Homes grow, but not yards

Even if the real estate boom is tapering off, the size of homes isn’t. The average newly built home in 2005 had 2,412 square feet of space, according to the National Assn. of Home Builders. That’s up 63 square feet from the year before.

Since 1973, the average new home has increased in size by about 50%. The typical new home that year had 1,660 square feet, and a mere 12% had three or more baths. Today, about one-quarter of all homes have that many bathrooms.

But the yard is shrinking. Now averaging 9,000 square feet, the American yard is expected to decline to 7,000 or 8,000 square feet in the next few years, said the builders group.