 There
will be a coffee bar in your bedroom and a spa next to your billiard
room. Your home theater will provide a distraction from work, which
you telecommute to via your home office. And, did we mention? You'll
also be living with your mother-in- law.
Such is future as revealed with the New American
Home dream
house at the International
Builders' Show in Orlando. Designed
to be a laboratory for the building industry, the nearly
7,000-square-foot home in the Lakes of Windemere community in southwest
Orlando is packed full of currently available domestic luxuries and
future home-building trends.
But here's what's truly revolutionary
about it: It's designed for the "mature family" (translation:
Boomers with adult kids). Forget those cash-strapped twenty-somethings,
scrimping for starter homes,
or the thirty-somethings with growing families, hoping for a little
more room. The new sweethearts of the home building industry are
Baby Boomers,
especially "splitters", well-to-do fifty-somethings looking
to live and work in two equal homes.
The multi-home generation
Now that the first wave of the 75-million-strong Baby Boom
generation is turning 60, Boomers' expectations are altering retirement
in much the same way as their music, idealism and extended adolescence
transformed American society 40 years ago. Instead of retiring to a small
home in a quiet retirement village like their parents did, many are refusing
to retire at all. Instead, the sandwich generation wants a larger home
capable of holding the entire extended family, with private suites for
elderly parents and visiting children and grandchildren.
A recent survey shows that more than 12 million Americans
will own second homes by 2009, double the current number. Last year,
there were 16 percent more second homes purchased than the year before,
according to National Association of Realtors.
 Here's
what the industry thinks Boomers want:
- A home office at the resort: In a survey conducted
by Merrill Lynch, 76 percent of Boomers said they expect to keep
working into their retirement years. Using cell phones and the Internet,
many
of them hope to telecommute from their home's office rather than
driving to work.
People can work anywhere; they can live here in Indy and still work in
New York. Those who can afford it want a resort lifestyle waiting for them when
they leave the office.
- Lots of room: Heading into retirement,
the "me" generation
is becoming the "we" generation as Boomers increasingly care
for aging parents and "boomerang children" coming back
home to multiple big- screen TVs and well-stocked kitchens." Splitters" who buy a second home in Florida can also expect old friends
to drop in for a few weeks' visit. We are seeing a need to accommodate them with "second-generation
suites," as well as plenty of adult play spaces such as home theaters,
game rooms and outdoor dining spaces.
- A place to grow old: The Boomers'
wish to "age
in place" is a trend we are accommodating with wheelchair-width
halls and doorways and elevators.
- Outdoor living: A pool and hot tub are no longer enough.
Boomers want an outdoor kitchen and outdoor fireplaces, preferably
topped with a flat-screen TV. Instead of a hurricane-susceptible screened
enclosure, designers incorporated automatic insect screens that close
off the dream home's lower loggia during the bug season. The second-story
loggia has a full bar with dishwasher, ice maker and refrigerator outside
the billiard room.
- A sweet master suite: A coffee bar with refrigerator
is one high-end idea that we find a demand for, in even more moderately
priced homes. People don't necessarily want to see their families
first thing in the morning. This way they can have breakfast in their
rooms.
The dream home's master bedroom also includes a washer and dryer in the
walk-in closet and a Kohler tub that fills from a spigot in the ceiling.
- Green living: We are looking
to demonstrate to this market that "green" building
techniques are becoming mainstream, so we look for energy-saving
devices and
design to accomplish this.
Windows on several sides of the home allow for cross- ventilation.
Deep overhangs keep out the summer sun. Exterior walls of Aerated
Autoclaved Concrete, with the building
further sealed with blown-in cellulose or sprayed-on foam insulation
that keeps out heat and humidity.
- A partly air-conditioned attic allows ducts to be run
through cooler spaces. Impact-resistant doors and windows, as well
as floors are made with sustainable wood products that are either
recycled or grown on sustainable plantations.
- Outside, the sprinkler system measures moisture in the
soil for each zone and adjusts the outflow accordingly.
- These items, plus special air
filters, tankless "on
demand" water heaters and energy-reducing appliances allow
the house to use nearly 50 percent less energy than a similar house
its
size.
- A cavernous kitchen: A kitchen of generous proportions
can handle the multi-generational crowd that we believe will be living
in Boomer homes.
 So
what will homes look like in 2015?
The National Association of Home Builders recently surveyed 60 architects,
builders and building-industry manufacturers for their ideas of what our
homes will be like in nine years.
They said:
- The size of average-priced houses will remain roughly
what it is today, about 2,400 square feet, while luxury homes will
continue to get larger.
- Lots will be smaller, down from an average size of
9,000 square feet today to 7,000 or 8,000 square feet. As a result,
there will be more zero-lot-line houses.
- Ceiling heights will rise to 9 feet in a standard
house and 10 to 12 feet in a luxury home.
- The living room and dining room will disappear in smaller
homes, swallowed by a great room, which will become even more popular.
- The kitchen will be the home's command and entertainment
center, with the increasing use of commercial-looking appliances, large
islands, butler's pantries and wine storage.
- Three- or four-car garages will be the norm in upscale
houses.
- No more white boxes. Interior decor will be bolder
and more colorful.
- Outdoor spaces will become more elaborate, with outdoor
kitchens and fireplaces common. Expect to see more walls of doors that
can be slid back into a wall to blur the line between indoors and outside.
We will continue to be conflicted
about energy efficiency. 'A buyer wants a wall of glass and a fireplace,
and still says, "Give me energy efficiency," This will
most certainly be one of our biggest challenges in the future as
we strive to build The Right House.
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