When A 2,866-Square Foot Home Is Just Too Small

Permission Granted To Demolish, and Build Anew -- And, Of Course, Bigger File this under: Sustainable has not caught on. A California couple has received the sanction of the local government to demolish a 2,866-square foot home in the exclusive Kent Woodlands development so they can build a 5,230-square foot home that includes a 839-square foot garage. That has neighbors worried that so-called "monster homes" will proliferate. Without commenting on the specifics of this particular and very local issue, it highlights a trend in American suburbia that is fast approaching a reckoning, as the world moves toward a low-carbon economy. Are monster homes compatible? How will we power our homes, when the size of the average home has more than doubled in 50 years to nearly 2,400 square feet? And what about those who aren't satisfied even with an above-average sized home? It takes energy to heat and cool, to power lights and to power appliances in homes. The bigger the home, the bigger the load on the electric grid, and the more pollution generated by the local power plant. The housing boom of the past five years or so has seen the proliferation of these giant houses -- and some much larger even than 5,200-square feet. Besides having garages so big many apartment-dwellers would jump at the chance to upgrade to such spacious confines, these giants on the American landscape are questionable investments at best, from an energy perspective. Related Stories Housing Starts Expected To Drop To Lowest Level In A Decade Housing Market Hits 5-Year Low Despite Cool Housing Market, Construction Booms Housing Bubble Breeds More Mosquitoes Building Better Communities