By Wayne A. Endicott
Things started looking up for the designers at K. Hovnanian Homes in Mesa, Ariz., when they were faced with a need to add square footage to two of their models. Since the small lots on which they were building (average 32 x 80 feet) wouldn't allow them to build out, they decided to go up, adding a third story to their best sellers.
Now, that might not seem to be that radical a solution, but in a market that features mostly one- and two-story single-family residences, the three-story homes attract plenty of attention. "By adding a third story as an option, we were able to increase the square footage of these models from about 1,800 to 2,500 square feet and do so in the most economical way," explains Robert Staply, director of project planning for Hovnanian.
Site preparation costs, additional foundations and footings and other considerations would have made it difficult to add the extra 700 square feet and keep the home prices below the intended price point of $190,000, Robert says. The third story is cheap extra square footage, he says. Although the third story is offered as an option on the two models, Robert revealed that upwards of 80 percent of buyers choose to add the space.
"We were a little apprehensive about adding the third story. For one thing, we thought that the addition of more stairs to climb would put buyers off," he says. Surprisingly, the Hovnanian team found that not to be a problem. Perhaps the target market for the models explains the reason. Since the models are intended to be starter homes, they attract a younger buyer, who is not daunted by a few extra stairs and willing to make the trade-off to acquire more space.
Not only did the three-story design accomplish the desire to add square footage, it actually set them apart from most of their competitors in the hot Phoenix market151rising above the crowd, so to speak. One residual benefit: The third story offers spectacular views of the Phoenix area.
It also provides the home owner with a lot of options. The first floor is comprised mainly of a kitchen and great room, while the second houses three bedrooms. The third story can be used for a media room, study or children's play area.
Rear-loaded lots
Other design features distinguish the homes from the competion, too, Robert says. A rear entry garage (in some cases, from a sunken alleyway) means that the street view of the home is more attractive.
Since the kitchens are located in the middle of the first floor, between the rear garage and the front entryway and great room, the designers faced the problem of providing enough natural light to the space.
"Only one wall of the kitchen, that facing onto a side yard, was long enough to place cabinets and countertops," Robert recalls. "The other side wall is blocked by the stairway to the second floor. So we had to find a way to get some light into the area." The solution was to installing acrylic block between the bottom of the cabinets and the top of the counters. The 8-inch high by 3-foot wide strip of block does the trick.
Another feature that attracts buyer attention is the fact that instead of a counter in the hall bath, the designers included a banjo top that takes up the entire wall where the lavatory and toilet are located. "This was a way to give the bath the appearance of more room," Robert explains. "By providing the banjo top, we also were able to install a 42-inch high mirror along the entire wall. The mirror opens up the bath and makes it appear roomier at almost no extra cost." Robert says that this configuration has now become standard in all of Hovnanian's Phoenix-area models.
The designers also sought a way to make the homes seem less like production homes and more like custom homes. "We've found that using a four-color scheme on the exteriors sets our houses apart from the crowd," Robert says. The homes feature one color for the body of the exterior, a second accent color, a third for pop-out trim and fascia and a fourth for the front door and the shutters. "It's a bit more expensive to do this, but we found that the buyers like it." In all, the designers have developed 12 different color schemes that are rotated throughout a subdivision.
To make sure that the neighborhoods do not begin to develop a look-alike image, Hovnanian preordains the color scheme for each lot. "In that way, we guarantee that the same color scheme never appears on two houses close to each other." If a buyer is interested in a particular color scheme, he must choose a lot preordained to have it. The custom-house illusion is further enhanced by alternating arched and flat concrete roof tiles, Robert states.
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