Why do people like big houses?

Saw the below...not suprising, but what drives this trend? Is it purely peer pressure, materialism? It really isn't rational is it? Energy costs, smaller families, ect. The land is where value is anyways not the home/structure.



BIGGER HOUSES, SMALLER FAMILIES

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) – One in five American houses had at least four bedrooms in 2005, according to a report released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

That is up from one in six in 1990, despite shrinking families and increasing costs for construction and energy. Nationally, the average household size has shrunk slightly since 1990 to about 2.6 people. Meanwhile, the average new house grew to 2,434 square feet, nearly a 400-square-foot increase.

Utah leads the nation with nearly 40 percent of homes having at least four bedrooms. Next are Maryland, Virginia, Colorado and Minnesota. At 12.6 percent, Arkansas had the smallest share. Texas came in at 18.9 percent, up from 11.9 percent in 2000.

For more information on the national trend toward extra-large houses, read the Tierra Grande article "McMansions."