|
Builder Magazine - McMansions vs. Smart Design (PDF)
published January, 2010
I’ve
just finished reading “Is the McMansion
Dead?” by Jenny Sullivan in the current issue of Builder. There has
been much written and broadcast in the media recently about the plight of the
McMansion and I can’t help but sense some animosity in the tone of many of the
stories. I have sensed that some people show a little pleasure in seeing those,
perceived as being more affluent, now suffering and losing their homes. Some may
feel that the death of the McMansion is reprise for the flamboyant or
pretentious lifestyles of their owners. While I generally agree with much
that has been said, I can’t help but think that the consumers’ desires for
“newer”, “bigger”, “better”, have managed to put bread on our table
for many years now.
All
that said, my response has more to do with what wasn’t mentioned in Jenny’s
story. Here in
Central Florida
where we are suffering from one of the worst new home markets in the nation,
Cost-per-Square-Foot continues to be the overwhelming guideline used by
consumers and most real estate professionals, to compare the value of homes for
sale. This Cost-per-Square-Foot mentality fueled the boom market with big, boxy,
generic floorplans and a cafeteria buffet line approach to design and amenities.
With my own unsold masterpiece, twice I’ve lost sales to other homes that were
actually more expensive than mine but offered a lower cost-per-square-foot. One
of the buyers told me they preferred my home but felt the larger one was a
better value. They actually spent more and purchased a home that is bigger than
they need because of this brainwashing. In addition, my home is green and will
cost much less to run and maintain, which wasn’t even a factor in their
decision process. If this rationale carried over to our automotive purchases we
would all be driving gas-guzzling SUV’s and be willing to spend more for them
than a practical, efficient vehicle. Oh wait a minute…
This
past spring, our local HBA Parade of Homes featured the seven most-expensive new
homes in the southwest quadrant of Metro-Orlando. They were built by seven
different builders but were all basically the same floorplan. As builders and
designers we must accept our share of blame for part of the problem. If we
persist in building big, glitzy drywall barns with no real discernable
differences, then the public will continue to treat housing like a commodity.
The solution may be better design. In addition to creative style, our homes
should be designed and built to provide low environmental impact, accessibility,
adaptability, sustainability and ease of maintenance. Smart design should create
a timeless appeal and lasting value, and there isn’t any reason they can’t
be exciting and glamorous as well. Think about it.
Keith
L Groninger
2708
Phillips Park Court
|
Winter Park
,
FL
32789
O:407.644.8858 | F:321.574.4101 | C:321.439.1047
Keith@GroningerHomes.com
www.GroningerHomes.com
Hi
Keith
,
We don’t know one another, but I wanted to comment on your response to the
Mcmansion article in Builder Magazine. It was well said and on the money.
Consumer demand drives what/how we build (or in my case what/how I remodel) as
is the case for any manufacturer. The problem is that Consumer demand
has become perverted somehow to the substitution of substance and real value.
This is a cultural matter that extends to all aspects of the American life -
what we eat, what we wear, where we live. The pain caused by this
recession is causing the Consumer reevaluate “value”. My hope is that
substance will again become something people are willing to pay for so you and I
can continue to thrive.
Gary Krause
Krause Construction
www.krauseconstruction.com
303-514-2670
Keith:
I could have written your McMansions vs Smart Design column. It is driving
me and every other builder I know absolutely nuts with "real estate
professionals"(your term) doing the "one price fit all", and
"all homes are alike" thing with their prospects. I am also a
broker, and have become something of a pariah to Realtors as I openly admonish
them for not learning the products they show. I've been is biz since 1977, and
have always offered to be at a showing of one of my homes to better familiarize
prospects with features. Arithmetic will tell you that's 33 years, and in all of
that 33 years I've not had 1(one) "real estate professional" take me
up on that. We only have 1 paper now in Denver, and a writer I know tells
me that Realtors pretty much tell them what tone to deliver in their real estate
writing, and can get away with it as Realtors are one of the few large sources
of advertising revenue for the paper. Another big source of
confusion for buyers here is realtors are including finished basements is S.F.
prices on a public web page. As a broker I'm formulating a complaint and
rule making request to the regulatory agency about this. There's a couple
of web site links below my signature on this if you want to learn about me.
