How would have implemented housing in XIV?

[Vhailor]

I would say, the only issue, is that you would still have almost everyone going for larges and mediums leaving the smalls to always look like empty plots. However, I like where your head is at.

In fairness, this is more due to the design of small houses themselves. They simply aren't big enough. I originally purchased a small house when I returned to XIV about a year and change ago; it almost immediately felt cramped to the point of being unpleasant, and within a couple of months I freely demolished it (completely sacrificing the money and time invested) to upgrade to a medium. It's not that I wanted the status of a medium, nor did I care about the extra Gardening plots; I simply wanted enough space to add the functional items I'd use (merchants, etc.), and a few odds and ends, without the house feeling immediately cluttered.

SE should either add a third level to small houses, or increase the size of the two stories it has. Incidentally, even adjusting it so that the houses are two above-ground stories (vs. ground level and basement) would be an improvement; for people who are wanting to create a bedroom of sorts, the existing design is atrocious. This was a factor for me, and I'm not even much of a decorator.