Smaller homes are stress free home during troubled economic times. Large homes expose your "financial realities". Families struggle to pay the heating and cleaning bills for those double height ceilings. But building a smaller and cheaper home sounds like "being cheap".... you will be more tolerant to any possible financial shortfall.

One of the problems with a big house is that so many other homeownership expenses rise along with the square footage. It is very difficult to live cheaply in a huge house. Bigger mortgages usually correlates to higher real estate taxes and insurance premiums. Extra square footage definitely require triple digit energy bills. You will crank up the thermostat during the winter and burn more oil or propane gas. During the summer months you more area to coll down. Bottom line... you have that much more space to heat or cool.

More furniture for the extra square footage, more carpet and obviously more cleaning. The home will require a large garden also.. so even you garden work or garden costs are higher.

But in times of severe economic stress, the idea of building smaller is better. The financial crisis seems to require one solid idea... "Build what's right for you today and tomorrow". We can no longer continue to extend ourselves financially.