# What's an average house footprint?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-average-house-footprint/422895>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 16, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-average-house-footprint/422895 "2007-10-16T13:48:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-average-house-footprint/422895/1 "2007-10-16T13:48:25Z")

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I’m working on a piece that talks about calculating the area of hard surfaces (roof, driveway) on a property. I’m going to give an example of doing the math, and want to use figures that will sound about right to people – but have no idea what those figures are.

> [@twicks's rough draft](#):
>
> So if your rooftop is X by Y, it has an area of XY; and if your driveway is P by Q, it has an area of PQ. Add XY and PQ, and then multiply that sum by …

So what numbers should I use for X, Y, P, and Q?

TIA. 😃

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**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-average-house-footprint/422895/2 "2007-10-16T14:07:08Z")

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According to a recent news story by NPR, the average size of a new American home is 2,349 square feet.

> **[Behind the Ever-Expanding American Dream House](https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5525283)**
>
> The size of a typical American house has more than doubled since the 1950s. Why do we need an office, a wine cellar, a sauna and a room for the flat-screen TV? And what does it say about our culture?

That being said, the 2349SF is likely that of a two story, so the footprint is one half, or 1175SF.

Dimensions will vary with lot shape, but 30 x 40 is close enough, yielding 1200SF

A two car wide driveway is ~ 15’ and set back from the public street is whatever you want it to be.

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-average-house-footprint/422895/3 "2007-10-16T14:16:37Z")

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**dwc** – you’re exactly who I was hoping to lure in here. Muchas gracias, senor!