THE END OF ‘SUPERSIZED’ AMERICA - When bigger ain’t necessarily better

When Sarah Susanka’s book “The Not So Big House” came out ten years ago, it was a very radical shift in thinking. In the beginning, it had a somewhat small cult following of a certain demographic called “The Cultural Creatives”, which I guess is a jazzy term for ‘artistic’ type people. Soon afterward, the book took off and was one of the number one best sellers of all time on Amazon.com. But still, most of the country wasn’t on board when it came to building smaller, more efficient homes.

And now, ten years later, the collective ‘we’ in America are finally getting it. It’s taken a disastrous downturn in the economy in order for us to see that bigger ain’t necessarily better.

But even if you’ve never even heard of Sarah Susanka, I think everyone agrees that the huge houses of 10-15 yrs ago are ancient history. How many of you out there have either built or worked on a house over 5,000 square feet? I confess- I have. Of course, I’m not proud of it, but money is money, and after all, we all have to make a living. But the carbon output of a home that size is staggering, and quite frankly, I’m glad the McMansion era is over. But here’s the conundrum: how can I make money in a weak market, when the excess spending of yesteryear is dead and buried?

What works for me is sustainable design. I didn’t start doing green interiors just because I was looking for a different type niche to fill in a very competitive market. Green design has been close to my heart for many years, and it’s my passion. But I managed to make it work for me in a downturn market. Setting myself apart from the competition by focusing on green design is keeping my business not only afloat, but extremely viable. How can you make it work for you? If you are building, designing or renovating homes, one of the key places to consider is what’s done in the bathrooms. Let’s look at a bathroom from the mid 90’s and compare it to a bathroom of today.

THE BATHROOM CIRCA 1995


Here’s what doesn’t work: the large bathtub, which can weigh over 500 lbs when filled, is dangerous on many levels. If it’s a whirlpool, the interior jets can collect mold and mildew, which gets re-circulated every time it’s in use. The newer generation of tubs has air jets that force the water through small holes, eliminating any re-circulating issues. To promote wellness, you can also add oils and aromatherapy, something you couldn’t do with a pump type whirlpool. The idea of having to walk up stone steps and climb into a deep tub is nothing short of dangerous, and having windows so close to the tub gives me the willies. What happens if you slip and hit the glass, never mind the stone steps! Also, a smaller soaker tub that’s lower to the floor and doesn’t hold as much water can still give you the ‘spa’ feeling without wasting precious water. Using sink faucets and showerheads that carry the WaterSense label means that the fixture doesn’t feel like it’s a lower flow, even though it is. HET toilets, or high efficiency toilets, use 1.28 gallons of water per flush, instead of the 1.6 gallons used in most toilets. Or, a dual flush model, that has two flushes, is even a better bet.

THE BATHROOM OF TODAY


A smaller, more accessible soaking tub, with high quality fixtures and cabinetry. Water efficient faucets and shower heads, and a high efficiency toilet. Smaller can be beautiful, greener, and very profitable!