Between 2009 and 2013, the average size of a newly constructed, single-family home skyrocketed from a little under 2,362 square feet to 2,679 square feet. The speedy ascent was attributed to the common pattern that often marks a post-recession housing market. As homebuyers saw fewer credit constraints and more money in their pocket, their desire for larger homes was matched by builders happy to provide larger, and more expensive, residences.

By 2013, that meant more bedrooms (nearly half of new homes had four or more), more bathrooms (35 percent offered three or more full baths), and more levels (60 percent of new builds were at least two stories).

2013 also seemed to be the peak of this trend as average home sizes stayed relatively flat through 2015. By 2016, however, the housing market was in full revolt against potential buyers as prices soared everywhere. Since then, the average size of new home builds has been coming down to meet buyers at price points they can reach. The average size of a new home build in 2016 was 2,622 square feet, down from 2,689 square feet in 2015.

Looking closer, we could see where all of that extra space was going. In 2016, new single-family home builds with three bathrooms or more dropped by two percent while new homes with two bathrooms rose two percent.

That trend continued into 2017 and recent numbers from the NAHB’s Eye on Housing blog show that the average square footage for new single-family homes officially dropped below 2,600 square feet in the fourth quarter, reaching 2,571. The average size of a new home hasn’t been that low since 2013.

What all of this tells the market is that the post-recession cycle is officially over. Now, size will continue to dip lower until builders figure out where the floor is for entry-level buyers looking to get their literal foot in the door.

One of the winners in all of this is townhouse construction. Per Eye on Housing, townhouse builds rose seven percent from 2016. Townhouses also accounted for 29,000 new builds in the fourth quarter of 2017, which was up 21 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016, making them 12.4 percent of all single-family new starts.

Townhouses are positioned to continue doing well as detached single-family homes remain out of grasp for many first-time buyers. Lower cost and less maintenance makes them a much easier bridge to walk from being a renter to being a homeowner, especially in high-cost markets such as Los Angeles (Crenshaw development), San Diego (Sweetwater Vistas), and Houston (Lakeland Village).

Something else worth considering. The peak for townhouse construction market share was early 2008 when they made up 14.6 percent of total single-family new construction. That was also right about the time that detached single-family home sizes started to nosedive. If current trends hold, we could expect to see townhouses hit or even surpass that market share number soon. Since total housing starts are nearing post-recession highs, the demand for affordable townhouses certainly backs this up.