Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, explains how households have changed in recent years and how homeowners can adapt
The structure of the modern family has changed significantly over the last 10 years. The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, plus a dramatic rise in interest rates and a steep increase in house prices, has made it harder for young people to get on the property ladder. As a result, children are living at home with their parents for longer.
A recent report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirms that between 2011 and 2021, the number of non-dependent children living at home shot up by nearly 15 percent.
Today, the average age for ‘flying the nest’ has risen to 24.6 years old as the affordability of homes forces young adults to either remain at, or return to, their parental home. Two decades ago, the average age was 21.
While big renovation projects or extensions can help families alter their homes to suit their changing needs, most homeowners can’t commit to large scale projects while budgets remain tight. Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, explains how builders can help families make the most of their homes using innovative glazing solutions.
Multi-generational living
A decline in ‘empty nesters’ means families need to update their homes to meet the needs of different generations all living under the same roof. According to the RIBA, a quarter of homeowners want to reconfigure their homes to better suit their needs.
While open plan layouts have soared in popularity, they aren’t practical for the growing modern family. As more people now live, work, and socialise from home, different zones are needed for a variety of purposes and to suit all family members.
Broken spaces
Building walls to separate rooms is an obvious solution, especially with nearly 10 percent of families wanting a more versatile living environment by having rooms that can be divided, according to RIBA.
‘Broken’ living spaces can be created using internal glazed doors. These allow for privacy and separate living areas when closed or can be opened to connect rooms for greater feeling of space.
The Origin Internal Door (OI-30) provides an elegant, stylish way to achieve this, while allowing natural daylight to flow throughout the home. Made from premium-grade aluminium, the Origin Internal Door is available either as a single door, a French door, or a fixed screen. Homeowners can customise the door to suit their style of property, with a wide variety of options for glazing bar configurations, handle styles, and colours available.
With more people now working from home, the Origin Internal Door can also be used to create dedicated home office areas. According to RIBA, nearly 20 percent of homeowners want a home office. The Origin Internal Door can achieve this by using a combination of doors and screens with a corner post to create a new room in the home.
The kitchen hub
The kitchen has evolved from being a place for cooking to being the heart of the home, used for socialising and spending family time together. A survey by a leading trade kitchen supplier reveals that homeowners spend nearly seven hours in their kitchen each week.
As almost 70 percent believe the design of their home affects their wellbeing, it’s therefore vital that the kitchen is designed to meet homeowner needs. Natural daylight is key to creating this environment as it is proven to improve mood, productivity, and mental health.
Bi-folding doors are an excellent addition to a kitchen as they allow an abundance of light into the home and can be concertinaed and folded away to create an uninterrupted view. The Origin Bi-fold Door has a unique free-glide running system with two threshold options, helping create a seamless link between the home and garden. Made with aluminium for ultra-slim sightlines, it can achieve U-Values as low as 1.1 W/m2. An ultra-secure 8-point locking system makes it one of the most secure systems available.
Despite budgets for large scale renovations remaining tight, builders can still help homeowners create their dream home which suits their changing lifestyles using clever glazing solutions. Origin uses data trends to ensure our systems continue to meet homeowner demand, and to help our Partners deliver the best possible solutions for modern family life.
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