My husband and I build a home 5 years ago and due to my husband's business we are anticipating another move. Should we build with oil being $87 a barrel or buy an already existing home, that's the question. I have looked at houses in our area and they all have the same amenities in the price range we are looking for.
I don't think people value the benefit of faux and most people don't know the difference in the real thing and the not so real thing. I've seen fireplace surrounds that looks better than real travertine and tile that replicates marble but is half the cost. As far as scaling down I think the most important part is storage and if you are accustomed to having your own space (office, studio) then make sure it's incorporated in your new home, even if the space is small, it's yours.
Let's do away with big entry foyers, they are space wasters. A nice covered functional outside area always seems to give you another option with increasing the square footage.
That's my opinion after building several homes.

Of course it's possible to have a smaller home of top notch quality. I personally love to see and work on the "little jewels". As a remodeler I find the houses built with thought and care (dare I say "love"?)are so very attractive - and they are much more fun to work on. If you discover the original builder did it right, even if "right" at that time isn't quite "right" now, you can generally know what's likely to be behind the wall surface. And you can bring it up to modern standards.

I'd rather spend my $ on quality than on quantity any day. And I'd rather work on quality houses and do quality work, than run with the pack in the tract, adding schlock to schlock.

Quality doesn't cost nearly as much as quantity, especially over the long term. And what family needs all those rooms and bathrooms? By the time you can afford it, the kids will be up and gone and you won't need it.

Remodel the oldie but goodie for the big bang for the buck.

Hi, I do have a few ideas, although no idea is ever new. Open walls make a small house look larger, but when I moved into my home, I made lots of small rooms out of one large one, as I prefere small cozy areas, and now people get lost in my home, thinking it's larger than it is. I also like dark bright colors on my walls, although this too SHOULD make my home look smaller, it doesn't I have a black bathroom, and three deep purple rooms,and one dark brown, and one deep peacock. large furniture, and rugs on rugs, and lots of windows. The big furniture goes against design basics, but it works in my home.

I think you can impress alot of people with efficiency and conservation. I think you would have to have a sufficient market study done in your area to find out if the people who are buying houses are looking at saving money every month and conserving energy. Here in Washington DC, they are showcasing homes that are solar powered this week on the Mall.

The major challenge is getting the equipment to be affordable and actually save money month to month, rather than be an environmental pipedream. I would venture that a home built with composting toilets, solar panels, gas heat and dryers, efficient water heaters and washing machines, etc. is a forseeable market.

Sincerely,

Justin Walls

I agree with Fernando. As a builder myself, it is tough to be creative within a budget and restricted square footage, however, it is possible. I am currently building affordable, Fortified...for safer living homes in Central Florida, ranging in size from 1000- 3000 sq ft of living area. The model for our newest community won the 2007 Aurora award for a home priced between $200-300,000. There are a few builders like myself and Fernando out there, doing new, innovative, affordable housing. I wish more builders would focus on quality and affordability. Unfortunately there is a learning curve. Contractors, and our sub-contractors, are used to building certain floorplans a certain way. It can be challenging to change your construction practices, while keeping the prices affordable. It take a great team that believes in your mission!

We live in a very affordable 1400 square foot cottage and do every green thing we can. When we were looking for houses the McMansions you spoke of were all in Midtown and in shambles. It would have taken us years to fix. And we can't afford the ones being built. But our neighborhood is so well kept, friendly and unique. There's a five acre working farm across the street, the school around the corner has acreage and the Wolf River bottoms down the street have tons of acreage; we're surrounded by green space and the air is fresh in the middle of a huge city. That's worth the price of 10ft ceilings right there. I love my little galley kitchen it's so easy to cook in and there's less floor to mop. All the rooms are cozy and quaint with crown molding and fresh paint we did. We have beautiful white columns all across the porch and carport, no we have no huge garage, but we have a floored attic for storage. You couldn't pry my husband out of this house he loves it so much. And the neighborhood just keeps looking better as window boxes go up, paint is done over brick, doors are replaced. It's a little bit of heaven right here. Mary Kelly244

I agree, McMansions do not showcase very much creativity or design. And in fact, some of them are ugly. With a big enough lot and enough money I could design one that would be livable and decently attractive. Granite countertops and marble do not equal style. To me style and design is the use of space, light, and shape. The other things just accentuate or make them a bit nicer. I would rather have a very well designed smaller home and use simple things like laminate countertops and mid-grade fixtures and appliances, etc. The Not So Big House theory is the only one that makes sense to me. I'm not an architect or builder or even in the housing industry but I am tired of exorbitant prices on homes that aren't livable.

Looking forward to building an affordable but stylish home

Most of the new housing and home improvements I see on TV and websites are interesting, impressive, and sometimes frustrating. For me, they are just hopeless fantasies for, what I consider, an average class of people. There should be more affordable and quality homes featured (and home refurbishing) included to give some hope to all of us average joes. There are average people out there looking for afordable homes. Some just need to fix up their existing homes just so they can continue living in them for many more years to come without getting into financial trouble.

I like looking at the new houses. The new houses have so little charm in them. they get boring! Old houses are much more interesting and fun with its hidden doord ect inside!. The prices of the fix ups have gotten too expensive so people settle for the new homes. Also not everyone likes open floor plans. My family and I value our privacy! I do not like stainless steel appliances,either! Looks too commercial and cold.

