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Beyond the Slump, Outdoor Home Features Seen as the ‘In’ Trend
Looking beyond the current cyclical housing downturn and identifying the new home features that will give builders a competitive edge and keep remodelers busy in the marketplace shaping up for the next 10 years, outside will be the in thing, according to Gopal Ahluwalia, NAHB’s vice president for research.
At a remodeling outlook presentation at last month’s International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Ahluwalia said that findings on what new home buyers want to see outside have significant repercussions for both home builders and remodelers.
“What comes in new homes eventually trickles down to the existing stock, where most of remodeling actually is,” Ahluwalia said.
The consumer preference findings were based on survey research among designers, architects, marketers and builders, and they were compiled for both an average home and an upscale home, which was defined as generally being 3,000 to 4,000 square feet or more in size.
Among the outside features that are expected to increase new-home sales over the coming decade and increasingly generate remodeling projects:
- Eighteen percent of survey respondents said that barbecue grills and outdoor kitchens would be an important feature in the average home and 71% cited their significance for upscale homes.
- Nine percent expected outdoor fireplaces to be of critical importance in average homes, but 65% said that buyers of more luxurious homes would be looking for them.
- Asked about outside kitchen features, 15% said that sinks would be important for average home buyers but 76% said it would be a requirement for larger homes. Findings for other features for average and upscale homes, respectively, were: refrigerators, 13% and 60%; cooking islands 12% and 58%; and beer dispensers/wine coolers, 6% and 47%. While there is a large difference between demand for these outdoor features among average and luxury buyers, “demand for outside living and kitchens will be huge,” Ahluwalia predicted.
- On demand for outside room features, those surveyed reported several that are a veritable must for upper market buyers while registering some importance among more typical buyers. The findings, reported for average and upscale homes, respectively, were: decking/patio covers/enclosures, 28% and 78%; outdoor lighting, 26% and 74%; pools/spas, 17% and 73%; outdoor audio/TV equipment, 16% and 70%; decorative water features, 10% and 57%; portable patio heating, 6% and 31%; and built-in patio heating, 3% and 27%.
- Demand for standard outdoor features was strong, with not too much difference between the two groups of buyers. Seventy percent of the survey respondents said that a front porch would be desirable in the average home and 79% said that it would be important for the upscale home. Other findings: a patio, 61% and 76%, respectively, between average and upscale home buyers; a deck, 42% and 61%; and a rear porch, 24% and 79%. Currently, only 46% of new homes have decks, Ahluwalia said.
Ahluwalia included in his presentation at the Builders’ Show findings from last year’s third-quarter Remodeling Market Index survey demonstrating that outdoor remodeling is already a significant source of business for that industry.
Three-quarters of the remodelers surveyed reported an increase in their volume of outdoor work compared to the previous year, and 44% said that outdoor jobs had picked up over the past five years.
Of those who worked on outdoor remodeling projects, the most common types of jobs were: deck, 52%; porch, 35%, patio, 27%, front porch, 25%; decking/patio covers/enclosures, 22%; outdoor lighting, 13%; outdoor kitchen, 13%; and outdoor fixed fireplace, 10%.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that $2.5 billion was spent last year on decks, a job that home owners typically undertake after living in their house for a period of time.
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