ONE-STOP STYLE SHOPPING

If the term “production home” makes you think of cookie-cutter, plain-vanilla, no-frills stucco-and-block box, think again. Today’s builders are offering new ways to achieve custom looks. Buyers purchasing homes from high-volume builders now enjoy a wide range of customization opportunities through in-house consultants and lavish design centers where they can select everything from fixtures to flooring.

So, what’s driving this trend? Competition and choices, says Katie Suggs, southeast regional marketing director for Meritage Homes. “The market is still quite competitive and buyers have choices,” she says. “A builder who can offer customization options has a distinct advantage over other builders of new homes, and over resale homes as well.”

And today’s buyers have access to up-to-the-minute information on products, finishes and design trends, adds Leigh White, national director of design studios for Ashton Woods Homes. “Consumers have the advantage of real-time design information,” she notes. “They can find it on the Web, on HGTV and through countless home improvement resources via print and electronic media.” 

The availability of information means that many buyers will have a broad working knowledge of the aesthetic, technical and practical elements of home design. And they’re likely to expect—and demand—many of those elements in their own new home.

CENTERED ON CONVIENIENCE

A number of Central Florida’s builders are addressing the desires of increasingly sophisticated buyers with elaborate design centers that showcase the plethora of options available. David Weekley Homes’ Orlando Division President Shad Tome says that these centers serve as a tempting and colorful “candy store of home selections.”

Ashton Woods Homes’ centers are called The Studio, and offer what White calls “a semi-custom experience.” The Studio showcases gourmet kitchen packages, elegant master bath choices and a variety of flooring options and architectural finishes, as well as state-of-the-art technology and home automation options.

At Ryland Homes, the My Style design centers showcase choices for the home’s exterior, including brick, stone, stucco and siding. For the interior, buyers can select paint color, flooring, molding, cabinets, countertops, lighting, appliances, plumbing fixtures and electrical and security options. 

“With standard and upgraded elements, buyers can put their own personal touches on their new homes, inside and out,” says Angie Colston, vice president of sales and marketing at Ryland Homes Orlando. She adds that design consultants are on hand to offer assistance and expertise.

Toll Brothers, a luxury production builder, uses the moniker Design Studio for its one-stop option shops. “We showcase all the options and provide personalized service from a design expert,” says André Vidrine, vice president of Toll Brothers’ Central Florida Division. Choices range from such details as crown molding and light-fixture wiring to such major undertakings as outdoor kitchens or bathroom water closets.

KB Home sends buyers to the KB Home Studio after they select their ideal floorplan, says spokesperson Cara Kane. “The KB Home Studio is a unique retail setting featuring thousands of design choices and products to truly personalize a new KB home,” Kane says. “We also offer design consultants to help buyers create their dream home.”

No matter what they’re called, the philosophy of these centers is essentially the same: to provide an easily accessible, comprehensive resource for buyers to personalize their homes according to their tastes, lifestyle and needs.

A VALUABLE EXPERIENCE

Design centers provide more than convenience for buyers; they also streamline the process, reducing the possibility of errors and potentially saving both the buyer and the builder money. 

“Making selections from the garage or closet of a home, or having to drive to multiple destinations and deal with multiple contacts, can be frustrating,” says Suggs. “Plus, it increases the possibility for mistakes and dissatisfaction.” With centralized design centers, she adds, selections can be made in one place, at one time, with a professional designer to offer guidance.

Best of all, a design center allows buyers to see and touch the products as they consider where they can economize and where they can splurge. “A design center enhances the ‘sensory’ for a homeowner, leading to an overall better experience,” says Tome.

Adds Kane: “Our customers have more control over the price of their home. They can decide how much to spend and where to spend it—whether they want to go ‘all out’ or keep it simple with a focus on key areas such as the kitchen.”

Also, she says, buyers can roll the cost of their selections into their mortgages. 

WHERE THE BUYS ARE

While design centers showcase wall-to-wall — and floor-to-ceiling — choices, kitchens and baths are where most people focus. “Kitchen and bathroom upgrades tend to offer the most return on investment,” notes Colston.

Budget-minded buyers may peruse design centers for the most affordable choices to keep costs low on such items as, say, interior finishes, while putting more dollars toward such bigger-ticket items as upgraded exteriors. The reason, Kane says, is simple: exteriors cost far more to alter at a later date, while changing out flooring or cabinetry is a less expensive proposition. 

Design centers give builders the opportunity to distinguish themselves in a competitive market while providing a valuable service to buyers. “The design center experience makes building a new home extraordinary for homebuyers,” says Tome. “Interior choices are personalized, current and distinctive to their family and lifestyle.”