Times Do Change
This morning I was thinking about homemaking these days as compared to in my grandmothers time. Things have changed so much. The bigger the house, the more spaces we have to fill up with things. More to clean, more to deal with, more to heat, more resources needed to maintain these bigger homes, bigger mortgages and now greater foreclosures than ever. I have lived in big houses, small houses and now in a house about 1,300 sq ft which seems to be more than enough space for two people ! I can easily see what needs to be cleaned each and every day : )I read a paper done by Moya K. Mason about housing changes through time.
"Housing: Then, Now and in the Future " http://www.moyak.com/researcher/resume/papers/housing_summary.html
Thought I would share a couple of the facts from this paper.
"Early 20th century bungalows were one-storey or storey and a half dwellings of between 600 and 800 square feet."
"The average new house has expanded in size from about 1500 square feet in the mid-70s to over 2000 (Friedman and Krawitz).. People want more space -- family homes have grown by 1/3 in size over the last twenty years. Sizes of lots are decreasing, as sizes of homes are increasing. The median size for a new single family home in 2003 was about 2300 square feet (National Association of Home Builders).. Family size has decreased almost 25% over 30 years, while the size of new houses has increased about 50% (Heavens).. Average lot sizes are decreasing."
"It comes as no surprise that houses have grown in size and cost over the years. At the beginning of the last century, the average home was 700 to 1,200 square feet. In 1950 the average home was 1,000 square feet growing to an average size of 2,000 square feet in 2000. Costs in 1900 were about $5,000, $11,000 in 1950 and $200,000 last year. An interesting fact revealed in the [National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)] report is that although homes have grown in size, lot sizes have begun to significantly decrease in size. In 1990, the average lot size was 14,680 square feet; the first year data was available for comparison. Just eight years later the average lot size was 12,870. In its profile of a typical new home in 2010, the report suggests the average lot size will shrink by another 1,000 square feet while the house size will increase to 2,200 or more square feet."
Emery's Grandparents on their wedding day
Comments
My house was built, for us, in 1976, and is rather large, but not huge, like the houses built, today for the newly affluent, or wanabees. We purchased, and paid for the three acres, first, and I planned the house with four bedrooms, because I have three kids. It is a lot of house for two people, now that the kids are grown, but we fill it up on visits from the grandkids, so would not dream of moving to smaller digs.
I'd love to go back in time and watch my Great Grandmother go about her day. I'm sure I could learn a thing or two (or ten) :)
We watched that series and actually was a bit shocked at some of the spoiled attitudes of some of the families, but still enjoyed it. Emery grew up with no electricity or running water so he really thought they were acting like babies.