Homes designed for form, function, family
By: RAAM WONG - For the North County Times
A tug of war between function and fashion is on display on a quiet hilltop in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, where two houses were designed for vastly different buyers: one for a family, the other for a playboy.
On most days, passers-by stop to admire the modern design of the playboy pad at 525 Liverpool Drive, with its arched roof, stainless steel doors, loads of party space and sleek bathrooms fitted with urinals.
But while visitors ogle and snap photos, they rarely give much thought to the for-sale sign in front of the home, which has been on the market for about a month.
“It's like a Ferrari,” said custom home builder Randall Lee of North County. “Everybody loves a Ferrari, but not everyone wants to buy one.” The home is better suited for entertaining guests than rearing children, he added.
Lee and his partner, Mark Harke, also built the adjacent home, 527 Liverpool Drive, which includes similar amenities -- stainless steel appliances and surround-sound -- but in a more conventional, kid-friendly form. It's the kind of home that families are looking for, according to real estate marketing specialists. Buyers expect their new houses to contain modern conveniences, but they want them to be woven seamlessly into the fabric of a comfortable, functional space.
“What strikes people today is not the razzmatazz,” said Mark Nash, a Chicago-area real estate broker and author of ? Tips for Buying and Selling a Home.” Nash said homebuyers are instead asking: “How is this going to function while I'm living in this space?”
With rising interest rates and perceptions of a softening housing market, homebuyers in 2006 may need an added bell or whistle before signing on the dotted line.
“It's more a buyer's market than a seller's market,” said Tim Sullivan, president of Sullivan Group Real Estate Advisors in Carmel Valley, which consults for the housing industry.
The bubble isn't popping, Sullivan said, adding that home prices remain robust and that the recent slump in new-home sales reflects both the season and the normal business cycle.
But builders need to display model houses that a homebuyer can actually imagine living in, from a furnished family room that looks comfortable to a backyard set up for playtime, Sullivan said.
“Home builders are having to get back to the basics,” he added. “They have to display a compelling value to homebuyers.”
New houses are competing with the sale of pre-owned homes. And the competition is stiffening. Sullivan said that if that trend continues, popular design features such as stainless steel kitchens could become standard or readily available as part of upgrade packages in more moderately-priced homes.
New homes are being built to reflect the needs of today's family, builders say, including everything from mudrooms and playrooms to a variety of storage options -- a top concern of homeowners.
Skyrocketing long-term care costs mean that a homeowner's elderly parents may be living with the family. As a result, more builders are now adding downstairs bedrooms with bathrooms fitted with walk-in showers for an occupant who may have trouble climbing stairs.
Designers are sizing down or eliminating traditional living rooms, which have long gone underused. New family areas, called “great rooms,” provide space for a variety of leisure activities, from browsing the Internet to sinking into a couch and watching a movie.
“The living room is just the room you pass by to get to the great room where you do the living,” said Bob Call, who co-owns Blackbird Interiors in Encinitas with his wife, Cathy Blackbird.
Most new homes can now be fitted with a flat-screen TV over the fireplace, with the wires running through the wall to a nearby cabinet containing the cable box. And almost all homes come equipped with wiring for Internet, cable and phone in every room.
High-end home buyers are also expecting spa-like master bathrooms with frameless showers, large showerheads with separate whirlpool bathtubs, double vanities and coffee bars. Exercise rooms for massage, yoga or meditation help reinforce the idea that home is a sanctuary in a family's stressful world, Call said.
“People are looking for a place to go back to, to get comfortable and rejuvenated,” he added.
The heavy use of textures that pique the senses is a trend that is likely to continue in 2006, designers say. Natural elements such as warm earth tones and textured wall coverings such as grass cloth can also enhance the coziness of home. “Anything that's not comfortable is on its way out,” Blackbird said.
Smaller lot sizes mean families are looking to courtyards as private outdoor spaces where they can dine, play and enjoy the Southern California weather.
In the kitchen, granite countertops and commercial appliances are practically standard in new high-end homes. “There's a high emphasis on stainless steel kitchens,” said Suzie Ek, vice president of sales and marketing for Standard Pacific Homes, a national developer with new homes in Carlsbad and San Marcos.
Flooring options abound, from ebony hardwood to shag-pile carpet. Bamboo has been touted as a less expensive, environmentally friendly alternative to hardwood. But it has yet to catch on in North County, designers say.
Blackbird said that in the homes she's designed, the highly durable bamboo flooring is used mostly in children's areas, if even at all.
Even as new-home builders try to wow shoppers in a slowing market, buyers should steer clear of the ephemeral and seek the enduring, designers say.
Trendy interior designs and color schemes that are all the rage today could go the way of the avocado-green sofa tomorrow.
“We're not looking for trendy,” Blackbird said. “Good design is timeless.”
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