Wisconsin Building Supply has an experienced design and drafting department, and it has seen changes in customers’ attitudes and actions over the years.
We have noticed, in this past year, that the average customer is extremely aware of trends in housing and design. This can be attributed to cable TV channels (HG network) and the Internet. This means that designers must stay on top of things too – because the customer comes to us with many more avenues of information nowadays.
Customers have also become very price conscious. The average home size (square footage) is not as large (costly) as in the past. There will always be exceptions, of course, but the current trend is to “right size” a house for a person’s lifestyle. Bigger is not necessarily better. Here is an interesting article that touched on that very subject in Summer 2010.
Other trends that show bigger isn’t always better:
- Ceiling heights now average eight feet, down from ten feet.
- Two-car garages are the norm, instead of three- or four-car garages that were popular during the housing boom.
- Developers are selling smaller lot sizes to make room for more houses on their land. This makes up for lower unit prices.
- Customers don’t want the expensive heating bills that go along with large houses, but they will invest in Energy Star and extra insulation.
