builder practices survey Archives - Hillwood Loves Realtor

Where are Porches Most Common for Newly-Built Homes?

2025-10-22T11:16:10-05:00

Although the share of new homes with porches edged down in 2024, porches continue to rank as the most common outdoor feature on new homes, according to NAHB tabulation of the latest data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from HUD). Of the roughly 1.0 million single-family homes started in 2024, the SOC data show that 67.2% were built with porches. This is down, but only slightly, from the all-time peak of 67.7% reported a year earlier. Porches also continue to be more common on new homes than the other outdoor features covered in the SOC: patios and, especially, decks. Traditionally, porches on new homes have been most common in the four states that make up the East South Central Census division. That was true again in 2024, although only by a narrow margin. In 2024, 81% of new homes in the East South Central had porches, but this share was well over 70% in three other divisions: the Pacific (78%), Mountain (77%), and South Atlantic (74%) divisions. Compared to the 2023 numbers reported in last year’s post, the porch percentages were up by two points in the East and West South Central divisions, unchanged in the Mountain and South Atlantic divisions, and down at least slightly in the other five divisions. Detail about the characteristics of porches on new homes is available from the Builder Practices Survey (BPS), conducted annually by Home Innovation Research Labs. Among other things, the 2025 BPS report (based on homes built in 2024) shows that porches continue to be far more common on the front of new single-family homes than on the side or rear. When on the front, porches average approximately 100 square feet of floor area. The other categories of porches distinguished in the SOC, although comparatively rare, tend to be noticeably larger: 140 square feet for a side or rear porch, and just over 200 square feet for a screened-in porch. On a square foot basis, builders continue to use concrete more than any other material to build new-home porches. Only one division remains a clear outlier in this regard. In New England, builders seldom use concrete in new-home porches, instead most often building them out of composite (a blend of usually recycled wood fibers and plastic). In that division, they also use treated wood, PVC or other plastics, cedar, and natural stone more often than concrete. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Share of New Homes with Patios Edges Down for First Time in Fifteen Years

Paul Emrath2025-09-09T10:16:12-05:00

For the first time in 15 years, the share of new homes with patios finally declined in 2024, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development). Of the roughly 1.0 million single-family homes started during the year, 61.8% came with patios. This is down from 63.7% in 2024 and marks the lowest the percentage has been since 2020. Historically, fewer than half of new homes came with patios during the 2008-2011 period of extreme weakness in the housing market. But soon thereafter, the share jumped to 52.4% in 2012 and has been climbing ever since. The percentage increased every year from 2012 through 2023 (except in 2015, when it was unchanged before the dip in 2024. Historically, fewer than half of new homes came with patios during the 2008-2011 period of extreme weakness in the housing market. But soon thereafter, the share jumped to 52.4% in 2012 and has been climbing ever since. The percentage increased every year from 2012 through 2023 (except in 2015, when it was unchanged before the dip in 2024. During this period, the broad geographic distribution of new homes with porches has remained relatively consistent. At the low end of the scale, only 14% percent of new single-family homes built in New England and 23% in the Middle Atlantic came with patios in 2024. At the high end, the incidence of patios on new homes was over 80% in the West South Central and around 70% in the South Atlantic and Mountain divisions. Additional detail on the characteristics of new-home patios is available from the Annual Builder Practices Survey (BPS) conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs. For the U.S. as a whole, the 2025 BPS report (based on homes built in 2024, like the SOC-based statistics cited above) shows that the average size of a new-home patio is about 320 square feet, but with considerable geographic variation. The average is over 400 square feet in the adjacent East North Central and East South Central divisions. New home patios are considerably smaller on the other side of the Mississippi River, with an average size of under 200 square feet in the West South Central, and only a little over 200 square feet in the West North Central division. In most parts of the country, poured concrete dominates all other building materials used in new-home patios. Across the entire country, poured concrete accounts for over 60% of new-home patios on a square-foot basis. The major counter-example is the New England division, where builders use concrete pavers and natural stone more often than poured concrete. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

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