The small house on land/family homestead is an exception rather than the rule these days. With the increasing price of land making land available to a smaller percentage of Americans, those who can afford land feel the need to plop down 3500 sq ft monstrosities on top of it. Some to maintain the perceived value of the land or more likely, most feel the need to have that big of a house. We’ve moved the suburban attitudes (and worse, suburban architecture) to the rural areas.

Driving through Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho on this road trip I saw a few older smaller houses on large parcels of land but I only saw ONE new smaller house of this variety. Look at any real estate listings in this area (or any growing rural area) and this trend isn’t going away anytime soon. Bigger sells. I don’t like it.

This house in Idaho was on a large parcel of land and stood empty. I doubt it will ever be used again.

Writer’s note- While driving down random dirt roads and taking pictures of houses I found an amazing older small house off a dirt road near Driggs ID. The house was occupied  but  no cars were in the driveway and no one was in plain sight. I parked in the dirt road and got out to take a few pictures. The sun was setting behind the home and as I was trying to get the lighting right in my Iphone a black blur appeared in the screen. Putting the phone down the black blur turned into a charging 140 lb Rottweiler. I hauled ass the twenty feet back to my car and as I slammed the car door shut the beast bounced off the outside of the car door. I should have had the presence of mind to take a pic as he barked and slobbered next to my driver’s side window but panicked in the moment I threw the car into gear and raced away. The chances I take for you dear reader….