Creating better, not bigger is a growing trend among home buyers
Thinking efficiency vs size may be a paradigm shift that will help you when buying your next home. Ask yourself these questions: Do you use every room in your home? How many times a year are you using your dining room? Do your family meals take place in the family room? How do you picture the public space in your home best fitting the needs of your family. Living in a small home with flexible spaces, organized storage and quality eco friendly finishing touches may increase your quality time at home.
Take a look at what this couple accomplished in a 90 year old home they purchased several years ago. They purposefully bought a small house. They wanted it to be in a walkable and convenient neighborhood surrounded by larger homes. Their goal in purchasing a home was to buy a size that was manageable and at a low price point for the neighborhood. They wanted to direct their money toward improving the quality and comfort with high quality finishing touches.
The home they purchased in the 7400 block of Teasdale in the University Hills area of University city spoke to their creative and energy conscious design ideas. They recognized that the first floor could be reconfigured into a very usable space by removing a wall between the kitchen and the dining room. 
Now the kitchen and dining room are open and light. They are used every day by the family and there is no eating in the living area. Also the kitchen door leads to a nice screened porch that is great for additional outdoor living space during most of the year.
Partially due to the size of the home, this couple was able to spend more of their budget on quality items for the finishes: porcelain tile floor, glass tile backsplash, quartz counters, stainless appliances and a custom built bamboo wine cabinet.
The home had a 50 year roof and newer argon filled insulated windows when they purchased it but they added more energy saving features: new energy efficient hvac, tankless hot water heater and layers of blown-in insulation in the attic and walls throughout the house. They also installed an automatic solar powered gate into the back yard, a rain barrel and an irrigated garden.
So if you are energetic, creative and have an inclination to be kind to our planet, add some panache to your home buying experience by thinking outside the box a little. Think efficiency vs size.
You may want to read some books by Sarah Susanka
Resolve to save energy this year
