Ditch the dining room: Designing a home on a budget

Dave and Dujanovic

As many as 90% of Utah renters cannot afford the state’s median home price of $549,100, a 25% increase since 2021, according to statistics presented by Moira Dillow, a housing, construction and real estate analyst at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Designers and architects are exploring various ways to cut the cost of a home, including simplifying blueprints, making windows smaller, and removing individual rooms in favor of combining rooms, such as the dining and living room. Dave and Debbie discuss what aspects of their homes they could live without in favor of a cheaper home, and take calls from listeners.