Happy days are here. Still.
Buoyed by an exuberant economy, low interest rates and consumer confidence, America’s home builders and representatives of affiliated industries gathered here recently for their annual meeting: 65,000 ebullient souls who expect that 1998 will be a flat year, but that’s OK, since even “flat” will translate into good times. Business is that strong, overall.
How strong is it? David Seiders, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, told attendees to the trade group’s annual convention, known as the International Builders Show, that for the third consecutive year, he foresees 1.5 million housing starts in 1998. “New and existing home sales combined are the highest in our nation’s history,” Seiders said.
Arrayed for the attendees were more than 1,000 exhibits of building products and services, covering 22 acres at the Dallas Convention Center. Everything that goes into the construction of a home was here to be viewed, often with mind-numbing repetition and ear-buzzing volume levels.
Even amid the sensory overload that such an event inevitably generates, there were a few standout categories that may tell us something about what home-buying consumers will be looking at in the near future, and beyond. Some of the features that builders and manufacturers think we will be seeking:
– Quiet in the house: If it makes noise, there’s a way to quiet it down these days, as manufacturers of appliances, fans and even garage-door openers are touting ways to keep sound under control.
Owens-Corning, recognizing the popularity of media rooms, introduced its Acoustic Room System to bring “movie-quality sound entertainment to the average homeowner”; its various panels and “wall retainers” can be used in both new construction and retrofit situations.
– Programmable everything: Microprocessor technology has made massive forays into building products, most notably in the kitchen. Sub-Zero now has a series of refrigerators that permit the devices to set three temperature zones; KitchenAid has introduced a convection oven that automatically converts the time and temperature for standard radiant cooking recipes to the correct convection setting; Broan has a new range hood that automatically turns up the blower speed when it detects excessive heat, and will sound an alarm if it suspects overheating.
Technology is plenty evident elsewhere in the house, too. Manufacturers say that whole-house wiring systems to control telephones, VCRs, cable, home office equipment, security and more, are working their way down to a more affordable price range. Lucent Technologies, for example, unveiled a version of its HomeStar Residential Wiring System that the company says could be available for as little as $700.
– Pass the butter: The same folks who once gave us avocado-colored appliances seem to have settled on “biscuit” as the next pervasive hue in the kitchen. The tone (which matches the inside of an actual biscuit, not the crust) started showing up a couple of years ago in Corian solid-surface counters and Kohler sinks and fixtures. At the International Builders Show, KitchenAid appliances joined the ranks, probably assuring biscuit its place in ubiquity.
– Entrances and exits: Several trend-watchers at the show’s seminars told attendees that the recently popular two-story “volume” foyer may be losing its appeal in favor of gaining more square footage upstairs. At the back of the house, just about every door manufacturer offered some kind of swing-out French doors designed to supplant the standard-issue sliders that open onto our backyard decks.
– Nester power: The showcase houses that are built for attendees to browse at these shows were dominated by an empty-nester theme, intended to hammer into builders’ heads the demographic reality of our aging population.
In addition to the showcase New American Home described in previous Tribune coverage of the show, the Concrete Concepts House was pitched to empty-nester interests in a major way, the bottom line being luxury without maintenance.
These are comfortable empty-nesters, indeed, who eventually will live in this 5,600-square-foot mansion in the Dallas suburb of Plano. In addition to being lavishly decorated, the $1.2 million house has an esssentially maintenance-free exterior, crafted from poured concrete covered with masonry concrete stucco. The house is sponsored by the Portland Cement Association, based in Skokie.
Inside, concrete products abound, from cement-and-cast-stone fireplaces to its concrete-vault “saferoom” for protecting possessions (or people) from intruders. Its ground-floor master suite occupies a full separate wing of the house.
Maintenance concerns also were a major motivator in the design of the Traditional Home Flexible House in suburban Southlake (see accompanying story). The demonstration house had its origins in a survey of 800 women conducted by Traditional Home magazine. But the standout feature of the house, designed by Chicago architect Margaret McCurry, is its flexibility: features that are designed to adapt to the changing needs of the family that will inhabit it. For example, the master suite can be either upstairs or downstairs; the downstairs space can be configured as an in-law apartment; the living room can be converted into a home office.
The American Lung Association opened the doors of a new Health House to attendees. The house is one of 14 built around the country since 1993 to show the possibilities for improving indoor air quality. This Health House in suburban Coppell, built in conjunction with Home magazine, features whole-house ventilation and dehumidification systems, air-filtration systems, paints that are low in volatile organic compounds to reduce upper-repiratory irritation, wall barriers to control condensation that can lead to mold growth, among many other features.
Singular sensations
Beyond the ostensible “trends” there are always a handful of product introductions that are innovative–or just plain exotic–enough to get a stand-alone mention. Among them:
– ChemRex Inc. introduced its line of Radiance interior latex paints that the Minneapolis firm claims acts as a protective barrier for radiant energy. In winter, the paint reflects back into a room the heated air that normally would be absorbed by walls; in summer, it keeps much of the radiant energy of the sun from entering.
– In-Sink-Erator, the Racine, Wis., firm known for food waste disposers, introduced the Septic Disposer, purported to be the first food disposer designed to accommodate septic systems, a potential market of 27 million homes. The conventional grinding device features an enzyme treatment that continously breaks down food wastes.
– The NAHB and RealSelect Inc. announced at the show an agreement to develop a comprehensive Web site devoted to listing new homes for sale, sort of a companion site to the million-plus listings of resale homes that RealSelect operates for the National Association of Realtors. In other words, it wants to be an MLS for new-construction, according to Peter Tafeen, vice president of business development for RealSelect in Westlake Village, Calif., who acknowledged that many details remain to be worked out, including Web address and launch date, sometime in the next six months.
– Synthetic decking materials have been around for a while. Now comes SmartDeck, made from a composite of recycled milk jugs and wood fiber. SmartDeck is a division of the Eaglebrook Cos. in Chicago, which touts the product for being more durable than wood but being remarkably close in appearance to the original. The system of railings, posts, boards, balusters, etc. is designed with fluted channels that can conceal cables and wiring.
– Just when design prognosticators have begun telling consumers that the recent love affair with gigantic “spa” master bathrooms may be waning, along comes Jacuzzi. For those who still crave a temple of bathing indulgence, it offers the J-Allure, a “bathing environment” that comes complete with a full-size whirlpool bath, shower, steam bath and CD/stereo system (four speakers)–not to mention the optional cable-ready television/VCR, with monitor that can be adapted for DVD or WebTV. It’s big enough for two bathers and has two mirrors.
Like we said, happy days.
