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The new development I'm looking into has 3/2 homes which are all in the 1200-1400 square feet area. The bedrooms are so tiny it's kind of funny BUT they all have closets and are designated as bedrooms. I haven't seen a two-bedroom home being built anywhere.
We built our two-bedroom, 1,875 s.f. home in 2020, and this is not at all unusual for newer homes due to the large number of people who retire here. I am not sure if that is true of many communities with a median age of over 55, though. (Btw, we also have a 8 x 12 sunroom that I use for my reading room that could be used as a spare room for additional guests if that ever becomes necessary.)
I would also guess that smaller homes will become more popular as many people are now foregoing having large families, and I think that more and more people will be looking to economize.
Well 1875 sf is huge for a 2 br. Some 4 br 2.5 bathroom houses are around that sq footage. Had your 2 br sfh been 600 sf, would ypu have bought it?
If its a condo its not an issue, or adu. I would totally live in a 1875 sf 2br house over a 1700 sf 4br house. Sq footage matters, and small rooms is just depressing.
I dont see it anymore, probably it doesnt make sense. I have lived or fixed homes they were built at 1960 and older, where its 2 br 1 bath, and 600 - 750 sf.
Probably back then some people cound only afford those, so its a starter home. Nowadays i only see at minnimum 3br 1.5 bath sfh being built, at minnimum of 1400 sf. I still see new townhomes where its 2br 1.5 bath.
For me it doesnt make sense to have a house so small, your already paying for 1 foundation, roof, water heater, etc. The bigger the house the more its worth it to spread the costs and you get a cheaper per sq ft cost to live in it.
The only new builds with 2 bedrooms are in 55 and over communities. Three bedrooms is the norm.
Cape Cod style homes were once sold with 2 bedrooms downstairs and the possibility of finishing the upstairs 1/2 story, to typically add 2 additional bedrooms or an owner's ensuite.
Actually, it wasn't a bad idea. It got a young family into a home for less money. The upstairs could be finished when needed.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any builders who are building 1 and 1/2 story Cape Cods style homes.
Well 1875 sf is huge for a 2 br. Some 4 br 2.5 bathroom houses are around that sq footage. Had your 2 br sfh been 600 sf, would ypu have bought it?
If its a condo its not an issue, or adu. I would totally live in a 1875 sf 2br house over a 1700 sf 4br house. Sq footage matters, and small rooms is just depressing.
I am not sure if the bold is a 'real' question to me or not, but NO, we would not have bought it. Our first apartment (2 bdrm/1 bath) was about 525 s.f. (no washer/dryer), and even though it was adequate and met our needs, the kitchen was very tiny, only about 9' x 7'.
Anyway, I just did a search for two and three bedroom single family homes within ten miles of our home that are currently for sale, and the following is the result. (Note that we live in Vacationland and most homes are not listed until June, and virtually all homes sit on at least one acre. I did not list condos because there are 72 of those now listed.)
3 bed/2 ba 1107 s.f. 5.17 acres $470,000
2 bed/1.5 ba 1241 s.f. 1.5 acre $425,000
3 bed/2 ba 1568 s.f. 1.57 acre $449,900
3 bed/2 ba 2286 s.f. 1.5 acre $574,900
3 bed/2.5 ba 2515 s.f. 1.0 acre $809,900*
3 bed/2.5 ba 2662 s.f. 1,8 acre $599,900
3 bed/2.5 ba 3258 s.f. 1.5 acre $1,000,000*
*Water view home
So, the average square footage for the three bedrooms is 2,233 s.f. -- so for this area, 1,875 s.f. for a two bedroom/three bath and an enclosed sunroom would definitely not be considered "huge".
Of course, as I said, the above is not really representative as this is off season, and I am almost positive that there will be more homes listed after June 1.
Last edited by katharsis; 05-01-2024 at 07:48 AM..
Yes they still build 2 bedroom SF homes. They will almost always have at least a bath and a half, sometimes 2 full baths. It’s market specific though and usually for specific purposes as well such as affordable housing developments, vacation homes, etc…
This is part of the problem with young folks not being able to buy a house.
Yes - houses cost more today than their (grand)parents. But houses are - in general - much bigger today, and expectations are higher. 1800sf is not HUGE, but it's plenty big for a couple with two kids, and is easily bigger than ANY house anyone I knew lived in 40 years ago, regardless of the number of kids, unless you were "wealthy."
Most of those (Grand)parents who owned those homes in the 80's and 90's...still live there. Kids are long gone. But the homes remain, and this is how I was (and am) so familiar with those home sizes.
