New homes are shrinking, but which features will disappear and which will remain or become more popular?
A survey of members of the National Association of Home Builders offers clues about what new homes might look like in 2015.
Average home size: Today, it's 2,400 square feet, down from 2,521 just five years ago. Come 2015, builders surveyed expect the size will drop to about 2,150 square feet.
Fifty-two percent of those surveyed predict that traditional living rooms will be combined into other areas such as family rooms and kitchens to form "great rooms." About 30 percent of builders expect the living room to vanish.
Also likely to see less demand by 2015? Mudrooms, formal dining rooms, skylights, sunrooms, three-season porches, media rooms, butler's pantries, and homes with more than four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Builders expect to see more ceiling fans, larger laundry rooms, eat-in kitchens, first-floor master suites with walk-in closets, and kitchens with double sinks and recessed lighting.
Sixty-eight percent of builders surveyed forecast that energy-saving technologies and features including low-E windows, energy-efficient appliances, and LED lighting will be common along with engineered wood products, and water-saving plumbing fixtures such as dual-flush toilets and low-flow faucets.
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