The share of homes with patios edged up to another record high last year. Of the roughly one million single-family homes started in 2022, 63.3% percent came with patios—up from 63.0% in 2021, and the seventh consecutive year of setting a new record. The source for these numbers is NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development).
Historically, fewer than half of new homes came with patios during the 2008-2011 period of extreme weakness in housing markets After that, the share of new homes with patios jumped to 52.% in 2012 and has been climbing ever since. The percentage has now increased in twelve of the past thirteen years; the lone exception being 2015, when it was unchanged.
While patios on new homes have generally become more popular, the places where they tend to be most and least popular have not changed much. At the low end, only 18% percent of new single-family homes built in the Middle Atlantic and 21% in New England came with patios in 2022. At the high end, the incidence of patios on new homes was over 70% percent in the West South Central and South Atlantic divisions, and only a little under 70% percent in the Mountain states. All these geographic tendencies are similar to the ones reported in last year’s post on patios.
For extra detail on the nature of the patios being built, we can supplement the SOC with data from the Annual Builder Practices Survey (BPS) conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs.
For the U.S. as a whole, the 2023 BPS report (based on homes built in 2022) shows that the average size of patios (which in the BPS includes pool decks) on new single-family homes is about 280 square feet, but with considerable geographic variation. The average is over 350 square feet in New England and the South Atlantic; but as low as 166 square feet in the West North Central, 188 square feet in the West South Central, and 209 square feet in the Mountain Division.
Measured per square foot, builders use poured concrete more than any other building material for patios. In most parts of the country, there is not even a close second. In the New England and Mid Atlantic divisions, however, builders use natural stone and brick pavers, respectively, almost as much as poured concrete.
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The rising popularity of patios in new homes, as highlighted in the article, signifies changing preferences among homebuyers. For the construction loan sector, this trend may lead to increased demand for financing specific to patio construction and outdoor living spaces. Lenders could respond by offering specialized construction loans tailored to these amenities, reflecting the evolving needs of homebuyers and builders in the market.