Editor’s Note: Bring it on ‘Home’

When I returned to New Hampshire from Colorado more than a decade ago, I moved into a condo barely half the space of the home I left behind. 

While 950 square feet (plus a finished basement) seems small by U.S. standards, it’s really all the room two people need and exceeds the average size of a home in the UK — and much of the rest of the world.

After going big for decades, home sizes are starting to contract in the U.S., as the cost of property, material and labor have skyrocketed and inventory has plummeted.

Home sizes in the U.S. began expanding from 1,800 square feet in 1980 and peaked at nearly 2,500 square feet in 2015, according to Census data cited by the National Association of Realtors. Over the past few years, they’ve averaged about 2,200, still plenty big by global standards.

While high-end homes are often more than twice that big, smaller ranches and condos are in high demand by baby boomers ready to downsize and young couples looking for starter homes.

When space is at a premium, maximizing how you use it becomes essential. That’s the theme of the lead story in this month’s special Home & Garden Guide, a collaboration with our sister publication, New Hampshire Home Magazine (page 43).

In “Living Large in Small Spaces,” contributor Rob Duca shares tips from NH home professionals about how to save space with style. (Hint: It might involve decluttering.) 

Whether you’re trying to upgrade your existing home or are building a new but smaller one, they can help you make smart choices — from design features to appliance picks — that cut those space challenges down to size. 

Janice Rohlf, editor of New Hampshire Home, serves as your tour guide for this special section, which she directed. 

Spaces and places

My first apartment was a modest two-bedroom in Durham, but even for a family of three, including an infant boy just learning to walk, it seemed colossal compared to the tiny dorm room I shared with a roommate at the University of New Hampshire. 

We lived in Durham and marked the seasons not just with the changing weather but with the arrival and departure of college students, much like seaside residents do with summer tourists.

Durham resident Paul Briand, a regular contributor to NH Business Review (for which I also serve as editor), wrote this month’s “Our Town” about the university community (page 16). UNH senior Ryan Moran contributed photography.

Moran’s images also accompany Brion O’Connor’s feature on the upstart UNH polo team and the equestrian center in Kingston where members train (page 34). 

O’Connor’s “Live Free” essay (page 120) introduced me to a concept that was new to this newbie skier: “rock skis.” These are the old but trusted pairs you pull out of the back of the garage for spring skiing, when the slopes start revealing patches of grass but you still want to get some turns in.

Top docs

March/April heralds our annual Top Docs feature, where you can find the best physicians in every practice area working in hospitals and medical centers across the Granite State (page 80). 

The 2026 Top Doctors Poll, conducted by national research firm Castle Connolly, includes more than 760 doctors, as nominated by their peers. Whatever your medical needs — cardiac care, dermatology, sports medicine — you can find the best of the best here.