NEW HOMES: BIGGER AND BETTER

Houses are getting larger and amenities more abundant, according to a report on new homes released by the United States Census Bureau.

�Home builders are listening and responding to the needs of today�s consumers.� according to Jerry Howard, executive vice president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in Washington, D.C.  �Central air conditioning, more bedrooms, large garages, fireplaces and multiple stories have worked their way into the majority of homes built today.�

Between 1975 and 2005 the portion of new homes built with central air rose 43 percent.  In the southern U.S. last year, 100 percent of new homes were built with central air conditioning. 

 Garages are getting larger.  Twenty percent of new garages have space for three or more cars.  An average garage door used to measure seven feet by nine feet, but has expanded to eight feet by 10 feet.  Data from NAHB indicates that growth in garage size may be related to an increase in vehicle size as sport utility vehicles become more commonplace.

 The percentage of homes built with four or more bedrooms has steadily risen to a high of 39 percent.  However, the vast majority of new homes are still built with three bedrooms, as has been the case for the last decades.

 The use of the once common �split-level� design has mostly disappeared.  Split-level homes made up less then one percent of the market share of new homes in 2005. 

 Lot size has been shrinking because of the rising cost of developed lots.  Census data showed a drop from a nationwide median of 10,000 square feet in 1990 to 8,500 square feet today. 

-article provided by NAHB