Bigger is Not Better

Has anyone else noticed when homeowners get together to talk about housing and development, many presume to speak of homes in a monolithic way?  But, if you listen to what a diverse group of people might describe as ideal shelter, an ideal place to call home; what constitutes the best might not be the size described by real estate professionals or homeowners.  In fact, home ownership might not even be what the young, the mobile or the retired even want.  Who can blame anyone for not wanting a vulnerability of any kind to a banker in these times?

Point is, the status quo is being challenged.  Let's not assume too much.

Here is one offering on bigger is not better regarding home size, a personal story offered to EYNU. This isn't to be confused with the urban planning book recently given to the city council members by New Encinitas resident Oliver Canler, "Better not Bigger" by Eben Fodor.

 I have this re-occurring thought about all the McMansions and what might be done with them post oil and post mortgage bust and post economic implosion? Maybe in 2035, when people start realizing the excessive acquisition of constructed square footage is not sustainable, how will these buildings be re-purposed? In the meantime, I found these graphics when I followed a link to a Margot Adler piece for NPR.

The average American house size has more than doubled since the 1950s; it now stands at 2,349 square feet. Whether it's a McMansion in a wealthy neighborhood, or a bigger, cheaper house in the exurbs, the move toward ever large homes has been accelerating for years.

Another critic is John Halsey, president of the Peconic Land Trust, an organization that tries to protect open spaces and agricultural land. For Halsey, the "Big House" is all about the American lifestyle: how we live, what we drive, and how we fail to appreciate the finite nature of land and energy resources. “Who needs 15,000-square-foot houses?" Halsey says. "I worry about the future of a culture and a society that has this extent of excess in it. I think there is a disconnect, and we are in a bubble. Somehow, we are just not experiencing the realities that the rest of the world is.

Ya think? I’ll own up to my snarkiness. I just find the justifications a real stretch. My first notions of home when I was a little kid were shaped by my Grandma’s home. I found out as an adult that the familial bungalow was bought by her husband from a Sears Catalog. At the time I thought it sounded like a joke. But it’s not according to Wikipedia.

Sears Catalog Homes (sold as Sears Modern Homes) were ready-to-assemble houses sold through mail order by Sears Roebuck and Company, an American retailer. Over 70,000 of these were sold in North America between 1908 and 1940. Shipped via railroad boxcars, these kits included all the materials needed to build an exceptionally sturdy and well designed house. Many were assembled by the new homeowner and friends, relatives, and neighbors, in a fashion similar to the traditional barn-raisings of farming families. [snip] Aladdin Homes (of Bay City) was the first to offer kit homes (in 1906), and Sears joined the fray in 1908. However, Sears mail-order catalogs were already in millions of homes, enabling large numbers of potential homeowners simply to open a catalog, select and visualize their new home, dream, save, and then purchase it. Sears offered financing, assembly instructions, and guarantees. Early mortgage loans were typically for 5–15 years at 6%- 7% interest. [snip] Sears expanded production, shipping and sales offices to regional sites all across the United States, hitting its all-time peak in 1929, just before the Great Depression. By then, the least expensive model was still under US$1,000; the highest priced was under US$4,400 ($10,300 and $45,300 in 2003 dollars respectively).

I am just tickled to death to place Grandma’s home beside the Sears plan from which it was built, sans fireplace and arched front door. The roof looks like it has a minor profile modification too. I am writing my 84 year old mom this week with these images and many more of her childhood and mine at this home. This collage really pleases me.

I close with a great example of my favorite theme of small homes. This video is a hoot. This woman lives in less than 90 square foot home, where she explains she has different choices for her money and time. That is 1/10 the size of even the standard from fifty years ago and 1/100 the size of the Sears Home Makeover buildings. The tiny house movement is a transition movement for a country undergoing changing expectations.  It is probaly not going to be the norm by any means.  A very real challenge for Encinitas is to get our Planning Department to recognize small and tiny homes, alternative building materials and other 21st century housing ideas into the city codes.  The city is the greatest obstacle to housing for all but the most wealthy and the most tied to conventional building, financing, real estate and insurance instittutions.

 

Encinitas . . . Housing .. . Where should it go? This is the heading for the city postcards now being received all over town. The informational open house sessions and workshops on housing needs and growth are all happening from Monday, April 16 to Monday, May 14. 

In less than 30 days the city, without any contracted expertise on board will be racing towards a General Plan Update resolution to the Housing Element.  Remember there are many definitions of what makes a great home.

Saturday Morning Update: From Councilwoman Barth's newsletter, "Thought You Might Like to Know", a wonderful article regarding changing housing types with  a pro-active thrust titled, "Missing Middle Housing" is well worth a read.