Square footage may shrink a bit

Lots for new single-family homes are shrinking, and the trend seems poised to continue. But the size of homes is increasing after a drop during the Great Recession.

The U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Construction Microdata reports that from 2007 to 2009, the size of new construction sizes decreased by more than 10 percent nationwide. In 2007, the average new build was 2,415 square feet; by 2009, at the height of the recession, it was down to 2,184. The size increased to 2,625 square feet in 2015. The Las Vegas Valley is very close to the mean with 2,679 square feet for active projects, Dennis Smith of Home Builders Research Inc. said.

“Las Vegas was, and always will be, a single-family-home-type of city. There will be small segments of high-rise construction, but never will there be a major component of our construction industry.” Smith said. “It tried before the recession, but was not successful overall.”

Although the average square footage of a Las Vegas home is increasing, this does not necessarily signal the kind of elbow room associated with economic growth, experts said.

“The home size per person will go down nationally, and to some degree here in Vegas, but it is all a function of affordability,” Smith said.

How are builders and homeowners going to cope with this impending shrinkage? Naturally, the “nice parlor room” of untouchable plastic-lined furniture and manicured carpeting is a thing of the past, as no room can go unused. Formal dining rooms are a luxury in this new world, too, with families relegated to eating in the already cozy kitchen, or even the living room. Sunrooms and farmhouse entryways a thing of the upper-crust. But new-home builders are using some great space-saving techniques in both large and small houses to maximize the use of all available cubic feet.

Savvy builders have started to take tips from the new cottage industry of modern cottages, tiny homes. Tips, such as those taken from Brevard Tiny Homes, include under-stairs storage in the form of large bin drawers and cabinets, rather than the obligatory utility closet. In a conventional townhouse, the wedge-shaped closet quickly becomes little more than a forgotten long-term storage space, whereas opening the side into lateral storage spaces allows for the entire length and height of the stairs to be used daily.

There’s even the choice to make a wood staircase’s first few steps into long drawers. If the stairway’s side is open, deep tread boards can be used as handy shelving.

Murphy beds recently began shaking off the image of being tenement house fixtures; many stylish and practical models are available. The utility they offer has spread to other furniture. Anything from a small craft table to a long bar counter can be a wall-mounted piece that folds up into an unassuming cabinet.

IKEA is opening May 18, making the smart Swedish designs readily available for space-conscious Las Vegans.

Third bathrooms or half-baths are also on the chopping block, as are his-and-hers sinks. Space has always been tight in modern baths, and many homebuyers would prefer to have a shower stall with extra room for linens or storage rather than a rarely used bathtub.

Speaking of hot water, tankless water heaters are often overlooked, despite public approval and energy-efficiency. The devices, which use a fraction of the energy, scant space, and add only a few hundred to the build cost, eliminate the worry of overstaying the hot water for a shower. An inline water heater can be either small point-of-use mounted models — i.e., one for each shower, sink, and dishwasher — or large units that would replace a traditional water heater. Pulte Homes uses this technology locally. The builder’s new development, The Cove in Southern Highlands, includes one in each home as a standard feature.

Possibly no room in the house benefits more from space-saving than the kitchen. Homebuyers simply can’t get enough of all kinds of storage in the kitchen; some houses forgo the large oven and opt for a small over-under model and a stovetop above more drawer and cabinet space. Even in new houses with ample room to spare, kitchens are being built more like entertainment units; everything is being hidden by cabinet faces backed with shelves and hooks.

The kitchen island is also transforming. Modern homes are adding cutting board tops, basin sinks, trash can drawers. Islands are also a stashing place for wine fridges. Galaxy Outdoor of Las Vegas has a two-in-one prep island option: a trash chute cutout on the countertop for quick disposal of scraps, with a sliding cutting-board-topped lid. This combination uses the space under and atop of the counter, and links it to make the most efficient cutting station outside of a professional kitchen.