What's The Ideal House Size For A Family Of 5?
Just how much house square footage do you really need for a family of five in 2023?
It's a question that's not easily answered due to changing demands for families that might be juggling the need for at-home workspace for mom and dad, plus intangibles like having living space for grandma when she shows up during the holidays.
According to the latest data, the average square footage of new single-family homes in the U.S. dropped 1% from 2012-2022, but that doesn't mean homebuilders aren't building massive homes -- the size of new homes went up 8% in the northeast over that same 10-year-period.
The average size of a new single-family home in the U.S. was 2,559 sq. ft. in 2022. In the northeast, that number is 2,756 sq. ft.
But are those house sizes ideal?
Twitter star StripMallGuy raised this question to his followers Thursday and the answers were rather interesting.
For my family of four, we have just under 2300 sq. ft. of living space, according to the county tax office. There's another 500 sq. ft. of finished living space (including a private 10X10 kids playroom) in the basement (no egress) and a 150 sq. ft. or so laundry/treadmill room behind the garage.
Three bedrooms. Master bathroom. 2.5 total bathrooms. But two adults are working at home.
While the living space is perfectly fine and the finished basement is awesome for gatherings and the kids have their own space, we've lost our dining room to computers and desks. Our family room includes another desk setup.
The key to future home builds, in my mind, comes down to how they're designed for work-from-home adults. A 10X10 office should be more than enough.
Quick math:
Grand total sq. footage: 3220 sq. ft. with 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, the ideal workspace (for two!) separate from the living space and laundry space on the first floor.
Price: Based on the basic $200/sq. ft. these days in Ohio, that's a $644,000 house before we even talk about finishing the basement.
Bonus space: If we add another 1000 sq. ft. of finished basement entertainment space and do it right, we're talking another $75,000 to install quality sound equipment, framing, wiring, plumbing, electrical, lighting, and insulate it correctly. And that is probably low with the lack of skilled tradesmen. (Two years ago, guys on Reddit were reporting $60k to finish 1600 sq. ft. of basement but at that number it doesn't seem like the homeowner would be getting custom finishes.)
Who's in?
For a grand total of $719,000, you'd never have to leave.
What's your ideal house size for a family of five?
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com