Boyce Thompson is editorial director of the BUILDER group of magazines published by Hanley Wood, LLC and writes about homebuilding, architecture and retailing.
Stephen Bolling
Recently he has taken on a subject I wrote about in my September 10, 2010 blog Accessible Homes could be the Norm for Future Homes – PART 1. In Boyce Thompson’s blog out this month he writes about the possibility of big changes in the housing industry driven by an active but aging population.
As a bonus I also added Boyce Thompson’s companion piece A FRESH LOOK AT GREEN BUILDING which looks at changes needed in the housing industry to attract buyers.
He writes “It’s not just about using sustainable materials and recycling jobsite waste…it’s about creating an exciting home environment where people can recycle with ease, easily control their use of energy, grow their own herbs and vegetables, enjoy clean indoor air, and harvest rainwater…”
Baby Boomers May Revolutionize Housing–Once Again
by Boyce Thompson (February 1, 2011)
Boyce Thompson
It seems like only yesterday that, amid much hoopla, the leading edge of the baby boom turned 55 and was suddenly eligible to live in active adult communities. During the last 10 years, we saw shifts–some subtle, some big–in the types of communities developed for boomers who were looking for a more active and maybe more interesting lifestyle than the Eisenhower generation that preceded them.
But there really wasn’t much change in the home features designed for these buyers. Now that the leading edge of the baby boom is turning 65, and actually grappling with impaired mobility, eyesight, and hearing, we may finally see some big changes.
Or not see them. Because a consensus seems to have emerged that the best way to approach so-called universal design is to cloak it in secrecy. No one wants to be confronted at any age with institutional-looking grab bars, ramps, or high-profile alarms that remind them of their less-than-perfect health. As Jenny Sullivan recently reported, there were several excellent seminars on this topic at last month’s IBS.
The function that institutional-looking features serve sure can come in handy when they are needed. Levered handlesets today look more like a design statement than a response to arthritis. A strategically placed, reinforced towel bar not only makes drying off easier, but it provides a way to steady yourself in the shower. A pull-out shelf under the microwave is a godsend when you are ready to drop a hot dish.
We explored many of these concepts in a show home that we dropped on the floor of the IBS way back in 1999. We were probably too far ahead of our time. But it’s amazing how many of the concepts in our Lifestages home are still talked about–as if they were fresh–today.
One of them was to eliminate thresholds wherever possible, including in the master bath. The tile floor in the shower sloped gently to a drain, and you could enter it from either the bath or the bedroom. There were no thresholds on either side. Pretty cool–especially if you are using a wheelchair.
Many principles of universal design work for people of all ages. We lowered the rocker switches for lights, so that even children could reach them, and raised the height of wall sockets, so that the youngest children would have more trouble reaching them.
We thought about task lighting everywhere, a process that’s often overlooked in home design. The kitchen was exceptionally well-lit for preparing food, and for reading the paper. It was easy to turn on outdoor lighting.
Maybe it has reached the point where builders can gain a significant marketing advantage from using universal design. You will need to do something to convince boomers, who lost a ton of equity during the recession, to move in the years ahead. Surveys show that boomers, like previous generations, want to age in place.
What about a house they can live in forever, that they won’t have to spend a fortune to remodel when they are 70 and living on a fixed income? When you think about it, that’s the ultimate in sustainability.
You can read Boyce Thompson’s blogs here: BOYCE THOMPSON: BOYCE ON BUILDING
A Fresh Look at Green Building
by Boyce Thompson (January 6, 2011)
Boyce Thompson
Builders and home buyers seem engaged in a finger-pointing battle when it comes to green building. Surveys show that consumers think builders should provide sustainable materials and construction free of cost. Many builders argue that it doesn’t make sense to spend the extra money to go green because most buyers won’t pay for it.
But maybe the root of the problem is that the industry hasn’t done a good enough job demonstrating the lifestyle benefits of green living. Because it’s not just about using sustainable materials and recycling jobsite waste, though those things are important. It’s also about creating an exciting home environment where people can recycle with ease, easily control their use of energy, grow their own herbs and vegetables, enjoy clean indoor air, and harvest rainwater, among other things.
We worked with KB Home and Martha Stewart to bring these lifestyle options to life in our 2011 Builder Concept Home, which will debut at IBS next week. We’ll be running buses to the home every 30 minutes from the Westwood Entrance of the West Concourse. We hope you make some time to see it. Dubbed the KB Home GreenHouse: An Idea Home Created with Martha Stewart, the home will also be open for virtual tours starting next week at builderconcepthome.com
The first thing you’ll notice about the home is its conventional appearance in the Lake Burden subdivision of Orlando. Modeled after one of Stewart’s personal residences, the home’s design would fit comfortably into nearly any new home community. The home doesn’t scream “Zero-Energy,” but that’s what it is. With the help of an 8.57 kW, flat-panel photovoltaic system, and a laundry list of inspired energy details, the home produces all the electricity it will need.
You could say the same thing about all the green features in the home; they are largely inconspicuous. The energy monitoring system is web-based. From a big-screen computer near the great room, home owners can see and control their use of electricity, water, and propane, as well as their production of solar energy. Motion detectors trigger hot water in the bathrooms. A sealed attic maintains a constant temperature within 5 to 7 degrees of the house. Water is heated by rooftop panels.
There are a bunch of inspired green touches in the house. The countertop features a recessed, compost bin with a bucket inside for transporting vegetable scraps from kitchen to garden. There’s a small plot outside the kitchen to grow herbs. A sun tunnel brings natural light into what would otherwise be a dark laundry room.
Sunlight pervades the home, reducing the need to operate lights, and creating a fresh, healthy indoor environment. That was key for Martha Stewart, who also wanted an open floor plan. The heart of the home is a large entertaining area that blends a dining room, entertainment room, and kitchen. If you need quiet you can escape to a den/flex space.
The most exciting aspect of the home, though, may be financial. With the help of strong production controls and value engineering, KB Home managed to spend only an extra $70,000 to reach a zero-energy goal on this $380,000 home. About $60,000 of that involved the photovoltaics, which are eligible for a tax credit.
To finance the extra $70,000 at 5% would add only $350 a month to a mortgage payment. The owner of a home built to Florida energy standards would pay that much for electricity and gas anyway. So the added investment costs nothing extra each month.
We think the home is way cool. We invite you to come see it for yourself.
You can read Boyce Thompson’s blogs here: BOYCE THOMPSON: BOYCE ON BUILDING
If you would like to be interviewed or have your article posted on this blog please e-mail me at sbolling@me.com
Stephen Bolling
Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter
