7 Min Read
“How many square feet should a custom home be?”
It seems like a simple question but it’s one of the most expensive mistakes people make when building a custom home.
Most builders will answer it the easy way: “As big as you can afford.”
What they won’t tell you is that square footage has very little to do with how well a home actually lives and everything to do with long-term cost, maintenance, and lifestyle friction.
In reality, the right size for a custom home isn’t about trends, resale comps, or keeping up with neighbors. It’s about how your family actually lives today, and how you’ll live 10, 20, even 40 years from now.
This guide breaks down custom home size so you can build a home that fits your life, not just your budget.
Read about Why We Build if you'd like to know why we care so much about building the perfect home for you...
Here is the TLDR of this article...
- Why "Bigger is Better" is Bad Advice
- The Real Question Isn’t About Home Square Footage
- Average Custom Home Sizes (And Why Averages Mislead)
- The Hidden Costs of Extra Square Footage
- How to Right-Size a Custom Home
- Final Thought: Build a Home That Serves Your Life
Why “Bigger Is Better” Is Bad Advice
The modern house in many ways has grown in complexity as much as it has grown in size. Open floor plans, modern contemporary style, and complex rooflines have made house footprints expand gradually over the past 75 years.
In 1950, the average house was 900-1000 square feet in the US, while we now boast an average of 2400 square feet!
We have seen that size in custom home design has replaced beauty and durability as the main factor for most people. At Doxa Custom Homes, we have found that most people can build a home 20% smaller that still provides the same quality of life. We don't think big houses are bad, in fact we love big houses. We want you to build a home that is the RIGHT SIZE FOR YOU that is beautiful and lasts 100 years or more.
When we design your custom home, size is not the most important thing we consider. Here is a brief list of what we actually think about other than size during the design process....
- Size of Family + Daily Family Rhythms and Activities
- Long Term Goals of Family and Multi-Generational Living
- Architectural Goals for Aesthetics Exterior + Interior
- Best Ways to Make this Home Last 100 or more years.
- How to use space most efficiently for daily life and for hospitality
- Divide public + private areas of home to allow for privacy while hosting events or guests.
These factors are more important to making sure your home is a place you love than size, we promise you. As you consider how big you should build your custom home, think on these factors to see what really makes sense for you. Now we're going to dive into the specifics of why home design is more about layout and feel than it is about size.
The Real Question Isn’t About Home Square Footage
Have you ever wondered why some small homes feel big and some big homes feel small? We have noticed over the years that size isn't the only thing that makes a house feel big or small. Adding more square footage or building a larger home might make sense for you, but if the layout and flow of the home is off, then it won't make any real difference in the usability of the home.
Here is a quick list of different things that make a home feel bigger that aren't just focused on adding square feet to the footprint:
- Ceiling Height Needs to be 10 feet tall or taller in entertaining areas + 9 feet tall or taller in bedrooms.
- Windows Need to be 55-65% as tall as wall height to bring right amount of natural light in.
- Open Floor Plans are the enemy of making houses feel spacious, they bring chaos.
- Kitchen should flow well into dining and living areas, easy access and wide walkways
- Hallways at 4 feet wide are good, but at 5 feet wide are better.
- Horizontal surfaces that are lighter reflect more light and make space feel more airy and open.
- Proper furnishings + decor will entirely change how the house flows and feels.
A few small tweaks to a floor plan often makes a house that much more spacious feeling inside. We want your home to work for you without being too big to properly maintain and keep clean. Let's take a look at average custom home sizes and why average isn't likely to serve you in 2026.
Average Custom Home Sizes (And Why Averages Mislead)
According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average custom home build size in 2024 was 2647 square feet. They also mention that the majority of custom homes are built between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet.
The great thing about those numbers are that we actually think 90% of people should build houses between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet anyway! The challenge is that the difference between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet is immense, and how do you know what size is actually right for you?
These averages are misleading though, since we are talking about building High-End and Luxury Custom Homes that are designed for you. Our experience tells us that most high-end custom homes range from 3,200 - 4,500 square feet, as people tend to build bigger as they build nicer homes.
Some families should build houses that are 4,500 square feet or even more depending on your goals. If you are building a family estate that is going to be the family headquarters and meeting place for the next 3 generations, it could make sense to build a 6,000 square foot or 8,000 square foot palace. If you have 10 children and want to be able to host guests and parties regularly, maybe 4,500 square feet will fit you well.
The goal of this article is to encourage you to build a home that is first focused on beauty and longevity and then worry about size. If you are somewhere between 2,000 and 3,500 square feet, then you probably are good on size and need to focus on layout, architecture, and durability then.
Even for our affluent clients with financial resources, we still want you to consider architecture and legacy before thinking about the size of the home. We are going to talk about why extra square footage is often more costly than people realize.
The Hidden Costs of Extra Square Footage
You aren't just building a bigger house, you are building in more time, money, and energy over the life of the home to keep it up to date.
Maintenance and energy usage increase directly with size of the home, so every square foot you add will increase cost to heat, cool, and maintain the home.
Unused or wasted spaces often become neglected and cared for less, which is why having high value space is more important that overall size in your home.
We are not trying to deter you from building a big home, we just want your home to be one that is intentionally and thoughtfully designed for you.
We will wrap up this article with a section with some practical suggestions for home size based on size of family, if your an extrovert, and the legacy of the home you are going to build.
How to Right-Size a Custom Home
This table is going to give broad recommendations to help you quickly get a good range of what size home makes sense for you...
| Square Footage | Family Size |
| 1,500 - 2,200 ft2 | 2 |
| 1,700 - 2,400 ft2 | 3 |
| 1,900 - 2,600 ft2 | 4 |
| 2,200 - 2,800 ft2 | 5 |
| 2,400 - 3,300 ft2 | 6 |
| 2,750 - 3,600 ft2 | 7 |
| 3,000 - 4,000 ft2 | 8 |
| 3,500 - 5,000 ft2 | 10+ |
| 5,000 - 10,000 ft2 | Multi-Generational |
This is a quick reference chart you can use when trying to figure out a good idea of what makes sense for you and your family's custom home.
This is an outline of our design process that we use to help clients decide how big of a home will be best for them.
Our comprehensive design + preconstruction process was created to bring clarity to our clients to make sure the home we build for them exceeds their expectations.
Final Thought: Build a Home That Serves Your Life
When we design your custom home, size is not the most important thing we consider. Here is a recap of all the thing that make your home serve you instead of you serving it...
- Size of Family + Daily Family Rhythms and Activities
- Long Term Goals of Family and Multi-Generational Living
- Architectural Goals for Aesthetics Exterior + Interior
- Best Ways to Make this Home Last 100 or more years.
- How to use space most efficiently for daily life and for hospitality
- Divide public + private areas of home to allow for privacy while hosting events or guests.
The most important thing is that you design a home that you are proud to live in, one that is built for you and makes you feel loved and excited to live there. Size is a question we get all the time, but don't forget about the purpose of home. Home is beauty, home is safety, home is comfort. Make sure your home is the right size and design for you.
In Cookeville, Lebanon, + Murfreesboro, we have a good mix of different types of builders and designers. The question you have to decide for yourself is "Which type fits me and my home the best?". A truly custom home built to last 100 years requires more detail in planning to execute well.
If you’re dreaming about a home that is built to last 100 years or more, our team at Doxa Custom Homes is ready to guide you through every step of the design and build experience. We believe this is the best option for those looking to build family legacy homes in Cookeville, Sparta, Crossville, Lebanon, and Murfreesboro.
Reach out today to begin the design process for your dream home build.
