Comments on: Book Review: House Lust

By: Why the middle class is feeling squeezed? | Canadian Capitalist

Why the middle class is feeling squeezed? | Canadian Capitalist — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:19:38 +0000

[...] rates are also much lower. Moreover, part of the reason for higher shelter costs could be traced to square foot inflation of the average home. Even today, families can manage their shelter costs by buying a smaller home or renting a little [...]

By: A Lap Of The Blogs : WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com

A Lap Of The Blogs : WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:01:54 +0000

[...] Canadian Capitalist reviews a book titled ‘House Lust’ which discusses the obsession involved in home ownership for many people. It sounds like a very [...]

By: telly

telly — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:32:05 +0000

Wow! Our house must have been HUGE by 1920′s standards when it was built at a whopping 1200 sq. ft.!

Brad, that is a crazy story that explains why this book was written. I can’t even fathom what that house would go for now!

By: brad

brad — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:43:02 +0000

I mentioned this previously in comments on another post, but when my father sold the house I grew up in, in northern Westchester County, New York, the new owners spent over $1 million on renovations and additions–including putting in no fewer than 7 bathrooms, one for each day of the week. They didn’t have kids, it was just a couple, so why they needed so many bathrooms is anyone’s guess. When I lived there we had one full bathroom and a half bath; which was adequate for us, a family of six.

At the end of their marathon spending session, the couple split up. The woman lives there alone now, with her 7 bathrooms. I stopped by there a few years ago to see how the place had changed…what was once a tasteful old house (built in the 1920s) is now a nouveau-riche monstrosity.

By: Canadian Capitalist

Canadian Capitalist — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:32:24 +0000

Phil: I think what your condo really needs is an “extreme ultra king” bed!

By: Phil S

Phil S — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:14:01 +0000

Wow! Those are some eye-opening statistics you all have there on the square footage creep issue… Suddenly I’m left wondering if I should be just looking at why my current 600 sq foot condo is so jammed full of stuff. Perhaps I don’t need a bigger place but rather just need to better organize my stuff… Hmm… I think there’s also a few boxes of stuff that I don’t really need, either. I suddenly have a task list for myself to do this weekend… =0)

By: Canadian Capitalist

Canadian Capitalist — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:13:51 +0000

Here’s what the book says about square footage creep:

“In 1950 the average American home measured just 983 square feet… But over time the average has crept steadily upward — and by 2005, according to census data, the average newly built U.S. home measured 2,434 square feet. One in five new homes now has a three car garage… One in four has three or more bathrooms. Nearly 40 percent have four or more bedrooms. When it comes to American homes, the only thing that’s decreased in recent years is the size of the plots of land on which they’re built and the size of the families who live inside.”

By: Dave from GP

Dave from GP — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:39:00 +0000

I recently had the chance to return to my home as a kid. We lived in a “house” attached to the back of a restaurant / gas station. Me and my brother shared a room the whole time we were growing up, my parents room was next door and we had a small living room. I never thought much of it as a kid but I often think of it now when people have to move to a bigger house because they have another kid and need another room as well as a home office and guest room.

By: Jon202

Jon202 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:51:51 +0000

here are the number about bigger homes:
http://www.hellocoolworld.com/assets/campaigns/10/viral_rad_city11.gif

http://www.hellocoolworld.com/campaigns.cfm?view=CAMPAIGN_DETAILS&campaign_id=10

By: Jon202

Jon202 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:49:50 +0000

Brad, and others, try and see a documentary called “Radiant City”. It covers this idea of bigger homes, further from city centres and employment, arranged in a matter only convenient by low gasoline prices (ie. sprawl). It’s distributed by the NFB, so your local public library should have a copy.