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Homes Talk to Women through the Home’s Livability

Homes Talk to Women through the Home’s Livability

by | Nov 13, 2019 | HER Home

This installment of the ‘Homes Talk to Women’ series focuses on the home’s livability. Researching women’s preferences, we discovered there are four ways women typically look at a home’s livability – its suitability for her and her household. These four Livability ‘lenses’ are areas for: Entertaining, De-Stressing, Storage, and Flexible Living.

Each of us places a different importance on these areas of the home. These can be static or changing depending on your lifestage. Factors such as the home’s available space (flexible areas, storage space), the makeup of your household (children, empty nesters, multi-generational), and your personal preference (love to entertain, passion for scrap-booking, like keeping things organized and out of sight) can all play into which livability lenses are most significant to you.

It has been said that when men enter a home they focus on one or two areas that wow them, whereas women tend to recognize several areas of the home and how they can work together – where furniture will be placed, traffic flow, convenience of storage spaces, etc. We call this a “spotlight” vs. “floodlight” scenario; men typically focus on areas they are interested in, while women are taking it all in to determine the home’s livability for her and her household.

At Design Basics, our floor plans are color-coded so you can easily identify these areas of the home (we call this Livability at a Glance™), and our online Plan Search tool lets you search by areas of importance to you. We invite you to take our Livability at a Glance quiz to discover your lifestyle profile.

If you missed the other segments of this four-part series, click the links below:

For more resources on thoughtful design: 

Cover Image: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/coffee”>Coffee photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

Homes Talk to Women as it Relates to Her Story

Homes Talk to Women as it Relates to Her Story

by | Nov 6, 2019 | HER Home

Rear Foyer - Elise, MaggieWelcome to Part 2 of the ‘Homes Talk to Women’ series focusing on as it relates to her story. Homes Talk to Women through her life experiences. What has she experienced in her current home or apartment? What does she like; what would she change if she could? Having lived in a home with no garage, for Aimee, the idea of walking into her home from the garage directly into the kitchen without a rear foyer was simply not on her radar screen. Now, homes without a rear foyer say to her, “Thoughtless!”

Homes Talk to Women through her knowledge. That’s one reason for touring model homes, watching HGTV, and surfing the internet. She may love the idea of a door-less walk-in shower (no door to clean!), but she may not know that it can get really cold without that door to keep the heat in. Incorporating a radiant towel warmer is an easy addition!

Homes Talk to Women through her culture, as different backgrounds may have significant influences on her preferences. Cultures that emphasize academic success may have strong interest in the Family Lounge concept where parents are involved with their kids’ homework. Feng Shui has significant influence over home design. The lack of a formal entryway, a closet directly opposite the front door, stairs facing the front door, or a bathroom door facing the front door all say to her, “This is not the home for me!”

Homes Talk to Women through her lifestage, appreciating the shifting needs of how people live in the home at those particular lifestages. Priorities and needs differ among newlyweds, growing families, empty nesters, and multi-generational households. Big closets in all the bedrooms say – ‘A place for everything’, and tells her she won’t be hearing any more, “But mom, there’s no place to put it!” from the kiddos.

Everyone’s life experiences and living situations are different. What’s your story and how do you prefer your home’s design to fit your story?

Next week learn how ‘Homes Talk to Women’ through the home’s livability. 

If you missed the other segments of this four-part series, click the links below:

For more resources on thoughtful design: 

Homes Talk to Women

Homes Talk to Women

by | Nov 1, 2019 | HER Home

Couple with BlueprintSince the beginning of 2003, our ongoing mission has been to evolve our knowledge, understanding of, and appreciation for women’s preferences in the home. Recently we stumbled upon the realization that homes talk to women; specifically, homes talk to women more so than men – what they say differs, and the “lenses” women filter their thinking through is much more complex and detailed than their male counterpart. This four-part series highlights how ‘Homes Talk to Women’ and the different ways home buyers look at a home’s layout, design, and livability. We’ll explore this more with our hypothetical couple, Jacob and Aimee.

