Thanks to These Factors – Floor Plans Have Taken a New Direction in 2018
Floor Plan Trends
Floor plans can be the building blocks of conflict for contractors, architects, and home builders. There are numerous restrictions and requirements on the land and labor. The core of the problem exists within the inability to adequately accommodate the increasing floor plan demands of buyers. Market trends are causing builders to seek quality solutions to the issues without compromising the satisfaction of buyers.
Here are a few of the motivations that are influencing floor plan designs.
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Outdoor Spaces
More and more home buyers are opting for outdoor rooms. The request for homes with upgraded or lavish outdoor features is becoming greater each year. Homeowners want to create a space in the home that takes them away from the boundaries of the four walls, while connecting them with the ambiance of outdoors. This feature has created a surge in the installation of rooftop decks. This introduces a functional space that can be used for relaxation or entertainment year-round. The addition of mechanisms that provide shade, heat, video and audio capabilities to the space make them fully functional. Another appealing option permits enclosed spaces to transition into an open space. This allows the outdoor experience to flow from an interior room of the home. Hosting family and professional functions becomes easier with transferrable outdoor spaces.
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Seasoned Buyers
Builders are servicing a growing population of older home buyers. This leads to an increased demand for single-story homes with easy accessibility. Buyers are also opting for the multi-level home with the installation of elevators. Other features that aging adults are requesting in new home designs are zero-entry showers, ground-floor lock off suites and widened hallways. Focus groups, homeowner interviews and in-depth research techniques are tools that are utilized to assess the features that older homeowners most desire.
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Open Living Areas
Open space in the home is one of the biggest requests in the real estate market today. Buyers are motivated, and they want what they want, plain and simple. A floorplan that delivers a welcoming space is where it begins. Kitchens, family rooms, media rooms and other spaces are partially or entirely open in almost 85% of new home designs. More than half of that percentage completely opens into the primary living areas of the home. The most commonly requested open space is the kitchen and family room space. According to some markets, more than 65% of recent home buyers seek homes that offer at least a partially open kitchen. The kitchen space would flow over into a welcoming family room area. Individuals and families are opting for housing designs that offer fewer square feet of wall-to-wall and more wall-to-open space. They want brightness and large open spaces that accommodate a small or large group comfortably.
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Marketing Appeal
Many home buyers spend months developing a mental design of their new home. The number of times their visual design changed in their head is likely too many to count. The point is, as life and lifestyles change, so do plans- especially floor plans. Home design television shows lead the industry in market influence. Perspective and active buyers will often design an entire floorplan based on the combination of must-haves from the past four seasons of a show. The floorplan should accommodate the desires and dreams of the owners. There are cases where other factors may prevent a builder from being able to execute all or a portion of that floor plan. Affordability, available space, community restrictions, building restrictions and more are among these factors. Homeowners seek customized homes that match their personality and accommodate their lifestyle. A home that nurtures the family converts into a workspace when necessary and entertains guests with minimal preparation is what many want to achieve with their floor plan designs. Builders have tasked the luxury of determining how to answer these demands either partially or entirely.
The building process varies among builders. Designs, materials and floor plans can usually be changed while in the planning phase. Once the project is underway, making changes can be costly. Modern tools such as virtual reality and augmented reality are beneficial. They enable builders and designers to present a virtual walk-through of a space before the project begins. Buyers benefit from this as it allows them to change parts of their floor plan before construction on their new home begins. Fewer issues during the building process equate to happier buyers and a completion date that both sides can appreciate.
This article was originally posted on Chesapeake Energy Homes April 2018
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