By Richard Wall
At the 2007 International Builders Show seminar on The Home of the Future, the expectations of builders and consumers appeared to be in harmony, improving the odds that the home of 2015 will actually be built as described by the presenting experts.
Gopal Ahluwalia, staff vice president of research for NAHB, reported on building- industry trends in housing, while Gayle Butler, editor-in-chief of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, presented the desires of consumers, as plumbed by multiple research surveys of millions of readers and analyses by field editors.
Builders pull
Ahluwalia said his study targeted architects, designers, marketers and manufacturers who are thinking 10 years ahead. His survey and interviews addressed both average homes (2,400 sq. ft. or less) and upscale homes (4,000 sq. ft. or more). Changing demographics of the aging population and environmental concerns will push most of the design changes. Highlights of the study include:
- The average home's size will be about the same as today's, but its volume will increase, because its ceiling is going up to nine feet in height by 2015. Upscale ceilings will be 10-12 feet.
- Living, dining and family rooms won't be defined by walls as much as by pillars, arches and flooring materials. "You'll have a family room area, but it will be open," said Ahluwalia.
- The two-story family room will disappear from the average home because of noise issues.
- Garages will get bigger in average and upscale homes, and front porches will become more popular for both.
- Non-master bedroom baths will increase in size in average homes, which will be more likely to have three or more baths.
- The kitchen will continue to be the focus of the home. Double sinks, high-end appliances, and lots of counter, storage and table space will be very important in average and upscale homes. Many more upscale homes will have outdoor kitchens, and their butler's pantries will filter down into average homes.
- The living room will remain in the upscale home, but it will vanish from the average home. "Well, it may not vanish," said Ahluwalia, "but it will become a smaller room, like a parlor or a music room."
- The use of recessed lighting will increase in average homes, as will the popularity of hardwood floors
- Gee-whiz electronics will not be part of the average home. Ahluwalia said most people will only spend 2 percent to 3 percent of an average home's value on electronics. But they will have security systems, automatic lighting, and energy management systems. Upscale homes, on the other hand, will have all the latest in electronic gadgetry.
- New average-home neighborhoods will facilitate walking, have common open spaces, and will be higher-density developments with smaller lots.
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