I think this query raises a solid questions that seem best answered on a case-by-case basis. If you're a contractor flipping an existing house or selling a new one, I hate to say this, but clean, new and glitzy are what customers spend money on--in my experience. I've saved money on the spec remodels I've done by adding as much glitz as I can myself (rather than using subs) and reaping the rewards of that labor (solid core doors instead of hollow core, crown, high quality windows, dazzling tile, sweet paint colors) on the sale price of the house. Mine is an individual case but tells the story of what some people buy. To me, they EXPECT AC, insulation, nice shingles for example; they don't pay UP for it.

If you're a seller or a buyer, I think the best way to wend your way through the maze of home selection is to do just that: look at new houses and existing stock; think about remodeling and building new. Each path has various pros and cons, starting with budget and going from there.

I'm currently looking at homes in my up and coming city.I am floored by the poor designs and even worse...the decisions to tear down lovely bungalows and other cute homes to build McMansions on small lots that overshadow their neighbors and look frankly, rediculous. Neighborhoods known for their arts & crafts style homes are being overrun with contractors and remodelers in a hurry to make a profit, by buying up whatever they can get, tearing it down, and building some monstrosity in its place. The charm is lost and the neighborhood no longer looks the way it once did. Plus new home communities are built so quickly and in most cases, poorly, they are unattractive to anyone with a slight eye for design. The monotony in design is disgraceful as well. In an age of green design and re-use and recycle consumers we should focus more on better design and bringing to life what we already have instead of tearing down and wasting what was already there.

I see that the builders would not build the McMansions if there wasn't a market for them.

That being said, my family and I like the challenge of buying an older home and making it more efficient and a bit like the McMansion (media rooms, hard wood floors)without the staggering price tag. We have found that as long as you educate yourself before you give out your hard earned money you seem to be happier about your purchase. We have even started our own website www.ProjectionLogic.com to help educate those that are looking at buying media room equipment. We feel that there is nothing worse than getting home and finding out that the "deal of the week" wasn't the deal for you.

There are many of us that would like a energy and green house. That is not 2000 sq ft. We do not want ugly boxes stripted down. But if oil is a unstable product. We wanted to replace hot water heater with a wall hung to cut electrical cost and water. We where told it would take a special team three days etc. Meters were not 200amps.I have low water toilets, shower heads, 13 seer h/a and low emergy bulbs.Would love to use sun and wind.

I don't see where small & quality=affordable.20 years ago we built a super insulated half log passive solar home,and doing much of the work ourseleves,it was affordable.I would love an energy efficient log or timberframe home now, but I can't touch them price wise compared to the modulars we've had for our last two homes,and I'm talking 2400 sq.ft.for both.Then add on extra cost for radient heat,heat exchangers,wood floors and doors,etc.-forget it!

What's up with putting huge garage doors on the front of all of the homes lately...is it just to save the builder a few feet of land? It definitely ruins the look of a home's architecture and when you look down a street all you see is parked cars. I'm currently looking for a house and I will not buy one with a garage facing the front with the home entry right next to it.

The McMansion is not about being rich, it's about looking like you've got a bunch of money, when really you've spent your last dime weeks ago.

It's possible to do it all - smaller (the compromise!), quality, energy efficient - it just takes some time and thought and a builder that's willing to do something other than shoddily built, profit-driven spec homes. I've lived for a year in a home of my own design (of course, I'm working to be a licensed Architect, and the background helps a lot). I deliberately reduced the size down to around 2000 square feet so that I could afford to incorporate energy saving features such as radiant floor heat, spray-foam insulation, quality windows, and a 96% efficient boiler, and still have money left for some nice finishes. The highest gas & electric bill I've had - during a month of 20 degree below zero weather - was $120. But changing contractor's attitudes, and expectations of the public, is the real problem. People need to get educated, and value something other than square footage!

I'm in the process of shopping for a home and you wouldn't believe how crappy the mcmansion are built. I also can't believe how ugly they are. The only thing that makes me happy is that they will all fall down very quickly.

GREED! Builders and developers make more money building ever larger, more expensive boxes. We're paying the price with higher heating/cooling bills, more time spent on cleaning, higher property taxes and more costly insurance. I still own an 825 sq foot 2/1 home and have spent the last five years trying to convince my wife that we need to downsize back into it when the kids move.

I am a builder, who has built only one mcMansion and will never do it again. However, my DIY idea for working families to build a stick built (hybrid log, post & beam) home for the cost of a modular - hasn't gone anywhere either. People seem to want 'affordable', only when someone else does it for them. That automatically makes it costly.
Why? Just call around and get quotes on a builders insurance policy, and workmans comp, and five quality workers. These no frills costs (and still no profit) will double the homes real costs. Write me and I'll explain how 'affordable actually can happen', not the Mother home that was built in the desert ten years ago, but one that can be done TODAY!

I'm retired now with a comfortable income. I still keep my hand in the home repair business on a part time basis. I live in an area surrounded by McMansions which increases the value of my house. I plan soon on relocating back to Arizona. What annoys me is the postage stamp size lots they squeeze large homes on to. Do you want elegance without wasted space? I don't agree that a grand foyer is wasted space. It's the first and maybe the last impression one receives when entering a home. A poorly designed foyer IS wasted space but with a good design, closet space, access to other rooms and the garage it will save wear and tear on the flooring of other rooms and provide privacy. Enjoyed all of your comments.

I have remodeled all my life, built homes from the ground up, and designed several for friends and family. My son and I decided to use my knowledge and his, to become contractors. We built our first house which is on the market now. What I found out is, people don't necessarily want good they want cheap. We built this house with the best materials, and the way you would want one if it was for yourself. Well that didn't impress anyone, they want cheap not good. It has a nice lot with mature trees all around the property but cheap stands out! I have learned a lesson from this house.