Raymond WhitneyIf you’ve visited your childhood home when you were an adult, you’ve probably noticed that the house was smaller than you thought it was. It’s true that you’re correct.
If you think about how large is the typical backyard, it not as big as it was in the past. But, the reasons driving these trends in backyard size can be more than you imagine.
Lot Size
In 1992, the area was around 10,000 sq. feet as per the National Association of Home Builders. In 1995, however, things began to move downwards. Nowadays, the average is 8,560 square feet, which is around 15 percent lower than the range of 0.2 acres in a tiny backyard.
However, this figure does not tell the full story. It is also dependent on the place you reside.
If you’re in the Midwest your backyard probably is around 9,583 square feet which is about 0.22 acres. It’s a little smaller along the Pacific coast, with an average of 5,534 square feet. To put things in perspective it is estimated that one NFL football pitch measures 360 feet in length and 160 feet wide, or 1.3 acres.
At the other end of the range, New England enjoys the most extensive backyards with 0.4 an acre or 17424 square feet. It means you can place around 3 East Coast houses on a football field, as opposed to nine homes on the west coast. West Coast.
House Size Versus Lot Acreage
Incredibly, the typical size home has seen the opposite happen. As of 2001, the average area of your home was around 1 725 sq ft. The number jumped up to 1,980 square feet which are around 10 percent more. A portion of the space that we’ve got in our homes is with the cost of gardens.
It also differs not just in the region you live in, but in the state that you reside in as well.
If you live in Vermont, you’re in luck if you like being outside. The median size of the lot is 75,794 sq. feet. Your home covers less than one-quarter of your land. That’s plenty of backyards to relax in! However, think about all the mowing.
There are a lot of differences between states. It might be surprising to find that the area with the most compact medium size lots is Nevada which is just 6,098 square feet.
It is just behind Washington D.C. But, Nevada and Vermont are oddities in both the positive and negative aspects of the coin.
After Vermont The areas with the highest acreage per person are:
- Montana
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Louisiana
Factors Affecting Backyard Size
There are a lot of aspects are involved when discussing the size of the lot and square footage of the house, and the backyard. Cost per square foot pops into the mind as an option. But the top five featured some of the most expensive median prices for homes across the nation. So, how can we explain these differences?
For New England, it’s zoning laws that regulate the density of the population. The lot sizes are huge due to the fact that they must be. The majority aren’t.
A house’s size and the dimensions of the home can also affect how large is the typical backyard. It is believed that the state with the top 5 that have the most homes are:
- Utah 2305 square feet
- Colorado: 2,126 square feet
- Wyoming 2052 square feet
- Montana 2 040 square feet
- Texas 2,031 square feet
With the only exception of Texas, The rest are all well over the US average of $195,000. It is worth noting the fact that Utah, Colorado, and Texas are all within the lower 10 percentile of backyard dimensions.
This means that people are different in what they consider important to the land they have. Other factors could be a factor in the quantity and the use.
Outdoor Participation and Backyard Use
One reason for the difference in the size of the yard and house is the level of participation in outdoor activities.
Certain people be spending so much time outdoors and their outdoor space becomes more important to their needs.
Perhaps it’s not an accident it is that Nevada has the largest percentage of land under federal ownership and also the smallest backyards, at around 80 percent.
What do they plan to do with their properties and backyards?
The American Backyard
A healthy lawn must be an integral part of the process. Turfgrass accounts for about 2 percent of all US land area. It may not seem like much until you look at the figures.
In reality, it is the largest of our crops that exceeds the combined area of corn, alfalfa, orchards, and rice by 59.6 million acres.
Usage and How Big the Average Backyard Is
A typical American homeowner is a fan of their backyard and would love to design and landscape with an outdoor garden bed or add an addition to the houses we live in to make the outdoors more.
As per the US Census Bureau, there were 840,000 single-family homes built in the year 2018, and of that only, less than 9 percent didn’t have outdoor elements.
