Today’s Jewel Box Homeowners Choose Quality instead of Quantity

By Warren Clark - Houston Region Marketing Manager for BMC West Building Materials

Today’s Jewel Box Homeowners Many homeowners who can afford larger homes are choosing to incorporate quality into smaller new or existing homes instead.  This new “jewel box” home trend is driven by an appreciation for the original character of older homes, yet homeowners also want to incorporate the latest product innovations, especially when it comes to reliability and performance.

Research by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) indicates that today’s homeowner would overwhelmingly choose a smaller home with high quality products and amenities (63 percent) over a larger house with fewer amenities (37 percent).

It’s the details and special touches that are so important to homeowners and builders.  Many are upgrading and adding more expensive design elements instead of increasing square footage.  They are very attentive to details.  “For example, they want wood grains and species to match throughout their home,” said Gary McDonald, Custom Construction Sales Manager of BMC West Building Materials.

As the median and average prices of new and existing homes have more than doubled in the last two decades, even homeowners who may be able to afford larger homes are choosing to either stay put or buy below their means in order to afford upgrades with premium quality products and amenities.

That’s resulting in higher demand for products such as solid wood doors and real wood windows, including craftsman styles that reflect a sense of history.  Homeowners also are taking style a step further by adding special touches, such as transoms and sidelights.

Small may be beautiful, but when it comes to the front doors of these “jewel box” homes, grand entrances are increasingly common.  For today’s quality-conscious homeowner, a custom entry system ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 isn’t unusual.

Jewel box owners are incorporating special features into their home, touches that may have been cost prohibitive for them in a bigger home.  Solid wood doors made from beautiful wood species ranging from alder, cherry, oak, and mahogany; interior doors with custom cast glass; and copper cladding for wood windows are just some of the popular upgrades and quality touches that today’s home owners are looking for in their smaller homes.

Kitchen and bathroom cabinets are increasingly more substantial and factory built with greater manufacturing precision and more durable finishes than cabinets built and painted on jobsites.

Homeowners are increasingly opting for upgraded “jewelry” in their homes - - this includes high-end solid bronze or brass door locks and levers, cabinet pulls, and designer quality kitchen sinks and faucets.

Quality, luxuriousness, and durability are the driving forces in the products being selected in today’s fine home -- regardless of its size.

Warren Clark is the Houston Region Marketing Manager for BMC West Building Materials, a supplier of windows, cabinets, doors, and door hardware