I'm working on the same thing! I believe people will buy smaller well designed and well built homes.
I can see a subdivision where the largest house is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with no more than 1500 sq ft. That's the sort of neighborhood I grew up in.
" I develop land for houses and it's always been my dream to make a quaint subdivision full of small, quaint houses. I'm talking small here. My target market would be young couples or the retired."
LOL I live in a "village" like that. Largest houses have 3 bedrooms, and are about 1200 sf. My house is 2 bedrooms and 990 sf. Granted, it's army housing... LOL But it IS a house. And compared to the fact that most Army base housing is duplexes, quads, or flats, I am very happy with my teeny house. We did have a larger flat in Germany...but...we also had a neighbor above, below and on both sides. Given the option, I'd take the smaller house with a real fenced in back yard (that happens to be larger than the house...but that's another story) any day.
That said...when we retire, I will not live in any house smaller than 2500 sf. And I want at least 3 acres. I hate having my china cabinet in the living room, because there isn't room in the dining room, and being forced to use garage door instead of the front door because the only place the Christmas tree will fit is in front of the front door! LOL
Teehee...I wrote a novella...Sorry! Happy Nearly New Year!
Seems you have support here from conservatives. I looked at a site plan once for a proposed development in which the entire median was a fenced in playground for children. Every home had a front porch so the parents could watch their children too.....what a concept! /sarc
Good luck--I wish you the best success. Massachusetts is ONLY building McMansions on 2-acre lots, or expensive loft condos downtown, and consequently the young people are fleeing the state. We need affordable options that match how people live.
Give people extra space, even without kids, and they'll fill it up with stuff they didn't know they "needed."
The country is full of them, and the people that have no choice but to live in them get divorced at almost twice the rate as people that have livable housing.
Crowding is crazy.
You really, really should do this. We live near Seattle, and are aghast at the insane, inflated home prices here. The houses you are discussing would be much, much better than the condos that are typically the "first home" for many people these days. I am not a developer, but have thought many times that there is a great need for what you are thinking. Go for it!
People also don't entertain like in the old days...they don't need or want formal living rooms and dining rooms for the most part. What they want are usable spaces, built-in storage, big kitchens, and cozy. It is very hard to find that in the homes in my area, unless you want to renovate something from the 30's or 40's.
Good luck to you and let me know how it works out.
This (neighborhood of smaller houses) has already become a trend in 'infill' areas here in California. The best example of such a neighborhood is the 'Ash Street Cottages' in Brea, CA - right next to the new 'Brea Downtown' entertainment area. The Ash Street Cottages are about 100 1,450 - 1,650 sq ft houses that now routinely sell for over $700,000. Only problem - you don't get more than a postage-stamp yard. See http://www.tndwest.com/birchstreet.html