New Homes Will Include Personalized Office Space; KB Homes Leads the Way
Since the beginning of the Covid lockdown, the work from home trend has increased dramatically. Folks began converting garages and nooks in bedrooms and dens into workplaces. Homebuilders have been responding to the need.
Lennar Homes (the second largest homebuilder in the country), according to Forbes, has noticed that buyers are focusing on NextGen homes, not for the usual reason of having a few generations of a family live together, but rather to use the extra rooms as dedicated home offices. The company will respond to the new desire of homebuyers with a focus on home office space.
In early August, KB Home rolled out a new style home/office package to buyers. “At first, people saw the need to work from home as likely to be temporary, but now it’s clearly not a temporary shift … As many people adjust to working from home permanently, they desire a dedicated, personalized room for their office, and that’s what we designed into our floorplans,” Said Jeff Metzger, CEO of KB Home.
Traditionally 5% of Americans worked from home; now that number has skyrocketed to 40%. When the pandemic ends that percentage will drop, but most observers believe that the percentage of those working from home will remain elevate for the long term, possibly permanently.
According to Business Insider, Twitter has announced that their remote work force will be permanent. Facebook stated that their remote employees will continue working from home at least through the autumn. And Google, America’s 11th largest company by revenue, has said that employees will continue working from home till at least July 2021.
Additionally, some folks who lost their jobs, began home based startups as a means of earning income. Regardless, the trend of working from home is growing.
The KB home office offering includes built-in workstations and cabinetry, an upgraded electrical package, better lighting, additional windows, and sound proofing.
The good news is that the KB Home package is quite affordable, ranging from $2,000-$3,000. And, of course, the home workspace is tax deductible. KB’s plan is to reconfigure the space in the home, rather than enlarging it, serves to keep the price down. The company will offer the office feature into all home price ranges. The complete rollout will be completed within 60 days.
Although KB Home is at the forefront of the new home designs, other builders are sure to follow suit.