WASHINGTON, D.C. - Due to improvements in the residential housing market, the size of homes has increased, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA). This is the case for both high-end and custom homes as well as additions to existing homes. In addition, preferences for accessible spaces in homes—such as open-space layouts and single-floor—design are also on the rise.

These stats come from AIA's Home Design Trends Survey for the first quarter of 2013, which focuses specifically on overall home layout and the use of interior and exterior space.

“We’ve seen over the past few years, an increased interest in seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor spaces and building in more informal spaces into homes,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker. “Because lot sizes don’t show any signs of increasing, it’s clear that homeowners want to maximize their current square footage to its highest potential, as opposed to increasing it.”