Pandemic Prompts Changes To Home Design
RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) — The pandemic has changed everything from how we work, go to school, and in some cases where we live. Home developers are trying to keep up with the times, which means even their designs have changed.
Alex Limon, a sales manager at Premier Homes in Rancho Cordova, says their developers are making weekly modifications, maximizing every square foot to keep up with growing work from home trends.
"He goes to the drawing board probably every other night because we throw him an idea," she explained. "We have had a shift of people wanting workspace, learning space for the kids and also multigenerational families, wanting to consolidate and move into one space."
Limon said a majority of phone calls from buyers are looking for extra space to accommodate from working and doing schoolwork from home. Another popular request is to add extra space for family members to stay to help out with kids.
"We modify them as we need to, add junior suites if we need to add more family members, modify tech centers so we are able to assist our families, so we are able to use that space," she said.
Their biggest sales driver is their flexible floor plans with multiple rooms that can easily turn into home offices. Open floor plans are now a thing of the past with built-in WiFi hotspots, tech centers for kids, built-in desks and extra rooms filling the space. Premier Homes already had some of these designs pre-pandemic, now they say sales have skyrocketed with hopeful homeowners needing more space.
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"I think that is what is going to be the new norm," she explained
Out of 169 lots, only 42 are still available with many still under construction. While local demand is driving business, up to 25 percent of their buyers are coming from the Bay Area in the search of a new place to call home.
"Interest rates are so low, prices are a little bit lower than you would find in the Bay Area. All of that combined with the flexibility of our floor plans being able to work remote, really has helped," said Limon.