A shift in design?

The experience for many of spending much more time at home during this pandemic may shape future living spaces.

“Will buyers be interested in seeing definitive changes to the expected home design in order to accommodate that working remotely scenario?” asks Charron Ungar, CEO of Homes by Avi, a home builder based in Calgary that builds in Edmonton and Austin, Texas. “What does that suggest — is it a physical change to the plan, introducing the home office, or is it more technologically based, having something behind the walls — Wi-fi-friendly plans? We’re now gathering data about what that experience has been.”

Trent Edwards, COO of Alberta for Brookfield Residential, a new home builder and developer in Alberta, Ontario and the United

States, wonders if people will be more interested in putting their money toward building “green rather than granite” — healthy building rather than luxury finishes. Spending more time inside one’s house, will people care more about air quality, water quality, quality of building materials?

“We have already seen it anecdotally,” Edwards said. “Over the last three weeks, we’ve made several estate sales in the $1-million to $1.5-million price range — and we hadn’t made any for months — but now people are thinking, ‘If I’m working from home, I want to be comfortable. I want there to be good space. And I’m not going to be travelling, so I have some dollars to invest into my home where I’m going to be spending more time.’ ”

Edwards thinks community developers such as Brookfield Residential will be looking closely at community design, making sure there are pathways for walking and programming for Home Owner Association amenities.