A good discussion of the trend towards bigger houses on smaller lots – hat tip to daytrip!
http://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-0131-outdoor-space-20150131-story.html
Excerpts:
One point generally acknowledged is that many people today do not want the expense and hassle of a big yard. “It’s not practical to have a big lawn these days,” Tighe says. “People are rethinking that, rightfully so.” But they do still want something of a yard, just not the way we think of it.
“That backyard in a sense becomes an important room as part of the house,” says Radziner. “We can live outside if we do it right. Our clients are more interested in the quality of the space rather than the quantity of the space.”
For Southern California, having a smaller yard is a blessing if not a necessity. We specifically stayed away from larger lots because I didn’t want to water and maintain that much space.
Of course, the big downside to a smaller lot means my neighbors are in my kitchen every day.
Thankfully, we found a good balance (Thanks to Jim!) between having enough grass in the back for the kids to do cartwheels and yet being small enough that it takes me less than 10 minutes to mow it.
A very large yard especially in a HOA Community can be a big hassle. But outside of an HOA they can be useful.
The other plus is putting some distance between you and your neighbors.
First, the swimming pool is falling a bit out of fashion. And now, the big yard.
Here, there is a cultural shift of some sort going on.