Living large...

Even though I support the idea of this project, I’m not sure how well it will work in practice.

On a quiet, tree-lined street in the village of Oakland Mills sits a three-bedroom house, with 1 1/2 baths, a two-story living room with fireplace and a recently remodeled kitchen. The house is within walking distance of Stevens Forest Elementary School. At $339,000, it is advertised as the ideal starter home in Columbia.

The Oakland Mills Community Association and the Howard County Housing Commission bought the house in May for $287,000 and added $20,000 in renovations. The goal, however, is not to turn a quick $32,000 profit, much of which would be eaten by fees and closing costs. The stakes are much higher -- the house is part of a wager, by Oakland Mills, on the future of one of Columbia's oldest neighborhoods.

The renovation is part of Oakland Mills' multi-year revitalization effort, designed to spark interest in the 30-year-old Columbia neighborhood.

"Old does not mean bad -- old means opportunity," said Bill McCormack, chair of the Oakland Mills Housing Committee. "You can take a house and make it look new for an affordable price."

Is it really affordable? I suppose it is to some – namely, those earning more than median income, a group that I would guess has a near-saturated homeownership rate as it is.

Although it isn’t too far out of reach for them, a families making median income or less (roughly mid-80s) probably wouldn’t be able to afford this house unless they have enough cash just sitting around for a big down payment, which is pretty unlikely if they’re first time buyers -- the target group.

Not surprisingly, given the price, interest in the house hasn’t been high.

Whether buyers can be persuaded is unclear. Michelle Lewis, who works at the Elkridge office of Fairfax Realty and is the agent for the house, says buyer traffic has been slow and many people are turned off by a house with fewer than two full baths.

"Everyone complains Howard County is expensive, but a lot of first-time buyers get approved for a small mortgage and say, 'We want at minimum three bedrooms, two full baths and a garage,' " Lewis said.

This regrettable sentiment speaks to the fact that we, as a nation, are probably over-housed at this point. Over the last 50 years, as average family size has dwindled, the average size of our houses has grown considerably – from less than 1,000 square feet in 1950 to over 2,000 square feet today. While this change was driven in larger part by consumer preferences and our preponderance of “stuff” (computers, big TVs, ginormous Pottery Barn couches), zoning regulations mandating growing minimum square footage are also to blame. And, of course, there’s the fact that mortgages up to $1.1 million are tax deductible.

How much space do we really need to be comfortable? I know in America it is taboo talk about cutting back on consumption, but it might not be a bad idea to consider going smaller. After all, less space has its benefits: less to clean!

By the way, here’s a link to the listing of the house in Oakland Mills.