Eye On Housing
Of the 714,500 single-family homes started in 2015, 64 percent included porches and 23 percent included decks, according to data from the Survey of Construction (which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and partially funded by HUD).
NAHB tabulation of these data show that porches have become somewhat more common on new homes over the past decade. In 2005, 54 percent of new homes started included porches. But the share of new homes with porches increased regularly over the next several years, and has been consistently above 63 since 2009.
Meanwhile, there has been a slight but noticeable decline in the incidence of new homes built with decks. From 2005 through 2008, over a quarter of single-family homes started included decks, but the share has been under 24 percent since 2011.
There is also a clear geographic pattern to the incidence of exterior amenities on new homes. SOC data can be tabulated separately for single-family homes started in each of the nine Census divisions. In 2015, the share of new homes with porches ranged from a low of 46 percent in the Mid-Atlantic Division to nearly 90 percent in the four states that make up the East South Central.
The East South Central is also one of two Census Divisions where over half of new single-family homes started in 2015 included decks. However, in the East South Central, the share was barely over half (51 percent), while in New England over two-thirds (69 percent) of the new homes included decks. At the other end of the spectrum, decks are particularly uncommon on new homes in the West South Central division (where they were included on only 5 percent of the homes started in 2015).
Of course, both decks and porches may be—and are—added after a home is built. In a post from earlier this year, 16 percent of NAHB remodelers reported that adding or enclosing a porch was a common project for them in 2015, and 26 percent said the same thing about decks.
The basic geographic pattern of decks and porches on new homes has been relatively stable in recent years (see the post on decks and porches on homes started in 2012 for comparison). For other differences in new single-family homes started across the nine census divisions in 2015, see the previous posts on siding, lots, custom vs. spec homes, one vs. two stories. foundations, financing, private wells & septic systems, bedrooms, price per square foot, heating & air conditioning, and bathrooms.
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