From a Wall Street Journal story by Maggie Eastland headlined “Goodbye Bathtub and Dining Room. America’s Homes Are Shrinking.”

For many Americans, homeownership may be attainable only if they give up a dining room.

Home prices are near record highs, frustrating millions of potential buyers who feel priced out of the housing market. Home builders are having to find ways to make their product more affordable to increase their pool of customers.

Shrinking the size of a new single-family home is an increasingly popular way to do it. Smaller homes can help cost-constrained buyers facing high mortgage rates. They also boost the bottom line for builders who are contending with spiraling labor and construction costs.