We’re also making more use of our outdoor space even though the backyards are smaller now.
The market for decks and patios has increased in size by three percent every year from 2014 until the year 2019. It doesn’t end there.
Based on the American Society of Landscape Architects the most sought-after things that homeowners desire most are:
- Native plants
- Plants that are tolerant of extreme environmental stressors such as drought
- Vegetable gardens
- The fire pit
- Low-maintenance yards
It’s not stretching the imagination to think that the lines between our living spaces and our backyard is becoming blurred by more homeowners becoming inventive by incorporating outdoor kitchens, outdoor dining, and other amenities.
It could be that this is the reason behind the growing trends in home, lot, and backyard size. It’s important to note that even the playground of the past didn’t figure in the top ten projects.
The research supports this notion. The majority of homeowners view their land as an extension of their home which makes outdoor living rooms one of the most frequently requested special-purpose rooms as per the American Institute of Architects’ Home Design Trends Survey. It’s even more appealing if it is able to make up for any space lost.
Although we’d like to make use of our yard in a different manner We still prefer simple elements. We’ll stay clear of clutter. need the comfort of our homes.
As we store our most treasured possessions in-home, so we’re taking them outside to our backyards. It’s cozy, after all, and is more akin to the feelings of a cozy lawn.
Making Your Small Yard Feel More Spacious
If your yard is tiny (or smaller than average) is it likely to be a bit confined or appear packed. There are ways to make your backyard seem much bigger. In this article, we’ll go over ways to make your standard-sized modern backyard appear spacious and open!
1. Use Bright, Balancing Colors
Dark hues are utilized to make a space feel more secluded and ultimately make the look of your yard even smaller. Do not decorate your backyard with dark browns, blacks, and other dark colors like red.
With bright, complementary shades, you’ll make your backyard appear more light and spacious. If you’re planning to build or paint your deck, go for lighter wood tones. Based on the style of your home you might even think about using white for the deck.
If you want furniture for your outdoor space, select natural vibrant colors like whites, creams, yellows, and greens. Also, consider lighter blues.
Color coordination doesn’t need to be restricted to furniture for outdoor use Also, color coordination doesn’t have to be limited to outdoor furniture. If you match your plants to your furniture’s color preferences and you’ll be able to create visual harmony that expands and unifies your space.
2. Don’t Overwhelm Your Yard With Objects
A yard stuffed with large furniture, toys, and storage space will instantly become more crowded. If you have kids make sure their outside toys are in a tidy area to store them and away from sight. A storage container on the deck is a fantastic idea.
Don’t go overboard with the furniture, too. Make sure you have only enough outdoor furniture that can accommodate you and your loved ones (for big gatherings with friends and family We suggest having foldable tables and chairs). This might mean one outdoor sofa, a round table, and a couple of chairs.
3. Create a Focal Point to Draw the Eye
A focal point of large sizes like an outdoor patio or deck can draw attention to a central space for relaxation. Make sure to keep the rest of the garden tidy and free of any debris, making the area appear bigger and more open.
4. Clear Foliage and Trees
If your backyard is brimming with overgrown plants or has too many trees think about removing the trees that are tightly grouped together.
This will give you more play and visual space and makes the backyard seem bigger. Cut back big bushes, weeds, and even the gardens, and make sure to keep the lawn neat and tidy.
It is also important to place your gardens in a strategic manner. We suggest placing your gardens around your deck or home or on the edge of your fence line or yard to draw the eye.
Final Words
There is a good chance that you’ve spent a lot of time playing in your backyard growing up. Perhaps you had a fun playset or a jungle gym.
You may remember your parents telling you and your kids to go out and play. It was a ritual of passage that everyone loved.
Homeowners today are more likely to trade in the land in exchange for a less expensive house. It’s possible to explain these numbers through an evolution in the way we live.
We’re using our backyards differently, focusing more on making them an integral part of our living spaces. This is the main lesson we can learn from figuring out how large is the typical backyard.
