Survey: Majority of builders believe kitchen is key to selling new homes

This article first appeared in the PB April 2011 issue of Pro Builder.

If there were any doubts about the importance of kitchen design in today’s market, rest assured that the kitchen remains the heart of the home, especially when it comes to selling new homes. Nearly eight out of 10 home builders surveyed by Professional Builder last month agreed that the kitchen is the most vital space in a home when it comes to marketing and selling new homes, while just 12.4 percent of respondents disagreed with the sentiment (Chart 1).

The kitchen is also by far the biggest source of feature-upgrade sales, according to the survey. Nearly 75 percent of respondents said they sell more upgrades in the kitchen than any other space in the home, while about 16 percent said the master bathroom was the biggest source of option sales.

What types of upgrades are builders selling? Cabinets, countertops, and appliances are the most popular upgrades, followed by flooring, islands, and lighting (Chart 2). Best-selling upgrades for bathroom spaces include plumbing fixtures, vanities, flooring, air-jet bathtubs, and faucets/sinks (Chart 3).

And while the average size of new homes in the U.S. continues to shrink (2,377 square feet in 2010, down from 2,521 square feet in ’07), the kitchen for the most part is not being affected, according to the survey. Only 12 percent of builders said they downsized kitchen spaces in their house plans during the past two years, while nearly a quarter said they actually increased the size of their kitchens (Chart 4).

Some builders attribute this trend to the growing popularity of TV cooking shows and culinary arts as a hobby. Said one builder: “The ‘more kitchen’ is a major buzzword as people better educate themselves in culinary arts and cuisine.” Another builder stated: “We’re building more dual-user kitchens. Many couples like to be active in the kitchen at the same time, and space is the top issue.” Of course, this trend can also be linked to the growth of the great room in home plans today, where the kitchen, dining room, and living room meld into one giant space.

When it comes to features and amenities specified most often in the kitchen, garbage disposals, energy-efficiency appliances, and pantry spaces top the list, according to survey respondents. Nearly 70 percent of builders said they specified disposals in all of their homes built during the past two years, while slightly more than half said they installed energy-saving appliances in all their homes (Chart 5).

Other popular features include pantry space (48 percent of builders installed pantries in all homes), granite/quartz countertops (43 percent), low-flow fixtures (42 percent), and food prep areas (33 percent). In the bathroom, dual vanities, water-efficient fixtures, separate tub/shower, and matching accessories are among the features specified most often by builders (Chart 6).

Chart 1. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “The kitchen is the most important space in the home when it comes to marketing and selling our new homes.”

Strongly disagree 6.7%
Somewhat disagree 5.7%
Neither agree nor disagree 8.0%
Somewhat agree 38.0%
Strongly agree 41.6%

Base: 300; Professional Builder, March 2011

Chart 2. What is your single-biggest feature when it comes to selling kitchen upgrades?

Cabinets 36.7%
Countertops 26.5%
Appliances 24.8%
Flooring 3.4%
Island 2.0%
Lighting 1.7%
Faucet/Sink 1.0%
Breakfast bar 0.3%
Other 3.4%

Base: 294; Professional Builder, March 2011

Chart 3. What is your single-biggest feature when it comes to selling bathroom upgrades?

Plumbing fixtures (i.e., toilet, showerhead) 33.7%
Separate tub/shower 17.2%
Vanities 12.1%
Flooring 10.8%
Whirlpool/air-jet bathtub 8.8%
Faucet/sink 5.4%
Lighting 1.7%
Other 10.3%

Base: 297; Professional Builder, March 2011

Chart 4. In general, across all the house plans your company offers, has the size of your kitchens changed in the past two years?

No 64.1%
Yes, we’ve downsized our kitchens 12.4%
Yes, we’ve up-sized our kitchens 23.5%

Base: 298; Professional Builder, March 2011

Chart 5. Approximately how many of the houses built, designed, or engineered by your company during the past 24 months include the following kitchen features?

All Most Some None

Garbage disposal 69.3% 17.4% 9.2% 4.1%
Energy-efficient/Energy Star appliances 52.1% 33.0% 13.2% 1.7%
Pantry 48.6% 28.9% 18.4% 4.1%
Granite/quartz countertops 43.2% 28.7% 22.6% 5.4%
Low-flow fixtures/faucets 42.5% 25.8% 24.4% 7.3%
Food prep area 33.2% 28.4% 26.6% 11.8%
Island 32.5% 39.0% 20.3% 8.1%
Trash/recycling pull-out drawer 26.3% 22.2% 33.2% 18.3%
Fireplace/hearth 26.1% 18.8% 29.3% 25.8%
Wall oven 25.5% 29.3% 31.4% 13.8%
42-inch/extended-height cabinets 24.7% 24.3% 31.3% 19.7%
Breakfast nook 23.4% 22.0% 37.3% 17.4%
Pull-out racks 22.8% 38.4% 26.0% 12.8%
Lazy Susan 22.2% 35.1% 23.3% 19.4%
Breakfast bar 21.3% 30.8% 33.9% 14.0%
Dual sinks 17.3% 19.4% 34.3% 29.0%
Professional- or designer-grade range hood 14.1% 23.8% 41.4% 20.7%
Kitchen office/computer nook 10.6% 23.0% 42.1% 24.4%
Professional-grade oven/cooktop combination 9.5% 21.5% 45.1% 23.9%
Wine storage area 6.6% 22.2% 46.7% 24.6%
Warming drawer 6.4% 16.0% 36.5% 41.1%
Trash compactors 5.0% 6.4% 32.5% 56.1%
Radiant heated floors 4.7% 7.6% 34.5% 53.2%
Separate faucet for pot filling 4.7% 7.9% 39.6% 47.8%
Outdoor kitchen 4.6% 6.4% 29.8% 59.2%
Specialty drawer refrigerators 4.6% 12.0% 35.6% 47.9%
Induction cooktop 4.0% 7.6% 35.9% 52.5%
Dual islands 2.0% 1.2% 21.5% 75.4%
Built-in composting bin 1.5% 2.2% 12.3% 84.1%

Base: 295; Professional Builder, March 2011

Chart 6. Approximately how many of the houses built, designed, or engineered by your company during the past 24 months include the following bathroom features?

All Most Some None