Juggling space for the ideal compact home

After decades of steady expansion, the average size of a new home in the US began to decline in the the late '70s as construction costs and interest rates began to spiral. New houses now average 1,400 square feet and innovative builders are doing some creative juggling with space in cutting the size of houses still further. The Gardenway Publishing Company of Charlotte, Vt., attempting to meet the needs of this trend, has sponsored an international competition for the design of energy-efficient homes limited to 1,000 square feet.

The compact homes must include:

Living area, dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms with closet space, full bath, laundry with washer-dryer and storage shelves, storage room of at least 36 square feet. The 32 best designs will be featured in a book on compact housing which Gardenway plans to publish next year.

The winning entry will be awarded $1,000 with $500 and $250 prizes for second- and third-place entries. Gardenway sees the principal rewards coming from the sale of plans by the designers through publicity generated by the book.

Entries for the competition, which began early this year, close Nov. 1. Write for details to Gardenway Publishing Company, Charlotte, Vt. 05445.