Some amenities homebuyers can consider when looking
HOMES,
Baby boomers, some now in their early 70s, want homes they can stay in as physical limitations set in. Homebuilders call it “aging in place.”
Many new developments include elevators as an option. Builder Mike Paris of BlackPine Communities estimates the elevator adds $25,000 to $35,000 to the price of the house, depending on how many “stops” it has. But you don’t have to buy the elevator yet. The spaces on each floor also serve as closets, pantries and storage rooms.
“This gives the buyer the peace of mind that they can age in place without incurring the cost when they may not need the elevator at that time,” Paris said.
Fewer young homeowners have kids. More have dogs, though. And many of us consider our dogs full-fledged family members.
Introducing the indoor doggy shower, with tiled walls and hot and cold faucets, often located in the laundry room. “It’s about 3 feet wide, 2 feet above the ground. A special faucet to wash at your waist. It’s like a half-tub,” said Matt Gustus of Anthem United Homes.
Other builders are adding doggy drawers in the kitchen of new homes: Slide open the bottom cabinet drawer, and it holds your pet’s eating dish and water bowl. Slide it back in and it’s out of sight. No tripping or accidentally kicking the water bowl.
Going solar is like getting braces. The row of panels on the roof isn’t pretty, but it could pay off with a smile in the long run.
Should you get one? It may require some calculations, based in part on how long you plan to live in this house.
The California Energy Commission estimates solar could add $10,000 to the cost of a new home, but the panels could cut average monthly utility bills by $80.
If you buy a home with a solar rooftop, should you order a solar-energy storage battery for your garage too?
Technology expert Bob Raymer of the California Building Industry Association says it may be a smart move as utility companies increase rates during new “time of day” electricity pricing. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, for instance, soon will begin charging more for energy customers between 5 and 8 p.m.
“There are going to be a lot of homeowners with sticker shock,” Raymer said.
A solar battery in the garage will allow homeowners to minimize evening utility bills by storing their own daytime solar energy, then tapping into it in the evening.
The batteries aren’t cheap, though, costing anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000. Tesla is among the makers. Some in the industry say prices will come down if you wait a few years.
Energy efficiency is about more than rooftop solar. The real bang for your buck may involve a new approach to attic insulation. Raymer of the BIA suggests buyers ask their builder if the attic can include energysaving insulation techniques now that will be required in 2020. It involves adding R19 insulation in the attic’s ceiling rafters, basically along the underside of the roof.
That will keep attic temperatures far closer to room temperatures in the house below, which will cool air conditioning ducts that run through the attic, making it easier for them to do their job of delivering cool air through the house.
New home energy efficiency is a fastchanging realm. For cooks, going no-carbon means stovetop cooking without gas. That’s going to be a tough sell for some traditionalists. Builders hope to make it easier by offering electricity-based induction stovetops as an alternative.
Lennar Homes officials say more buyers are multigenerational families who want to live under one roof, but want some distance from each other. So the company began building in-law apartments that are embedded in the main home, with a front door of their own, but with another door to the main house.
They call them Next Gen homes. The apartments have kitchenettes, a living room, bathroom, bedroom, washer and dryer and sometimes their own patio.
Grandparents can live there. Or 20-somethings back from college. Or special-needs adult children who can benefit from some independence. Or a homeowner can rent the space out to a tenant for extra income.
New homes are techier than ever. Doorbells now double as cameras and loudspeakers. You can see who’s at your front door via a smartphone app while sitting in your office miles away. If it’s someone selling a product, you can pretend you are home, politely saying no thanks. If it’s a delivery service, you can, if you choose, code them into the house, so they don’t have to leave the box on the porch.