Changing new homes

The National Association of Home Builders Research Council recently surveyed home builders to determine which features are most common in new homes. Builders were asked about homes that were started during 1996. According to the survey, the median price for a new home was $153,327. It has 1,994 square feet of finished space; 22 percent of the homes had finished basements; and the lots were 7,000 square feet. Fifty-three percent were two-story and 70 percent had two-car garages. Fifty-three percent had three bedrooms and 44 percent had four or more. Fifty-four percent had three or more bathrooms and 43 percent had two.

More than 13 percent of new homes started during 1996 had home offices and 5 percent had media rooms. Regionally, media rooms were included in more than 1 percent of new homes in the Northeast compared to over 11 percent in the West. Sunrooms are included in 5 percent of the homes in the Northeast, but only in 0.3 percent in the West.

According to the survey, about 29 percent of the new homes started during 1996 had security systems. About 8 percent of the homes in the Research Center survey had energy management systems. Only 4 percent of the new homes had centralized music systems, 3 percent had intercom/entrance phones and just over 1 percent had lighting control systems or recycling centers.

There were pronounced differences in the installation rate of security systems and other security/automated features in different price ranges. In the Northeast and West, only about one-fifth of the new homes started has security systems, compared to about 28 percent in the Midwest and 37 percent in the South. The share of homes with energy management systems varied from about 4 percent of the new homes in the Midwest to 11 percent in the Northeast and West.

Questions about the typical flooring material in entry foyers was ceramic tile (41 percent), followed by vinyl sheet (29 percent) and finished hardwood (25 percent). Wall-to-wall carpeting was installed in 97 percent of the living rooms, 85 percent of the dining rooms, 90 percent of the family rooms, 95 percent of the bedrooms and 91 percent of the hallways.

Range/stove/oven and dishwashers were included in more than 85 percent of new homes and garbage disposers in 75 percent. A microwave oven was included with 53 percent of the new homes, but clothes washers/dryers with only 9 percent. Just over 4 percent of new homes had a central vacuum and 2 percent had a hot water dispenser or a trash compactor. There were significant regional differences in the installation of different appliances. For example, a central vacuum system was included in 11 percent of new homes in the Northeast and only 3 percent in the West.

Among the more common outdoor features in new homes were front porches, included in 45 percent of new homes, followed by fences in 40 percent, patios in 39 percent and decks in 25 percent. A side porch was included in 8 percent of the new homes and a screened porch in 5 percent. Three percent of the new homes had a pool and 1.5 percent had a breezeway. Decks were more common in the Northeast and patios in the West. Screened porches were virtually nonexistent in the West and more common in the South (9 percent).

The average size of the decks in single-family homes was 144 square feet, and the average breezeway was 83 square feet. The average size of the screen porch as 185 square feet.

Other features of new homes built in 1996 were:

· New single family homes had a median of six closets, 18 windows and three entry doors.

· About 63 percent of the front entry doors were made of steel, 18 percent were wood and 19 percent were made of fiberglass. In each case, the vast majority had raised panels. Only 11 percent of the front entry doors were double doors.

· More than 80 percent of the homes with a garage had front entry garages, 14 percent had a side entry and 3 percent had a rear entry garage.

· About 51 percent of the windows were aluminum, 30 percent vinyl and 19 percent wood.

· The most common materials for roofing were asphalt (73 percent) and concrete tile (24 percent).

· About one-third of the new homes had cathedral/vaulted ceilings and two-thirds had flat ceilings.

· Three out of four homes had kitchen countertops made of laminate and 17 percent of counter tops were ceramic. Only 6 percent of the countertops were solid surfaces such as avonite, corian, etc.

· Bathroom vanity countertops were made of cultured marble in 57 percent of the new homes and laminate in another 32 percent.

· About 80 percent of the single family homes had poured concrete driveways and another 14 percent had asphalt.

· Median length of the driveways in single family homes was 30 feet.

· Median number of kitchen cabinets installed in a single family home were 12 with 15 linear feet of kitchen counter.

· About one-third of exterior patio doors were swinging (hinged) and two-thirds were sliding.

· More than one-third of new homes (36 percent) had wall sound insulation and 28 percent had floor sound insulation.