Australian homes getting bigger
After many years in the lead, America is no longer the land of the world’s largest homes, the title now goes to Australia. Research shows that the Australian house size has grown to 2,310 sf (whereas Britain’s average size is nearly 1/3 of that).
American homes’ average size has decreased from 2,282 sf to 2,169 sf, the first size decrease in over 10 years.
Houeshold sizes have shifted over the years too, and Australia’s number of people per household has risen from 2.51 to 2.56, the first such rise in at least 100 years.
“It makes sense. Population is rising, as is the cost of housing and the cost of moving house, so we are making greater use of what we’ve got,” CommSec’s Craig James said in a statement reported by Reuters.
“Children are living at home longer with parents and more people are opting for shared accommodation … Generation Y is already baulking at the cost of housing, choosing to stay at home longer with parents.”
Jim Rake
December 1, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Not too surprising. While there are a number of factors contributing to growth of the size of homes Down Under, wonder if the changing demographic is a factor as well?
Having lived in the U.K years ago, I can tell you, it was surprising to get the first glimpse of the room sizes (or lack thereof!)
erichempler
December 1, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I have to also wonder if the size of home is influenced by better floor layouts. A small home can feel spacious if it’s layed out correctly.