Bedrooms, Kitchens Consume Copious Space in New Homes

In the average new home, 28.0 percent of the finished floor space is allocated to bedrooms and 11.2 percent to the kitchen area, according to a recent NAHB study.  The study is based on special questions appended to the November 2018 survey for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.  The questions covered 13 specific types of areas or rooms, plus a catch-all “other” category for any types not on the list.  The averages are illustrated in the figure below.

In addition to an average breakdown for all new homes, the study also looked separately at small homes (those with under 2,000 square feet of finished floor space) and large homes (with at least 3,500 square feet).  The share of space allocated to many of the areas listed in the survey varies only slightly with overall home size.  The dining area, for example, accounts for close to 6 percent of the finished floor space in both large and small new homes.  On a percentage-point basis, the living room or area shows the greatest spread, accounting for 10.0 percent of the space in small new homes compared to only 4.4 percent in the large ones.

The master bedroom accounts for a larger share of the space in small new homes than in large ones (13.1 vs. 9.2 percent).  Other bedrooms (those not part of a master suite), however, account for roughly 17 percent of the finished floor space irrespective of house size.

In small homes, the kitchen accounts for a somewhat greater share of the finished floor space (12.7 percent vs. 10.5 percent in large homes), but this tendency does not extend to breakfast nooks and walk-in pantries.  The share of space allocated to nooks and pantries is actually somewhat higher in larger homes.

For complete details, including the incidence of each type of space and the square footage devoted to each when present, please consult the full study.