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SearchEditor's column: How small can it get?
Bigger is better - at least that's what a certain industry is trying to make us believe. Homebuilders in Highlands Ranch are going the opposite route: "Smaller is better". The question is - is this true or is it just marketing lingo? What are we talking about here at all?
Well, the more houses you can put up on a piece of land, the more money the homebuilder can make. Highlands Ranch is a perfect example for that. Have you been in the Firelight subdivision? Look how small the properties have become. In one area the backyard is pretty much non-existing and these are not town homes that usually do not have backyard. Go back in time and look at houses in Highlands Ranch built many years ago. You did not get acre size land, but at least the houses and properties were built in a combination that you could enter the backyard and play ball with your kids. The yards were big enough that you could plant trees without worrying that they would grow into the neighbor’s yard or lift fences with their roots.
Today you can still get decent sized land - but only if you choose to build a large house on it. The gain in land for the yard is non-existent. The yards are very small and kids are forced to play on the streets. Kicking a ball without having it land in a neighbor’s yard or a window is almost impossible. Have we all become so lazy that we do not want to do anymore yard work? At least that is the impression if you read the sales catalogs for new houses. Maintenance-free backyards? Having a yard means that there are certain tasks that come with it. "You could move somewhere else if you want a bigger yard." - this is we got told by a sales rep of Richmond Homes one day inquiring. But no matter where you move nowadays - yards are getting smaller and smaller. Unless you completely leave the city larger properties are no longer available.
In our opinion it all comes down to the almighty Dollar. Smaller yards mean more room to build another house on a piece of land. In our opinion a smaller yard also means a smaller piece of quality of life. We do not mean everyone needs to have a large yard or acreage sized properties, but the small pieces of land that are called backyard - no, those are not backyards. We think builders should at least be able to offer the option to get bigger lots in some areas. Some people are willing to pay for land without buying a bigger house.
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