Homeowners Are Rejecting Frills

The long U.S. housing downturn has led homeowners to scale back both the size of houses and the amenities found within them, but consumers are still willing to invest in energy efficiency, according to a quarterly survey by an architects’ trade group.

The survey by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) found budget-conscious Americans are less interested in having hobby or game rooms, media rooms, home workshops, or suites for in-laws. Exercise rooms and additional laundry space are also less popular than a year ago, as are three-car garages.

Home offices are the most popular special-function room, the survey found. Almost 46 percent of architects said home offices are gaining in popularity, up about 5 percentage points from a year earlier.

The increase is due to the appeal of telecommuting and the growing number of Americans who are self-employed or who run small businesses that have had to give up office space.

Meanwhile, more consumers are asking architects to make sure their homes are energy-efficient. Two-thirds of architects said clients increasingly demand better insulation to lower heating and cooling costs. More are also requesting double- and triple-glazed windows, water-saving devices and solar panels.

What about you? Are you scaling back on some of the things you once considered important in a home, including the size of the home? We’d love to hear your opinion of this survey. Just click the ‘comment’ link below and sound off. Your email address, though needed to comment, will never be published at this site or shared with any third parties.