One of the top buzz-words from the last year in the housing industry is “right sizing.” The days of development communities full of single lot homes brimming over with excessive square footage are numbered, and the tide is changing towards custom homes that fit the family who lives there – both in terms of square footage and personality.

So many folks have heard the term bandied around, but are still left wondering what exactly right sizing a home means. When you are working with an architect and builder to develop the perfect house for your family, right sized means…

Useful Spaces – Open floor plans are great, but design elements like the two-story lawyer foyer are showing up in designs less often because of the unusable square footage they leave. On the flip side of that coin is creating formal and family duplicate rooms, instead design your space to fit your family’s lifestyle and needs.

On Budget – Right-sizing also means building a house that fits your budget both in terms of building costs and the cost of living and upkeep. If you don’t think you can afford to, or if you don’t have the inclination to worry about tuck-pointing a two-story brick exterior might not be right-sized for you. Think about how much your finished home will cost to maintain and live-in to eliminate superfluous space.

Lot Space – Have you ever driven by a home that has amazing curb appeal… until you realize they may as well be sharing a wall with the neighbor? One of the problems people run into when building a house that doesn’t fit on the lot they own or purchased is that the houses run right up onto one another. This is commonly seen in older and highly coveted neighborhoods, and an often complained about annoyance. Size your home to the lot so you have plenty of living space outdoors to enjoy. After all, St. Louis is a city well known for their BBQ cookouts so you want to make sure you have plenty of space for one.

As the name implies, right sizing is about getting down to business and being economical with both your square-footage and your space. The trend is steadily moving away from overly spacious, sardine canned homes and moving towards homes that families wear instead of homes that wear families.

In 2010 Hibbs Homes completed six custom home projects throughout the St. Louis area, and started a few more that will wrap up in 2011. Of the six homes we worked on, two were certified green, and all of them included some form of green building practices for increased efficiency. From additions/renovations to new home construction, we had the honor of working with a great group of clients to create beautiful living spaces. Here is a look at a few of our favorite projects from the last year.

Custom Built Home in Webster Groves – This four bedroom, three bathroom, two-story home in Webster is a Gold level verified green home. The exterior of the house features Hardier board/baton siding and stone work. To achieve Gold level status, we implemented a through caulk and seal package, upgraded insulation, Energy Star appliances and windows, low flow plumbing fixtures, low VOC paint and flooring, and a very efficient heating and cooling system featuring zoned dampers and mastic on all duct joints.

Custom Built Home in West St. Louis County – The second of our Gold level verified green homes built in 2010, this project features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a finished basement. We installed a geothermal heating and cooling system, with through caulk and seal package, and upgraded insulation for energy efficiency. In addition to upgraded insulation for higher R-values, this home also features Energy Star appliances, Energy Star windows, and low flow plumbing fixtures for greater efficiency.

Town and Country Addition and Renovation – For this project we built a new kitchen and hearth room for our clients, and made modifications to their existing laundry room and study.  The new kitchen includes Wolf/Sub Zero appliances, custom cabinets, and marble countertops.  The new hearth room features custom built-ins bookcases, a direct vent fireplace, a gorgeous boxed beam ceiling, and site finished hard wood flooring.

Create a unique gallery wall anywhere in your home by adding wall niches and recessed lighting. It is the prefect way to display a treasured collection or seasonal decorations. This gallery wall was created in a Hibbs Home in Jefferson County, Missouri.