Builders Fulfill Homebuyers’ Desire for Large Open-Floor-Plan Homes

Homebuyers want large open-floor-plan homes, so builders give it to them.

According to the National Association of Home Builders’ homebuyer preferences survey and studies of housing and construction data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 51% of homebuyers surveyed want homes with more than 2,000 square feet of living space and 44% want more than two bathrooms, and home builders have fulfilled these wishes for them. Data shows that 70% of new single-family homes have living areas of more than 2,000 square feet and 68% have more than two bathrooms.

While homebuyers do not find enough existing homes to satisfy their size desires, home builders have adjusted on time to be able to offer larger new homes. Bureau data shows that only only 41% are more than 2,000 square feet in size and only 31% have more than two full bathrooms.

More and more homebuyers now also want open floor plans. The homebuyer survey shows that 32% prefer a home with an open kitchen-family room design and 45% want an open kitchen-dining area arrangement. Homebuilders have been ready for these preferences, as 54% have their typical single-family homes built with an open kitchen-family-room design and 51% have their typical homes built with an open kitchen-dining design.

These are the percentages of homebuyers who prefer certain home sizes, based on the NAHB survey:

Full bathroom vs half bathroom

The Census Bureau and the HUD describe a full bathroom as one with a toilet, a sink, and either a bathtub or a shower, or a shower-bathtub combination. A half bathroom consists of a toilet, a bathtub or a shower and do not have all the fixtures present in a full bathroom.

Open Kitchen-Family-Room Plan

A completely open floor plan means these two rooms are basically combined into one room while a partially open floor plan means there’s a partial wall, an arch, a counter or any design element less than a full wall that separates the two areas.

Of the 70% homebuyers who want an open kitchen-family-room plan, 32% prefer a completely open plan while 38% prefer a partially open plan.

Open Kitchen-dining-area Floor Plan

Of the 86% of buyers who desire an open kitchen-dining-area plan, 45% prefer a completely open plan while 41% want a partially open plan.

For Buyers Looking for Homes under 1,600 Sq Ft in Living Space

Homebuyers looking for smaller homes are more likely to find them in inventories of pre-owned homes. These smaller homes usually have one or two bathrooms and have full walls between the kitchen, dining and family rooms.

Number of Large Tampa Bay Homes Available for Sale as of Today

In the Tampa Bay area, referring to the counties of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, as of today, March 19, 2017, there are 5,756 available homes for sale that have 2,000 square feet or more in heated living space and two or more full bathrooms.
If we consider all homes with at least 2,000 square feet in total living area (heated and unheated), and at least two full bathrooms, there are, as of today, 7,020 Tampa Bay homes available for sale.

For those looking for Tampa Bay homes with an open kitchen-family-room arrangement, there are 2,029 homes with at least two full bathrooms and 2,000 square feet in area that are currently available for sale. For those who prefer homes with an open dining-room/living-room plan, there are as of today, 1,397 homes available for sale in Tampa Bay.

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