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There’s a movement away from the McMansions toward smaller homes for convenience and cost-savings. It seems an attitude of “less is more,” is prevailing in the housing industry; whether it will remain short-lived may depend on the economy.

An article by James Wentling of Wentling/Architects was published this month in Nation’s Building News, the weekly online newspaper of the National Association of Homebuilders. According to the article, the median size of a new single-family house sold in the United States actually increased 42 percent over the past two decades. The increase rose from 1,650 square feet in 1978 to 2,335 square feet in 2007. However, Wentling writes, that when this trend is closely examined, it’s revealed that there were decreases in square footage during several periods including 1981-1982, 1995, 2003, and 2007-2008. Wentling predicts house sizes will continue to shrink in an ailing economy.