to behold and requires forethought, inspiration and empathy at the table. Your creation doesn’t have to be massive to leave a massive impression, but if building something large and in charge is where your heart is at, look no further than Bourn Homes.
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