Homes Can Grow With You

Within the next 25 years, one in five Americans will be age 65 and older. If you are remodeling your home or building a new one, ask yourself this question: Will your house appeal to this changing population? It’s a question all homeowners should answer.

A little forethought and small design changes can make a big difference in making a house user-friendly for a longer time period. If it’s a two-story, stacking closets one above the other can create a spot for a future elevator. “Blocking” – adding extra support wood behind bath and shower walls – provides a place to anchor future grab bars. Trading a front door with sidelights for an extra-wide door can make access (as well as such mundane events as moving a sofa) easier. Being sure each room has three levels of lighting – natural, ambient and task lighting – ensures that weaker eyes can see better.

Helping customers create home environments that are usable by all people is a service offered by New American Homes, Inc. and its Newport Cove development, a planned waterfront community on the Chain O’ Lakes in Chicagoland. An example of a universally designed home, the LIFEhouse™ concept home, designed in conjunction with the internationally renowned IDEA Center at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York, will be opening soon.

A bath in the home, pictured here, illustrates several universally designed features, including a bench located across from the shower.

The Changing "Shape" of New Homes. . .

Home sizes in the U.S. are declining. Is it because of recession, energy conservation or an aging population that wants to spend less time caring for homes?

The average square footage for new homes in the United States dropped signficantly in 2009 for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to figures just released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

New homes in 2009 averaged 2,438 square feet, down from 2,519 square feet in 2008. The average peaked in 2007 at 2,521 square feet. American house sizes have been trending upward since averages were first calculated in 1973, when homes were an average of 1,660 square feet.

The Census figures show the trend in smaller homes visible in other ways. Only 36 percent of new homes in 2009 had four or more bedrooms, down from 40 percent the previous years and the lowest percentage since 1997. And, the number of single-story homes increased from 44 percent to 47 percent.

These trends seem to be confirmed at our Newport Cove waterfront community on the Chain O’ Lakes near Antioch where customer “hot buttons” are moving toward the quality rather than quantity of space, fewer bedrooms, ranch-style homes or – at minimum - first-floor masters, easy-care materials and energy-conserving construction.

Tight envelopes: green but not glamorous

Wondering what is the most cost-efficient way to make a home energy efficient? The answer is simple: Create a tight building envelope through improved insulation and proper window and door installation.

Often customers will demand the more “trend-setting” options such as solar or wind products, but builders know that the greatest return on investment - the biggest bang for the buck - is insulation coupled with good doors and windows.

A rule of thumb in home construction has been that the cost of insulation is about one percent of the entire construction cost. For this one percent, a home owner can get good quality standard fiberglass batt insulation and a vapor barrier. However, if one doubles the insulation budget to two percent of the home's cost, that amount typically will buy a state-of-the-art closed cell foam insulation system and more than twice the energy efficiency.  The resulting “tighter” envelope can save as much as half on heating and cooling costs.

Solar and wind are all the “buzz” when it comes to home energy efficiency, but boring, non-glamorous insulation is today’s best bet.

At Newport Cove, our waterfront community on the Chain O' Lakes, we offer buyers the smart buildng options that will create an efficient, cost-effective - and COMFORTABLE - home.

Why A "Not So Big" House Works

The "Not So Big" philosophy of home building works for home buyers on many levels: financial, social and personal. Sarah Susanka, architect and author of the Not So Big series of books, talked recently at a 365GreenExpo online event. She advocates a “quality, not quantity” way of thinking. With the new economy and need for sustainability, this message is resonating with home buyers and builders, including developer New American Homes and its waterfront community of Newport Cove, located near Antioch on the Chain O’ Lakes.  (See Newport's Moonriver model, pictured below.)

Affordability, according to Susanka, can be as simple as taking inventory of what you really need. Will you use it? If not, forget it. Think food, shelter and security. Rather than increasing costly square footage, put money into enhancing the quality of space. Builders can make less feel like more using varied ceiling heights, open floor plan and details. What’s needed is not size, but a custom-designed personal space that enhances the quality of life. A sense of home, sought by so many, can be defined and, thus, afforded.

Environmental awareness can reduce home costs and protect the eco-system. Susanka says that 20 percent of all carbon emissions come from existing housing stock. “Leaky” houses have an enormous environmental impact. She suggests homeowners have an energy audit conducted to lower utility bills and reduce emissions. Well-built new houses, using the latest in building technology, attend to these factors so owners won’t have to spend time and money retrofitting.

But, beauty matters, too. A house may be efficient and affordable, but if it’s not pleasing, it’s not sustainable. Its owners won’t care enough about it to care for it. When a home offers a sanctuary for its occupants, it can give more than it takes. It is a place to grow.

Finally, the Not So Big concept does not require that you build a small house, only that you build efficient space. In an upcoming post we’ll talk about the benefits of a Not So Big community.