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Show FR by the P The Salt Lake Tribune, Sunday, November 1, 1998 Agency C: ‘Small but growing segmentof housing market opting for less space «“Less is only more when moreis no good.” — Frank Lloyd Wright ® Mary UMBERGER Gencaco TRIBUNE » CHICAGO — Perhaps what the esteemed Prairie School architect meant wasthat sometimes houses can be just too darned big — that is, the “less is more™ message offellow architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe didn’t mean that we should settle for less, but, instead, should just avoid overkill This is potentially a blasphemous notion in the home-building industry, whichin the past decade seems to have drawnits inspiration from the Mae West School of Thought, which holds that “too much ofa good thing is wonderful.” After all, the size of the average new home has climbed from a mere 1,535 square feet of space in 1975 to 2.150in 1997, according to the National Association of Home Builders. These “average” numbers are peanuts compared to the custom-home market, a mostinfluential subgroup within the industrythat seems to have taken Miss Westparticularly seriously. In the More home buyers are seeking an alternative to ‘McMansions’ Chicagoarea, it’s no longer especially unusual to see whole subdivisions of houses measuring 4,000 square feet and up. ‘And while that trend showsno sign of abating, a few voices are starting to suggest that some consumers who could build just about anything their hearts desire are starting to desire less “It’s time to rethink the size of the American home,” according to Gale Steves, editor in chief of Home magazine. She says she has begun to hear from readers who are secking alternatives to what she calls “trophy homes” (though others haveless kindly dubbed them “McMansions”). “Manyof my readers who live in them find them, well, unlivable,” Steves said. “The volume (ceiling height) is too high for comfort. Many peopletell me they are living in just the back halves oftheir houses,” drawn together in the combination kitchen/family room layout that has become almost standard in new construction. “The living room, in many cases, has become a repository for Grandma's furniture or for the Christmas tree,” Steves said. “If you travel in other countries where people live in less space and use every inch efficiently, you start to think it’s kind of sad that America has these walk-through rooms or twice-a-year Earlier this year Steves put together a book, Home Magazine's Best Little Houses, (Friedman/Fairfax, $25), a compilation of remodeled and new homes that had been featured in the magazine.All of them contain 2,000 square feet or less and were deemed to have made every inch count, she said. Best Little Houses may be on to something, as it has just been joined on the shelves by another that pursues the same theme, though with more specific suggestions on how to achieve quality over quantity. The Not So Big House (Taunton Press, $30) is a new effort from Minnesota architect Sarah Susanka, who sees a potentially powerful market demand from well-heeled consumers who are willing to sacrifice house size in order to gain intimacy and personal expres-_ sion, not to mention a dose of simpliciSusanka’s notions of “small” are completely relative, and not nearly so spe- cific as Steves’. She merely asks that clients be honest with themselves about what they really need, and then they should insist that their rooms be flexible. “Halfway through writing this book, T got a call from potential clients who said they were designing a house that was at that point going to contain 15,000 square feet,” she said in an interview. The couple wanted her to look over the plans and make suggestions. “So I went and talked to them, and I thought, “Here I am talking to some people who are building one of the i houses I have ever seen.I can’t live with myself if I don’t tell them what I am doing,” she said of the book. “| described to them my ideas, and they got really excited,” she said, and the three of them began to redesign the couple’s dream home,settling finally on a plan that contained 7,500 square feet of space. She laughs at the incongruity of including it among “small houses,” but maintains that “the message is as valuable to that couple as somebody who is building a 2,000-square-foot house.” “Jt’s more about value for you and about making every space really work the waythat you, as an individual, live.” Whichmight be easily dismissed as an architectural cliche, except that Susanka (and to some extent, Steves) offers some concrete examples of ways to get it. At its most basic, her not-so- big house is an interconnected area where food preparation, dining and dayto-dayliving take place. Some suggestions on how to achieveit: -Be to ditch formality. This usually begins with the living room, Susanka said, explainingthat it’s a holdover from the Victorian era, when visitors would be entertained in the front of the house, never setting foot in the back. Manyclients nod in immediate agreement here, she said. “Dining rooms are often little harder”for clients to let go of, she said. “We havethis vision of formal dining occasions. But you ask them, “Who are you having over?’ and it’s not the queen of England. It’s their neighbors,” Susanka said. “You explain how you can take the informal space and make it seem more formal. When they realize that it’s goingto save them $20,000 to $30,000, they are more willing to do it.” See SMALL, Page F-5 Market CLEY *Construction loans (up| to 9 month lock) "Guaranteed lowest rates & closing cost *Bank turn downs welcome about our no cost Layton Bountiful | Salt Lake Grantsville St. George Cedar City 444-9200]) 298-9400 263-9300 884-1400 674-9100 586-2600 a MORTGAGE re)ay Be fd10)VineLed yas ¢ FRIENDLY CALL TODAY FOR LOWEST RATES “Free pre-approval “Conventional & VA loans e439 Rte dad i] Home Loans * Refinances » Construction Continued from Page F-1 “The living room is so open and bright,” Rickman said. “It has a fresh, clean feelto it, the kind of place where you would feel comfortable having a nice chat session with friends or curling up with a good book.” And while it is true that the living room is the focal point of the home,it is in no wayout of character with the Temaining rooms. A casual dining area is located beyond the living room, which in tum is connected to the kitchen. The kitchen is replete with tile countertops, new appliances and walk-in pantry. back yard — an oasis of lawn and trees and shrubbery that is complemented by a patio positioned squarely in the middie. “The owners of this house have put so muchinto this yard,” Rickman explained. “The back yard is so peaceful that youfeel like you are in your own private park. From the deck you can look out to the mountains or down onto the yard, where children could be play- ing. ‘The three main-level bedrooms are highlighted by a master suite that is both spacious and luxurious. It inchades its own private bathroom and walk-in closet. The remaining main-level bedrooms have access to a wonderful, fulllytiled bathroom. The basement houses two more bedrooms, one full bath and the family room, which makes for a cozy place to watch videos or unwind. The : Growing in popularity, West Jordan continues to attract home buyers who are tired of the hustle and bustle of Salt Lake City, but who need to be close enough to the downtown area that they can commute to and from and still remember their kids’ names. “This is a really nice neighborhood.” Rickman said. “It is the type of neighborhood where people come and stay. It is very family-oriented and everybody takes such great care of their yards. INTEGRA FUNDING Any size mortgage done for aT RATE NO POINTS $479 eae Call for details SALT LAKE CITY 947-8977 GECURITY WEST MORIRTGAGE Fast FRIENDLY NEW SANDY DRAPER NUMBER 572-9495 UTAH COUNTY 763-1166 ASSOCIATED MORTGAGE 943-1999— Amen |