I am not sure if the bold is a 'real' question to me or not, but NO, we would not have bought it. Our first apartment (2 bdrm/1 bath) was about 525 s.f. (no washer/dryer), and even though it was adequate and met our needs, the kitchen was very tiny, only about 9' x 7'.
Anyway, I just did a search for two and three bedroom single family homes within ten miles of our home that are currently for sale, and the following is the result. (Note that we live in Vacationland and most homes are not listed until June, and virtually all homes sit on at least one acre. I did not list condos because there are 72 of those now listed.)
3 bed/2 ba 1107 s.f. 5.17 acres $470,000
2 bed/1.5 ba 1241 s.f. 1.5 acre $425,000
3 bed/2 ba 1568 s.f. 1.57 acre $449,900
3 bed/2 ba 2286 s.f. 1.5 acre $574,900
3 bed/2.5 ba 2515 s.f. 1.0 acre $809,900*
3 bed/2.5 ba 2662 s.f. 1,8 acre $599,900
3 bed/2.5 ba 3258 s.f. 1.5 acre $1,000,000*
Yeah that question was for you. You did a search for houses, but my thread is about is 2 br 1 bath 600-700 sf homes are being built now. But yeah, usually at that size its very common in apartments, maybe townhouses. But for a sfh, its not worth it. I would much rather live in a bigger house with a smaller lot size, than a tiny house on like 5500 sf lot size.
I dont see new builds with that small size, but there are older homes with that size, i have seen at least 20 when i fixed houses, and lived in 1. And many landlords would always say you need at least a 3br 1bath sfh to have decent cash flow, anything smaller it still cost money for prop tax, insurance, roof, etc.
Last edited by accord2008; 05-01-2024 at 02:00 PM..
We have quite a few new construction 2 bedroom houses being built in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor. I don’t know what is up with that. It’s a new thing in just the last couple of years. I do notice that as you get closer to the University of Iowa in Iowa City there are more of these homes. We also have a massive building of apartments, condos (higher end too), and lots of new townhomes.
We have quite a few new construction 2 bedroom houses being built in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor. I don’t know what is up with that. It’s a new thing in just the last couple of years. I do notice that as you get closer to the University of Iowa in Iowa City there are more of these homes. We also have a massive building of apartments, condos (higher end too), and lots of new townhomes.
Well the smallest 2 br is still 1200+ sq ft on those listings. Its still barely doable if i were to buy a house. The 600-750 sf is another story. I personally will not buy even a 4 br 2ba 1100 sf house. I have seen one and the rooms are tiny, and no dining room. I will take a 1200 sf 2br over that any day. Sq footage really matter
I dont see it anymore, probably it doesnt make sense. I have lived or fixed homes they were built at 1960 and older, where its 2 br 1 bath, and 600 - 750 sf.
Probably back then some people cound only afford those, so its a starter home. Nowadays i only see at minnimum 3br 1.5 bath sfh being built, at minnimum of 1400 sf. I still see new townhomes where its 2br 1.5 bath.
For me it doesnt make sense to have a house so small, your already paying for 1 foundation, roof, water heater, etc. The bigger the house the more its worth it to spread the costs and you get a cheaper per sq ft cost to live in it.
You've kinda answered your own question: the math doesn't make sense to build small anymore.
Foundation has a cost, and the cost per square foot goes down the larger it is. Same with room sizes, same with the house as a total. A small-ish HVAC unit is nearly as expensive as a larger one, same with water heaters, and houses are going to have one of each regardless.
The most expensive room in a house is the kitchen, and every house has one. Kitchens have water lines, drains, and many additional and more expensive electric lines compared to other rooms in the house; most kitchens also have much more lighting and nowadays a minimum of 2 GFI protected circuits (all on 12 gauge wire). Kitchens also have cabinetry, which can be a huge expense, as well as appliances. Kitchens will likely have tile and more expensive trims.
Following that, the bathrooms are nearly as expensive (though more expensive per square foot) as they have water lines, a drain, a GFI outlet, toilet, sink, and maybe a cabinet, plus accessories (toilet paper holder, towel rack, etc.). Non-powder rooms will have a tub or shower, and likely tile.
But bedrooms and bonus rooms, as well as hallways, foyers, and dining rooms are comparatively cheap. That's why a 5 bedroom house is cheaper than a 4 bedroom house per square foot, all else being equal.
You can think of bedrooms and the others listed as being nearly "blank" rooms compared to kitchens and bathrooms. Adding additional bedrooms is comparatively cheap. Adding in more bathrooms (especially the farther apart they are from the others) is a little more expensive. Adding a 2nd kitchen would be a much greater expense.
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