Revenge of the Small (Smaller Houses Encourages in Pac NW)

Business Week ^ | December 26, 2006 | Karrie Jacobs

[editor-surveyor]

"and use the garage for storage as it was intended."

I am fully in compliance !!!!! :o) (no alternatives visible)

[RightWhale]

A family up here accidently gassed themselves a few years back by this means. Nice modern house, too. The fire danger of a vehicle used to be much greater but still a stand alone garage would be better just in case.

[antivenom]

With the gen Xers having less children (and higher divorce rates) and the baby boomers downsizing...higher and higher utilities...my money...is on the smaller house.

I rather have my money tied up in the "land" (location, location, location) not the structure.

[antivenom]

Me either...since leaving the 1990 burbs and going to what was the burbs in 1950...I travel against traffic going to and from work...I LOVE IT!

[editor-surveyor]

"The fire danger of a vehicle used to be much greater but still a stand alone garage would be better just in case."

A few years ago I watched a 3500 SF house on a hill in San Ramon burn to the ground in less than 40 minutes due to a garage fire initially caused by a faulty horn relay in the brand new Caddillac with full tank parked therein.

[RightWhale]

Well, the wide door on the garage would make moving large items such as picnic tables in case of rain during the garden party relatively easy since it won't be needed for car access. A house with a really big door in addition to the little door for pedestrian traffic would be a more utilitarian house.

[TASMANIANRED]

They used to be called starter homes.

[hedgetrimmer]

Interfering with how people want to live borders on stalinism

It IS Stalinism. The objective of 'smart growth' is complete control of private property and where and how people choose to live. The controllers prefer that the 'workforce' live in monster high rise, high density apartment complexes, barring that, the tiniest abodes possible. You see that leaves more room for the elites to play.

[goodnesswins]

Yep...we had a large home....the master bedroom was so huge we were always freezing in winter. And, the "beautiful" tiled master bath was like an ice chest. NEVER again. In a condo now, but will likely build a small house on land some years down the road.

[irishtenor]

Nonsense, we haven't had a major eruption since 1980, and a major earthquake in a couple of years.

[irishtenor]

Actually, a $180,000 house is unheard of around here anymore. A 50 year old 2 bedroom 1 bath can go for almost $300,000.