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Wednesday, March 12, 2003 Quality construction, maintenance-free design and high-tech automation will characterize new homes of the future By Chad
Floyd,
Asked to envision what the typical hew home of the future will be like, most home builders predict an increased focus on high-quality and high-end amenities including maintenance-free materials and automated systems that incorporate greater technology, the National Association of Home Builders reported during the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas Jan. 21-24. One thing that builders see happening is a stabilization of new-home size, with few predicting they'll be building substantially larger homes during the next 5-10 years. Instead, builders are evenly divided in saying they'll either be building a slightly larger product than they are right now or a somewhat smaller home than the current 2,300 sq. ft. median. The new focus is going to be on quality rather than quantity, according to NAHB surveys. Builders see home buyers increasingly demanding energy-efficient designs, wiring for high-speed Internet access, automated home security and climate-control systems. There's also a growing emphasis on high-quality finishes and materials that minimize the time it takes to keep homes clean and functioning properly. These features are expected to become fairly standard in new homes of all sizes. However, while square footage may no longer be expanding, the volume of home is certainly on its way up. More than 50 percent of homes built last year had 9-ft or higher ceilings. NAHB consumer surveys confirm that people who purchased a home in 2002 or who plan to purchase a home in the next two years are looking for many of the same traditionally upscale features, whether they are in the mid- or higher prices ranges of the marketplace. For example, most respondents identified a fireplace, a built-in microwave, a walk-in pantry, an island work area in the kitchen and a laundry room as "must haves" and features such as a separate showers and white bathroom fixtures as "preferred" items. Other items that buyers across the market deemed "necessary" extended to eat-in table space in the kitchen and French doors. The same respondents identified their top reasons for moving as the need for a larger home (17.3 percent), the desire for a better quality home (16.3 percent) and a new job or job transfer (12.4 percent). The top three reasons buyers identified for the home they chose or plan to buy include room layout/design (39.2 percent), financial considerations (13.5 percent) and the size of the new home (9.5 percent). In terms of what buyers are looking for in a new neighborhood, most respondents identified the look/design of that neighborhood (24.2 percent) well above the neighborhood's proximity to their jobs (13.1 percent). Nearly 22 percent said their choice of neighborhood was mostly due to the new house itself. Because home buyer preferences ten to be dictate by each family's lifestyle, demographic data that reveals a shirt in the size and composition of households over the years can be extremely useful for determining the future of home designs. Census Bureau data indicates a growing percentage of non-traditional households, such as those composed of married couples without children, single-person households and non-family households. Between 1970 and 2000, the percentage of households composed of a couple without children rose from 17 to 25.5 percent. Meanwhile, the traditional household with children has declined dramatically, from 40.3 percent of the total to just 24.1 percent. These and other changes in household structure result in different priorities for home buyers with regard to their neighborhood location, number and size of rooms and layout of the floor plan. Household wealth has also grown substantially in the last 30 years, and this is another factor in why more households are demanding high-grade appliances and other amenities across the housing market. Median family income rose from must over $44,000 in 1970 to just over $66,000 in 2001, according to Census figures. Home buyers today expect more and get more for their dollar than in times past, and that's what the data shows. For example, 54 percent of builders are now installing structural wiring in new homes for high-speed Internet access, 24 percent of new homes come complete with a home office, 40 percent are built with a programmable thermostat and 38 percent have a multi-line phone system. Nearly half of all new homes have a security system and about 90 percent are built with a front porch, patio or deck. (Chad Floyd, who is with Chadwick Homes, is president of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia, which serves a membership of approximately 550 builders and associate members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Heard, Meriwether, Pike, Upson and Lamar counties.)
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