High Ceilings Increasingly Popular
According to consumer researchers at NAHB, even builders who focus on the first-time buyer end of the market should be prepared to emphasize top quality overall and high-end amenities, including maintenance-free materials and automated systems.
The size of new homes may be stabilizing, as builders appear to be evenly divided about whether in the next five to 10 years they will be taking their homes higher or lower than today’s 2,300-square-foot average. In the meantime, according to Gopal Ahluwalia, NAHB’s vice president and director of research, the most significant change in new homes today is the increasing popularity of nine-foot or higher ceilings.
“This used to be an upscale amenity, but now we’re seeing it even in average-priced homes,” he said. More than 50% of the homes built last years had high ceilings.