Yesterday was the beginning of a two-week survey contest, in which somebody will win this awesome book on that midcentury marvel, the Atomic Ranch.
So what’s the point of the survey, what do I get out of it, and what does today’s tract housing have to do with these post World War II living sculptures?
The Point
The Great Recession of 2008 brought home the reality of a massive housing bubble, created by a combination of greed, loose lending, and a number of other contributing factors… But one potential silver lining to this hellacious storm, is that we as Americans may be getting back to a more modest way of living, and a more realistic idea of how much house we ‘need.’
With that in mind, I’m curious to see how folks feel about where they live now, and what they think about housing going forward.
What I get out of it
Incredibly valuable information about the sizes of houses, what people really want, and what they see as the barriers to getting there. This isn’t a fishing expedition for new clients, the survey is the end in itself. Afterward, I’m planning to do an in-depth article on the findings, surprises, and what I hope to glean from all the data about the contemporary American house.
What does today’s house have to do with post WWII houses
More than you might think. The pattern of development that your average single-family house was created in, began in the wake of World War II. Veterans coming back from fighting were looking to settle down, and the housing construction market had been at a near standstill since the Great Depression. So began the first major housing shortage of its kind in the US, and at the same time the beginning of suburban sprawl.
This is a greatly simplified explanation, but to put it as succinctly as possible: Today’s suburban tract-built home is the descendant of post World War suburban expansion. Ironically enough, houses today are, for the most part, not built significantly differently than those fifty or a hundred years ago. New building technologies seem to have an incredibly difficult time making their way into the homebuilding industry.
So please, take a few minutes to answer these nine quick questions, and be sure to check back on July 1st for the announcement of the winner, as well as a recap of what was learned!