Stephen
Holben
Holben Building Corp.
2765 S. Colorado Blvd., #102
Denver, Co. 80222
As an interior designer and NAHB CGP, I couldn't agree more
about the importance of smart design, and predict, that as consumers become more
educated and particular in an increasingly competitive market, houses that do
provide intelligent design will have the upper hand in terms of providing better
saleability. Also, I believe the qualities of creative design and style, which
are so hard to define, will continue to be the qualities that will make or break
a sale, as they are the items that usually provide the emotional impetus to the
purchase of a home. As a designer, I have been fortunate to find that all of my
homes have sold easily, and at the asking price (including a decent ROI) because
they have looked beautiful.
Good luck Keith with the sale of your masterpiece!
Victoria Lyon
Keith,
My jaw dropped when I read your piece in the recent Builder Magazine. In a word,
it was PERFECT. You are 100% right on all counts. I am so glad you
had it published in a magazine with such a wide reach and a vast audience.
Your points on McMansions are dead on. There are those out there who love
to see people with any measure of success, fail. Despite the glee people find in
the distress of others, I think the death knell for McMansions is
premature. I don’t see their demise at all. There is a downturn in
the market in general, and large homes are no exception, but they are not dead.
I would also like to point out that McMansions are known by another, less
pejorative term to those who live in them – home!
Also, you comments about cookie-cutter floor plans were absolutely correct.
Troy and I have had this conversation for almost a decade but it is a
point that a had to be delivered to builders by a builder. Thank you for doing
so. In fact, we are so tired of standard Arthur Rutenburg rip-off floor
plan in multi-million dollar homes that when we renovated our own home (aka
McMansion), we purposefully left our 1950’s floor plan as is.
Thank you for writing such a great letter to Builder Mag. I hope it makes a lot
of waves!
Stephanie Henley
Beasley & Henley Interior Design
Atlanta * Winter Park * Naples
407-629-7756 Winter Park
Keith,
Ditto…..what Stephanie said.
I could go on for days about this topic………as you know, we (designers) like
to be challenged, and we also like to see and work on projects that reflect
quality and imagination…….which standard floor plans accomplish neither.
They are the lazy way out!
Custom should mean just that…..”custom”, to each individual clients needs,
and desires, which rest on our (builders, architects, designers, landscape
designers), shoulders…………
I am always trying to get our clients to spend the dollars, to hire the right
team, to create their future residence, and as Stephanie stated, their
“home”
We have three children, and have built our residence to reflect our “wants”
and yes, we had a budget, but…….we made it happen, with a lot of thought,
and care. This concept applies to a 2000 square foot residence, or a 30,000 foot
residence. It’s all the same, minus the dollar difference.
Whatever the size…….just do it right.
Enough said, except…….thank you for voicing your opinion, …………..as
Stephanie said, as a builder.
Best regards,
Troy Beasley
Kieth -
Bob Hartford here, Silverwood Inc, North Carolina. http://www.silverwood-inc.com
. Check out the "Bingham Ridge" tab . As in your Builder Mag comments,
these are truly better homes, but sales have been pulled into the dumper along
with every other project in the state. What does it take to deal with the square
footage as value issue ? NC and FLA are the worst for this syndrome. In NJ and
NY square footage is not required to list a property. Price is tied to the
property characteristics and its location only.
If you have
any thoughts regarding methods for marketing better homes at higher value with
S.F. not being the main factor, let me know. Perhaps an internet posting of some
kind with comments from multiple custom type builders ? The media is everything,
and I am not so good at getting it on my side. Perhaps you will hear from others
after builder has posted your comments.
Bob Hartford, Silverwood, Inc.
|
