Dutch doors make it easy to check on pups in the mudroom. (Photo courtesy Perkinson Homes)
After watching 25-plus years of home improvement and real estate programming on HGTV and TLC, homebuyers start their searches with great expectations — expectations that local real estate developers and builders work hard to exceed. “Our members do exhaustive market research on amenities to understand what buyers are looking for,” says Danna Markland, CEO of the Home Building Association of Richmond (HBAR), a trade association for the home construction industry. “In 2020, it is all about lifestyle: how they live there and how they interact with their neighbors.”
The demand for open floor plans with large kitchens at the center of the home continues. Mudrooms — sometimes called “drop zones” — often include dog washing stations and storage for pet supplies. Screened porches, covered decks and outdoor kitchens extend living and entertaining spaces outside; two- or three-car attached garages are deeper to accommodate large SUVs and to provide storage; master suites are getting larger; specialty rooms like bar/pub rooms, wine cellars, and craft and homework rooms are popular; and in homes with three or more floors, many are opting for elevators.
New Neighborhood Types
In addition to selecting the style and amenities of their new homes, homebuyers can pick from a bounty of new neighborhoods specifically designed to appeal to residents with similar interests — families with young children, seniors ages 55-plus, people seeking low-maintenance homes or those who want amenities such as hiking trails or waterfront access to support their active lifestyles. Homebuyers can also choose from locations in traditional communities, suburban mixed-use developments with urban attitudes, or smaller, urban infill projects.
New residential neighborhoods are even popping up in the city, where new construction has historically been scarce. “As land becomes harder to find, infill projects will become a larger part of our portfolio,” says Brian Busbee, vice president of sales and marketing for Eagle construction company. “We’ll focus on developing small boutique communities that fit the landscape.” The company is currently building a community of luxury townhomes on a site adjacent to Legend Brewing in Old Town Manchester, with each townhome offering panoramic views of the downtown skyline and the James River from the rooftop terrace.
Customization Is Key
The ability to customize a home and personalize it is a key selling point in 2020. “Every homeowner has specific needs,” says John G. Waters Jr., president of Biringer Builders, a custom homebuilder based in Midlothian. “We work with architects to design homes from scratch and have a portfolio of house designs that can be used as a jumping-off point. We’re finding that even when homebuyers fall in love with an existing floor plan, they look to us to customize it further to meet their needs.”
Tech-savvy homes are becoming the norm across the country. Here in Richmond the demand for upgraded electronic amenities — thermostats, door locks, security cameras — is growing. For some builders, incorporating wireless technology is a standard offering; for others, it’s a custom option.
Living Inside and Out
The trend toward open floor plans continues unabated, as does the desire for a seamless transition between the inside and outdoors.
“Usable outdoor space is key,” says Busbee. “People are very conscious of how their home opens to the outside. At GreenGate [a mixed-use, urban-style community in Western Henrico] one of the biggest selling points for our townhomes is the private fourth-floor terrace. At our more traditional communities, the most popular floor plans have side patios off the main living areas that are hardscaped and often covered, combining indoor/outdoor functions with low-maintenance materials and ease of access.”
Outdoor spaces must be as comfortable as a home’s indoor space, according to Waters. “Big front porches furnished with swings, rockers or couches are back, providing a social area where homeowners can interact more easily with their neighbors. Eze-Breeze and NanaWall windows, screened porches, covered patios and pool areas are equipped with amenities like outdoor fireplaces and heaters to extend living and dining areas outdoors.”
Seamless indoor/outdoor living (Photo courtesy Biringer Builders/MJC Marketing)
Maximizing Space
In recent years, home designers have been rethinking traditional floor plans and eliminating unused rooms as they look to maximize space. Living rooms were the first to go, followed by dining rooms. Living room spaces are often incorporated into open floor plans as great rooms or keeping rooms; some are finding new life as music rooms, home offices or homework/craft areas for kids; and in many new homes, dining rooms have been replaced by grand dining nooks adjacent to the open kitchen. Even the space underneath staircases (now located in the front of the house) is being used for storage or seating areas.
Storage, Storage and More Storage
From walk-in closets and butler’s pantries to mudrooms and laundry rooms, designers are optimizing every inch of available space for storage. According to Shannon Tootle of Signature Designs, homebuyers who entertain a lot are taking organization to the max by adding utilitarian spaces. “In recent years, butler’s pantries have been little more than a pass-through with shelves to provide additional storage,” Tootle says. “Now they’re being outfitted with a second dishwasher, a sink and tons of storage,” she says.
“Mudrooms are being designed with pets in mind, including dog-washing stations and storage for pet supplies. They’re great spaces to keep your pets — behind closed doors when necessary — with dedicated spots for their food and water and storage for pet-related items.”
“Usable outdoor space is key. People are very conscious of how their home opens to the outside.” —Brian Busbee, vice president of sales and marketing for Eagle Virginia
Sweet Suites
A recent article in U.S. News & World Report noted that master suites are getting larger: “Homeowners are considering their bedrooms as a space where they can spend more time beyond sleeping and getting ready for the day.” In Central Virginia, masters are increasing in size to accommodate sitting areas and large en suite baths with free-standing soaking tubs and spa-like amenities such as rainfall shower heads, steam showers and saunas.
"If the footprint of a house can accommodate the master on the first floor, homebuyers generally opt for that, no matter their age," Tootle adds. "The laundry room follows. They're bigger and more functional — with pull-out hampers, counter space, a sink and tons of storage — and many are adding secondary, smaller laundry rooms on the second floor."
