Since 1970, the average size of a new home has nearly doubled, from an average of 1,400 square feet to 2,700 square feet, as the number of people in a household continues to drop. While many people may think that “bigger is better,” building a small timber frame home has definite advantages:
1. Lower Utility Bills
Although newer homes are energy-efficient, the cost to heat and cool today’s large homes can take a huge bite out of your budget. Aside from financial considerations, large houses are also using up more than their fair share of natural resources.
2. Fewer Repair and Maintenance Costs
A small timber frame home has fewer items to replace, and what does need replacing, such as a roof, flooring, furnaces and air-conditioners, costs less to replace in a small home. Additionally, the amenities that sometimes come with larger homes, like whirlpool baths, will require extra maintenance and repair.
3. Less Clutter
People have a tendency to keep accumulating things until they fill up the space they have, no matter how large. A well-planned smaller home will have practical, multi-purpose spaces and will discourage large rooms devoted to one activity. Such rooms are an invitation to collect random paraphernalia. A smaller home forces you to buy more prudently, which also saves money.
4. No More Downsizing
Many people discover that they can finally afford a larger home just as their children are leaving the nest. Later, they must downsize when they can no longer care for the property or it becomes dangerous for them to get around. A small home built with handicap facilities or an easily convertible floor plan will allow you to stay in your home longer, 
delaying the need for assisted living or a nursing home. Even younger families can benefit from this strategy.
5. Overall Financial Security
If you have a fabulous house, but have nothing left after paying the;mortgage and property taxes to enjoy life or afford groceries, your quality of life is not what it appears. Even if you can afford a large home, paying extra on a smaller loan will get you to home ownership that much faster, freeing up money so you can enjoy life in later years.
The benefits of building a smaller timber frame home make it an appealing choice for homebuyers, and one that more folks should consider.
Brice, Below an article extolling the advantages of smaller footprints
and a comment that larger homes take more then their fair share of natural resources we see you proudly saying you are building a 3000 sq ft home. And that reads like a main level. ICF basement perhaps. 6000 sq ft
What’s good for the gooose?
Dave sorry for the confusion on the size of my house.
If you head over to http://timberframehq.com/timberframehouseplansandkits/whetstone-creek-cabin/ you will be able to see the plan of home that I am building for family. It has 1300 sqft. on the main, a full walkout basement of 1300 sqft where we have two small bedrooms for the kids, laundry, storage, and a rec room and then a small loft with 400 sqft.. So, I have about 3000 sqft. of heated space. We also have a small front porch and a larger rear deck to increase our living space.
It is a full timber frame, including the basement and is completely enclosed with SIP’s. I also had a lot of fun figuring out window placements and overhangs to make sure I got plenty of sun during the winter and almost no direct sunlight during the summertime. So it is as efficient as I could make it.
This house is plenty big for me and I’m glad that I’m not building 3000 sqft. footprint, so much work work involved. I do think some of my spaces are a bit on the large side but feel comfortable with the overall scale of it.
Thanks for the call out and giving me the chance to clarify.
Brice
Brice, Confusion sorted. I guess I also made
unwarrented assumptions
Blame it on a humid office!
I will check out your plan
Cheers
Dave
Hey Brice, thanks a lot to you to share such an informative post with us. There are so many people who want to decorate their home with timbers. In fact, i was also looking such kind of post since last months and finally i got the one.
Thanks for your comment James.
Sir,
Thank you for promoting smaller timber frame. I completely agree that a smaller house is a wiser choice, for many reasons. This is an excellent site and I look forward to receiving your newsletters.
More videos with details of your tools and how you use them to create specific timbers, joints, and other structures would be welcome. I am starting small with a modest structure, a garage. The stacked timber home we already have is 2000 sq ft, but the TF room addition we want to add will push that to 2700. Following your lead in tool choices. Looks like my first major purchase will be one of those Bigfoot saws.
Best regards from Indiana,
John
It is a great saw. More videos and article in the pipeline. I have been working on wrapping up my house…working all weekend on installing the pickets for my staircase and am looking forward to ramping up getting info posted.
Thanks for the feedback.
Brice