Focusing on single-family detached homes, the portion built with nine-foot or higher ceilings on the first floor rose 15% between 1997 and 2001. During the same period, high ceilings on the second floor went from 13% to 22% of new homes.
Entry foyers and family rooms are where high ceilings are most commonly found. Half of all single-family homes built in 2001 had two-story entry foyers, compared to just over a third in 1997.
The larger the home, the more likely it is to have tall ceilings in at least one room. Of new homes with 3,000 or more square feet built in 2001, 70% had high entry foyers, compared to 20% of the 2,000-square-foot or smaller homes built that year.
Two-story family rooms were found in about 45% of all homes built in 2001, up from 37% in 1997. This includes 23% of homes with 2,000 square feet or less and 59% of homes with 3,000 square feet or more.
Buyers of homes in the 1,600-1,900 square-foot range, well below today’s average of 2,300 square feet, are looking just as intently as buyers of large homes for high-quality finishes and amenities previously found only in the largest homes, Ahluwalia noted.
Homes in that size range have maintained a steady 21% of the new homes market for the past 15 years.
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