Top 10 Features for Lowcountry new homes

John Wieland Homes - Dunes West 

New home buyers from across the United States demand new construction homes with an assortment of “must have” features. On the highly desirable list are:

1. Flexible living space that can be either a home office, a playroom or homework study space
    
2. Open layouts
    
3. Ample storage
    
4. Enough bathrooms
    
5. A home which accommodates several generations
    
6. Expansive master bathrooms with showers and soaking tubs
    
7. Well-integrated outdoor living spaces with easy access from indoors to outdoors
    
8. Mudroom
    
9. Laundry room
    
10. Hardwood floors
     
11. Easy to care for exteriors
     
12. Low maintenance landscaping

But which of these nationally in-demand items also are highly desirable in Lowcountry homes? We’ve narrowed down the best-of-the-best to give you the top ten features buyers want in their Charleston homes.

Open Living Space
 

Nexton - Open Living
 

Open Living
 

Pulte Homes - Open Living Space

 

The mudroom is an updated, open coat closet

With our Lowcountry long summers and mild winters with little to no snow to melt into mud, but you want space for coats, shoes, and backpacks, a mudroom a.k.a. drop zone off the garage is a highly desirable feature. Though if you live near the ocean, river or lake, a sandroom is definitely beneficial. Lennar and DRB Homes include drop zones in many of their plans.

Lennar - mudroom

 

DRB Homes -  Drop Zone

 

Family space and dining

When it comes to space, Charleston home buyers want expansive, open layouts where the kitchen and family space are integrated and include dining areas. Most builders in the market include a breakfast bar at either a kitchen island or counter. This becomes the perfect space for kids to do homework or owners to spread out for work while enjoying a cup of coffee. Larger homes in the market include areas solely dedicated to dining, while being connected to the main family area.

_{Open Loft / Upstairs Flex Space}

We work from home and need home offices

And speaking of work, home offices are highly desired. With more and more people working from home, having dedicated space where you can have a quick Zoom conference call is important to anyone who works from home or even just pays their bills and manages home finances. Local builders typically include separate home offices or flexible spaces which can serve many purposes.
 

John Wieland Homes - Dunes West - Flex Space

Bathroom to bedroom ratio is high for new homes

A feature which everyone will agree is of greatest need is an adequate number of bathrooms. These days, most new homes on the market have a minimum of two and a half baths. Homes with four bedrooms frequently have a minimum of three baths. While there is no fixed ratio of bathrooms to bedrooms, these days it seems that a master bath is required by Charleston buyers and at least a bathroom for every two additional bedrooms. Homes with large family living spaces often include a half or guest bath.

Lennar - Secondary Bedroom

Owner’s suite retreat

Large owner’s suites are still a major requirement for new homes in the Lowcountry. Composed of an owner’s bedroom and bathroom, an owner’s retreat is a place for renewal. Influenced by home design television shows, owners want personal spaces that reflect their tastes. Integrated into this suite, a walk-in closet with ample storage for both partners is a must.

Owners Suite Retreat

The spa influence is at work when it comes to the owner’s bathroom. Master bathrooms with both a soaking tub and a separate shower are also in demand. Working heads-of-households want a quiet retreat at the end of the day where they can soak away cares or enjoy some alone time. 

Owners Suite Retreat Bathroom

Closets for every room must be large

Teens, small kids, and mother’s in law all need large closets in their bedrooms. Lowcountry new home builders have included ample closets in the homes they are building. These may include multiple height hanging areas and even built in drawers and storage shelves. 

Outdoor living space

An outdoor patio, covered front porch, or screened porch are all much sought-after amenities here. With mild weather most of the year, enjoying the evening from a rocking-chair front porch or watching the kids play with their friends is a wonderful way to enjoy leisure at home. In neighborhoods like Carnes Crossroads, Point Hope, Nexton and Summers Corner most homes include spacious front porches. Screened porches are a favorite amenity. With ceiling fans and seating areas, these serve as outdoor living rooms where a fierce game of Monopoly can take place or where you can curl up and read a book. You’ll find screen porches are highly desirable in the lowcountry whether on the front, side or back of the home most if not all homebuilders provide screened porches.

John Wieland Homes - Screen Porches
 

Porches & Outdoor Living
 

Nexton - Outdoor / Indoor Living

Hardwood floors

While carpet is nice in bedrooms, many buyers want hardwoods in their living and family areas. Because of their ease of care, hardwoods are on every buyer’s list. Builders are providing engineered hardwood floors and plank hardwoods per plans and included features.  

 

Lowcountry-style and easy-to-care exteriors

Hot summer sun beats down on the Lowcountry from May - September. Home exteriors must be designed to withstand this brutal exposure. HardiPlank siding is used in many Lowcountry homes. This cementitious siding can endure hurricanes and high temperatures. Another low-maintenance exterior is vinyl siding. With advances in design, vinyl frequently emulates wood clapboards and even shingles. 

 

Pulte - Exterior
 

Southeastern Family Homes 
 

Model Exterior
 

Beazer - Jasmine Point at Lakes of Cane Bay

Separate laundry rooms keep the wash and fold out of sight

According to the Cleaning Institute, the average family does 50 pounds of laundry per week. That’s a lot of washing and folding. Having a dedicated space where sorting, ironing and soaking or pre-treating can easily take place is very important to many buyers.

Lennar - Laundry Room

 

DRB Homes - The Enclave at South Pointe Estates

While this is our top ten list of lowcountry home must haves, you may have your own list. We invite you to share and comment, letting us know what your preferences are.

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12.19
 

 

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Tagged as: Housing Trends

Categories: The Guide  Lowcountry Neighborhood News