I've just read some statistics on the size of houses in several parts of the world which spurred me to calculate the area of my house from the scale drawings produced by an architect about 10 years ago.
The last international comparison, produced 6 years ago, gave the size of the average dwellings in sq meters in several countries as follows:
Australia, 215 sq m
USA, 201 sq m
New Zealand, 196 sq m
Britain, 76 sq m
My house, which is described as a "cottage", has a living area of 106 sq m. The verandah offers another 36 sq m.
When I purchased the house it had no verandah and had a living area of 87 sq m. The sitting and dining rooms that I built in the mid 70's provided the additional 19 sq m.
Australians love big houses. Two months ago we visited the new house of a retired couple that took 2 years to build. It had 3 levels, each of large size. The upper level was self contained with its own kitchen and bath. There was a large elevator, of course, and the obligatory outdoor spacious entertainment area (with its own mini kitchen) and swimming pool.
Why two retired grandparents need such a large place is beyond me. Perhaps it was the fulfillment of a long held dream. Maybe it was a statement to the world. To me it had the look and feel of a hotel, but hey, to each his own. During that visit we heard grumbles that one of the children wants to move into the top floor with her husband and 3 children. They need that like a hole in the head. I guess you would put that in the classification of unintended consequences or perhaps collateral damage.
(For those still in the dark ages of measurement, 1 sq m = 1.196 sq yard.)
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