More house for your money

People who decide to build a home find that they've got a lot of options.
By TANYA FOGG YOUNG
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Thanks to historically low interest rates, buyers are getting more house for their money.
And they don't want to waste a square foot of it.
Designers and builders are responding by finding a function for nearly every nook and cranny.
The results: expansive laundry rooms, mud rooms, home office nooks or gathering rooms off kitchens, traditional attic space and more.
"It used to be, 'Build it and they will come,' but now we're trying to meet expectations, trying to figure out what buyers want -- what the next emerging trend is," said Mark Bostic, owner of Square One Design Service, a residential and remodeling designer.
"We're trying to assess where the market is going and beat the competitor there."
Many of Bostic's designs are for custom-built homes with at least 2,000 square feet, with ample space for the "extras," such as traditional attics reached by a staircase instead of pull-down stairs.
"My customers are the move-up buyers wanting to remedy the faults of their house with a new one," Bostic said.
A few choices
These buyers typically want things such as laundry rooms that are more than a nook tucked away in the hallway or folding doors off the kitchen that hide the washer and dryer. They want laundry rooms with lots of cabinetry, counter space, a sink and a place to drip-dry clothes.
Sometimes the more spacious laundry rooms also include "mud rooms," requested mostly by Northern transplants, house designer Richard Mock said. In other houses, the mud room is a small organizational space -- usually a hallway -- near the rear entry or from the garage, Bostic said.
Features and rooms that began in custom homes -- such as bonus rooms and great rooms -- have made their way into the more affordable production-built homes, Bostic said.
"Some savvy production builders will pick up on the trends and start putting them in their houses," Bostic said. "It will get to the point where if a buyer of a 1,000-square-foot house asks for a laundry room big enough for a sink, drip space and a washer and dryer, she'll get it."
Ernie Magaro of Rymarc Homes, whose company's mantra is "Providing the affordable American dream," said he's not sure things have reached that point.
Variety of plans
Rymarc offers 14 plans, ranging from the low $80,000s to $145,000 for houses of 1,200 square feet to 2,600 square feet, Magaro said. Only one plan, for example, includes a separate laundry room, with a $122,000 price tag from 2,200 square feet.
"We're not a custom builder, but we try to give the most house for the least amount of money we can," Magaro said of the 21-year-old company. "We try to research the market for what the customer wants, build different models and, within a package, come up with something to satisfy most of the first- and second-time homebuyers we deal with."
Magaro said most Rymarc homebuyers are looking for a formal living room, dining room and a separate family room. They want smooth-top appliances and bathrooms with oval tubs and a separate shower stall, he said.
"The key is to meet the pocketbook and provide something somebody can afford to move into and not be house poor," he said.
Unlike Bostic, Mock said he encounters more homeowners who would rather remedy their houses' "faults" through remodeling instead of new houses. Many of Mock's clients, whose homes typically are 10 to 15 years old, hanker for niceties such as larger kitchens and sunrooms.
"They want the larger kitchens so they can be eat-in, using a built-in island for the breakfast area," said Mock, who recently began a home-building business with partner Jason Lenker. "And instead, they're using the breakfast area as a gathering area or keeping room."
Favorite feature
The keeping room of a $380,000 home K & amp;A Builders recently built was Pat Andrews' favorite feature of the house completed by himself and partner Pat Kistler.
Complete with a fireplace and built-in cabinetry with a nook for television, the keeping room also has ample space for a couch and love seat.
"It's like a den off the kitchen, but it's a way to entertain guests and family all in the same little area," said Andrews, who typically builds houses costing $200,000 to more than $400,000. "But it doesn't take the place of the traditional great room -- you still have that, too."
Another custom home-builder, Debbie Del Priore, whose average house costs $325,000, said that in addition to the ever-popular cries for more storage space, she hears lots of requests for sunrooms.
"They've always been something people want in a new home or added to an existing house," Del Priore said. "People want something that feels like a porch, but they want it air-conditioned and don't want to deal with heat and pollen."
Andrews said he has begun adding a couple of features to each FROG (finished room over garage) in the homes he builds -- a bathroom and closet.
"We've gotten a whole lot of requests for that in the past, so we're incorporating them in the houses we're doing now," said Andrews, who typically builds houses costing $200,000 to more than $400,000.
"We're taking a risk by carrying that cost, but that's fewer things we'll have to add later."
Higher-cost extras
Because of customers' requests, Shumaker Builders has started offering higher-cost extras to meet demand.
About two years ago, buyers began asking for usable front porches -- something the company didn't do previously because of the expense, president Dan Shumaker said.
"They want the porches, and in the $130,000-and-up houses they want the 'built-ins' -- the entertainment center, bookshelves, bookcases and book ledges," Shumaker said.
"And they want the interior finishes, heavily upgrading standard features and getting things like hardwood, tile and nicer countertops."