Instead, they have voted with their feet, showing a willingness to commute long distances in order to live in a new detached home. A small, but growing number of families are buying older in-city homes, which can offer more interesting architecture and a more stimulating neighborhood setting. The trade-off is fewer bathrooms, tiny kitchens, antiquated wiring, clogged plumbing and, yes, no yard. The other approach is to crowd houses closer together. New housing is being built on smaller and smaller lots.
Small lots mean smaller houses.
According to Dennis Thorton with John Buchan Homes, something has to be sacrificed to keep housing affordable. The yard is first to go. Second is the size of the house. Many of us grew up in small houses with one bath and tiny bedrooms shared by two or three kids. Today, these same houses are occupied by one or two people.