How Average Homes will Change in 2015

The current housing market has affected the way we are building new homes. All things are being affected, the characteristics, features, and size are the main points to experience the effects of the economy. The "new home" is expected to evolve over the next few years and those changes are expected to remain, even after the economy bounces back. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the main changes to the design and structure of a newly-built home are to include: 

• The average, new single-family home will be smaller and have more green features
• The living room will either vanish or merge with other spaces in the home
• The “Great Room” is the likeliest room to be included in the average new home
• Low-e windows and engineered wood products are the likeliest green features
• A double sink, recessed lighting, and table space for eating are very likely in kitchens

The Main Broad Trends

Building professionals were asked to rank the following trends from least to most probable to occur by 2015, in order to measure which of five broad trends would be more prevalent in the next five years, the average single-family home will get smaller, it will have more green features, it will have more technology features, it will have more universal features, and it will have more outdoor living features.

Average Home Size Decreasing

Respondents expect the average, new single-family detached home in 2015 to be about 2,152 square feet, 10 percent smaller than the average size of single-family homes started in the first three quarters of 2010. Overall, 63 percent of respondents expect the average size of new homes in 2015 to be somewhere between 2,000 square feet and 2,399 square feet, 22 percent expect it to be between 2,400 square feet and 2,999 square feet, while 13 percent expect it to only be 1,600 square feet to 1,999 square feet (Figure 2).