4 ways COVID-19 may affect new home designs
Generally, home builders dodged the biggest negative effects COVID-19 had on the economy. But as the world adjusts, home builders will need to address the concerns that pandemic-scarred buyers have about the safety and comfort of their homes. Today, we’ll look at four ways COVID-19 may have long-lasting effects on new home design and how you can adjust to these changes.
Home offices are back in style
One of the most noticeable changes the pandemic caused was the necessity of working from home. In years prior, home offices had been falling out of style. Now, they’re more than just stylish again—they’re oftentimes necessary.
There are many, many reasons why you must consider including home offices in your homes.
- Workers who transferred from offices to home want dedicated spaces to maximize concentration and minimize interruptions.
- More people may be working from home permanently, making work spaces essential.
- Buyers looking at new homes may expect a home office as standard, especially after suffering through makeshift work spaces.
To see how you can take advantage of the demand for home offices, read our article, “Home Offices Are Here to Stay—How Can Builders Capitalize?”
Privacy and cleanliness take on new meanings
Between work, life, and lockdowns, many people have spent much more time around family or roommates. For some of these people, this closeness has created a strong desire for more privacy and certainly more cleanliness.
As a builder, you may want to consider designs that include elements like bidets. According to Builder Online, bidets had been growing in popularity prior to the pandemic. The pandemic simply pushed personal hygiene and privacy to the forefront of people’s minds.
Another idea is to focus on how to help buyers maintain their privacy without becoming hermits. Natural lighting and good air quality can speak to the need for both privacy and cleanliness while preventing the feeling of claustrophobia caused by spending more time than normal indoors.
Convertible rooms are more essential
Similar to dedicated work spaces, people are looking for more spaces for recreation in their homes. However, this can be challenging, since having dedicated rooms for recreation can get expensive or even be impossible due to space constraints.
A good way to thread this needle is by thinking through how buyers can convert certain rooms into places for recreation. For example, you might design homes that allow the living space to become a workout or gaming space quickly and easily.
When considering how to create convertible rooms, it’s important to make the rooms truly convertible, rather than “The room where we do work and try to live.” There’s a fine line between “working at the dining room table” (not ideal) and “having the ability to do work in the morning and work out at night in the same room.”
Spacious kitchens, efficient appliances
One of the biggest lifestyle changes COVID-19 wrought was fewer chances to go out to eat and drink. That’s made the kitchen even more important for buyers considering a new home.
Sticking with the importance of space, open kitchens are likely to continue to be popular among buyers. The key is to give buyers the space to both cook and catch up and friends and family.
Efficient appliances are another way to attract buyers. With more people cooking themselves, easy-to-use and efficient appliances can make the work of cooking easier.
Let 2-10 HBW make your homes stand out
As you redefine your designs in a post-COVID world, 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty (2-10 HBW) can help your homes stand out in three specific ways.
- Our industry-leading structural warranty is something your buyers want. In fact, 94% of prospective home buyers are more likely to purchase a new home from a builder that offers a structural warranty.
- 2-10 HBW Builder Members can access our Warranty Administration team. This allows your buyers to contact 2-10 HBW if something goes wrong (or they think something’s gone wrong) with the workmanship, distribution systems, or structural integrity of their home. That provides peace of mind for your buyers while giving you more time to do what you do best—build quality homes.
- It’s impossible to understate the importance of third-party validation to your buyers. When you cover all your home with a structural warranty from 2-10 HBW, you get the industry leader telling your buyers, “This home is both high quality and has the best possible solution for unexpected issues.”
Learn how you can protect your business and add valuable selling points to your new builds with a 2-10 HBW structural warranty.
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Home Offices Are Here to Stay—How Can Builders Capitalize?
