Emporia
Emporia Classic Level 2 48 AMP EV Charger UL Listed
The Emporia Classic Level 2 48 AMP EV Charger UL Listed is a home charging solution designed for electric vehicle owners seeking efficiency, safety, and smar...
$429
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How Big Is the Average Family Home?
In 1973, the average home size was just over 1,500 square feet. In 2013, only forty years later, the average home size ballooned to 2,679 square feet. Simultaneously, the size of households is falling, meaning that fewer people are inhabiting larger homes. This is evidence that the concept that "bigger is better" has firmly taken root in the American psyche. Since houses are usually the most significant investment that families make and the primary source of their savings, the prevailing logic decrees that the larger the home, the more its value. Imagine a young family looking to purchase their first home presented with two options. The first is a 1,300 square foot home built from solid brick, and the second option is a 2,400 square foot home made from 2x4's and plywood that cost roughly the same amount. In most cases, the family would opt for the larger home believing that it was a better deal, the better home, and the better value for their money.
Regrettably, many construction companies and contractors feel the marketing impetus to build larger homes without pushing the price sky-high. So, they are cutting corners during the construction of homes and are producing lower quality construction to increase the overall square footage at a reasonable price to the buyer. The banks and other mortgage lenders also play a role in this situation. These institutions often coerce home buyers into opting for homes with artificially high value simply due to the square footage.
Compared to other developed countries worldwide, the average house size in the United States is astronomically high. In the UK, another cold climate country with a similar economy to that of the United States, the average house size is just over 800 square feet.
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Shop home improvement products that help save and conserve energy (power) in your home.
The basic cause of the energy crisis is not scarcity: it is moral ignorance and weakness of character. We don't know how to use energy or what to use it for. And we cannot restrain ourselves. Our time is characterized as much by the abuse and waste of human energy as it is by the abuse and waste of fossil fuel energy.
For homes to truly be sustainable, we need to discover how to live smaller - with smaller dwellings, less waste, and a smaller impact on the earth. To move in this direction, we need to question the "logic" behind the large homes when shopping for new homes and sustainable housing options. Opting for homes with smaller square footage that are more solidly built, use less raw materials in the construction process, and use much less energy overall will help us all move toward true sustainability at home.
Rise Writer
Expert. Practical. Sustainable.
Article by
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
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