Research suggests men typically think about a new home in terms of financial aspects (cost, monthly expense, investment), facts and figures (square footage, number of bedrooms), and where they’ll live – right down to the address itself. 

Those same issues are on Aimee’s mind, too, but she’s seeing the home more in terms of where life will happen, where experiences become cherished memories, or where the kids will grow up. She’s also looking at the home in terms of her household’s needs, wants, and desires, and importantly, dreams about what else needs to or can be done to make the home perfect. 

Jacob listens to Aimee’s dreams, but what he hears is ‘expense’ and ‘hassle’. What will it cost to finish off the basement? How much of the work am I going to have to do myself? This is one tremendous advantage for new homes as compared to resales – consider a $300,000 resale home with $50,000+ in updates and remodeling versus a new $400,000 home with everything already in place. What would you do?

Continue with the series by clicking the links below:

For more resources on thoughtful design: 

Photo Credit: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/people”>People photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

Multi-Generational Households

Multi-Generational Households

by | Oct 25, 2019 | HER Home, Great Design

Today, about 1 in 5 Americans live in Multi-Generational households.

By definition, multi-generational households have at least two adult generations living under the same roof. Traditionally, in-law suites were the design solution – in a pinch, mom and/or dad moved into a secondary bedroom. A secondary bedroom with direct bathroom access is preferable, but better for achieving both independence and togetherness is a home designed with two owner’s suites. Buyers who wish for a little more independence may also prefer a “Casita” layout or their own level of the house. With private access, bedroom suite, laundry, kitchen, and entertaining area, mom can have the ladies over without having to “schedule” the primary entertaining space. 

Dual Owner’s Suites Example
Cedar Grove – Plan #42339

Casita Layout Example
Frahm – #42357

Separate Levels Example
Strasser Pointe – Plan #42420FB

Dual Owner’s Suites. Aging parents…children returning home…widowed siblings…even lifelong friends looking to share a home…American households are changing. This is often out of economic necessity, such as a suddenly single widow(er) or even older couples wanting to split housing costs. 

An important consideration for older homeowners, is a no-step entry as well as interior passage doors at least 32″ wide, ensuring this home can welcome visitors of all abilities. You may want to consider zoned heating and cooling for everyone’s comfort. And, while tile continues to be the preferred flooring choice in bathrooms, falls are the leading cause of fatal injury among seniors. Selecting slip-resistant tile flooring just makes sense. 

Though the scenarios vary, all involve bringing people together. Beyond the home design aspects, there are lifestyle, social, and financial considerations to work through before choosing such a home. A widower may be looking forward to spending lots of time with his adult daughter, but she is already stretched between her job and family. Your college grad moves back and then you remember how loud those video games are. Your sister doesn’t drive, and all those doctor appointments will make it hard to commit to classes you want to take. The joys of being together can be wonderful, but you’ll want to have discussed and agreed upon certain ground rules for dealing with such issues before they arise. 

Search Dual Owner’s Suite Plans

Note: Design Basics offers more than 350 plans with the option of a no-step entry. 

For more resources on thoughtful design: 

The ‘Toasty Towel’ Solution

The ‘Toasty Towel’ Solution

by | Oct 18, 2019 | HER Home

Runtal Fain Towel Warmer

Photos courtesy of Runtal Radiators

Many of today’s larger, modern showers are doorless designs; great because there’s no door to clean, but some people report feeling cold before they are able to dry off. Common solutions are in-floor heat in your bathroom (installs under the tile), wall mounted heaters, and ceiling heaters (either blowers or heat lamps). Another bathroom warming option is a towel warmer.

Runtal Radiators offers electric and hydronic towel warmer radiators in flat-panel and round-tube designs as well as in different configurations and finishes. The Fain model is a minimalist design using round and square elements, complementing contemporary bathroom design. In addition to a warm bathroom, you get to enjoy the feel of a toasty towel!

Read more articles in our latest edition of Her Home™ Magazine.

Learn more about Runtal Radiators.
(Product spotlights are for informational purposes.)