I was driving down North 7th the other day, minding my own business, which is getting harder to do with all the new buildings popping up. Everywhere you look, there’s another crane or another patch of dirt that used to be something else entirely. It used to be a little patch of grass, or maybe an old auto shop. Now, it’s going to be something else.

And it got me thinking about these “luxury condos” they’re putting up. You see the signs, “Luxury Living,” “Modern Mountain Luxury,” “Your New Luxury Home.” I just scratch my head. I remember when luxury meant something different. It meant space, for one thing. It meant a yard you could walk around in without bumping into your neighbor’s grill.

I stopped by one of the open houses just to see for myself. They had a nice young lady showing me around. She was very enthusiastic about the “open concept living” and the “chef’s kitchen.” I nodded along, polite as always. But I couldn’t help but notice the size of the place. It was, well, it was small.

I mean, it had nice appliances, sure. Stainless steel, the whole bit. And the countertops were fancy. But the whole unit was maybe half the size of my living room. And they were asking for more than I paid for my entire house, garage and all, back in 2006. A normal amount of money, I call it.

I asked the young lady, “Where do you put your skis? And what about a mountain bike? Do people just keep them in their living room now?” She just smiled and said something about “clever storage solutions.” I think she meant a closet. A small closet.

My neighbor, Jerry, he’s lived here since the 70s, he says the same thing. He says back then, luxury was having a good wood stove and a reliable truck. Now it’s a tiny apartment with a view of another tiny apartment. He said he saw a “luxury studio” being advertised the other day. A studio. How can a studio be luxury? That’s just a room.

It just seems like the definition of things is changing. What used to be a starter home is now “aspirational living.” And what used to be a perfectly good, well-built house is now “charming but in need of updating.” I just don’t understand how a place can be called “luxury” when you can practically reach out and shake hands with your neighbor from your window.

I think we need to be clear about what we’re building and what we’re calling it. These new places, they’re nice enough, I suppose, if you don’t have much stuff. But luxury? That’s a strong word. It just seems like we’re settling for smaller and smaller, and paying more and more for the privilege. It’s a puzzler.

Howard Benchpress owns a home he bought in 2006 for what he describes as ‘a normal amount of money.’ He brings this up frequently.