6 Ways COVID-19 Will Change Our Homes

Our homes, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, have become so much more than just living spaces. They’re makeshift offices, gyms and classrooms. They’ve hosted happy hours and made room for new hobbies. And, after spending the past few months sheltering in place — interacting with our spaces in entirely new ways — we’ve redefined what being “at home” ultimately means. Real estate experts from across the country predict how home design will adapt to this new normal.

1. Bigger Lot Sizes. Today’s homebuyers are looking for bigger lot sizes, even if prioritizing the space and acreage pushes them further away from a city center. Because so many buyers are working from home, and plan to do so post COVID-19, they no longer care as much about commute times, Paul says. As a result, they’re moving out toward the edge of town, and homes in the country are piquing their interest more.
2. Smart Bathrooms and Bidets. While bidets are staples in many homes around the world, Americans have largely overlooked them until the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020. Bidet companies have reported a spike in sales during COVID-19, and buyers are seeing them as less of a luxury and more of a practical necessity in residential bathrooms. Still, most homes on the market today have traditional toilets. The demand for smarter bathrooms, may have been picking up momentum even prior to COVID-19. Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Kohler introduced a suite of smart bathroom technology that includes touchless toilets with smart sensors and bath presets that will remotely draw a bath.
3. Multi-Generational Homes With New Features. Multi-generational homes have been trending for several years, as parents and in-laws have been moving in with their adult children, requiring care as they age and also helping out with grandkids. But COVID-19 has accelerated this trend. The pandemic has been tough on families who have not been able to visit their loved ones in senior living communities, Multi-generational homes will create a demand for ground-level home suites. These homes will be mindful of ADA-compliances, like wider bathroom doors, lower positioning of light switches, and dropping down kitchen countertops a few inches, she says. With more people living under one roof, green homes features will be prioritized, too.
4. A New Space Designed for Package Delivery. E-commerce has been around for years, but our home design hasn’t necessarily caught up, with packages left unsecured on our doorsteps making easy and tempting targets. Now, as people are avoiding stores and shopping more online, developers and contractors will be considering a new home feature: a designated area for package drop-offs. It will most likely be a small room with a door to the outside and have the capability to receive drone deliveries. This room should also include a door to the recycling bin so that unpacking can happen there before the contents are brought into the house.
5. Not Just Smart Homes — Healthy Homes. Smart technology in homes got its start as a luxury born out of convenience. But today’s buyers are hyper aware of touching surfaces and want to use voice technology to control devices and electronics, and will be looking for ways to avoid touching doorknobs, etc. He also predicts new health-focused features becoming more common, like viral-resistance surfaces, indoor air quality monitoring and UV air-treatment systems.
6. Fewer Open Floor Plans. Having walls and being able to self-isolate from other members of the household is becoming more important. In addition to dedicated spaces indoors, buyers are prioritizing outdoor living spaces, with a greater emphasis on patios and decks.
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Adapted from Livability.com. June 2020, Brittany Anas, Author