Victoria Brocklesby, COO and Co-founder at Origin, the UK’s leading manufacturer of luxury aluminium doors and windows, shares her insight into what’s motivating homeowner preferences in 2024.
This year is set to be an interesting one for the housing market. The latest forecast from Savills predicts that house prices could rise by 3%, whilst construction market analysts, Glenigan, predict that there will be an 8% increase in construction levels compared to 2023. Both insights are positive for housebuilders, but if last year taught us anything, it is that housebuilders still need to create homes that align with evolving homeowner preferences to secure those all-important sales.
So, what’s on homeowners’ minds?
Longevity and Sustainability
Energy efficiency was an important consideration to prospective property buyers throughout 2023, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.
While the technical aspects of building regulations might not be at the forefront of homeowner’s minds, the implications of energy efficiency are. Reduced environmental impact and lower utilities bills are compelling selling points when looking to attract house buyers.
Away from energy efficiency, we predict that the homeowner’s main focus will be on longevity as they look for product quality. Not only does it work out as better value for money in the long run, but it also complements the wider consumer trend to live more consciously. Buy well and buy once. Finishings that use sustainable materials and ensure longevity, whilst still providing aesthetic appeal, will be the priority.
Alternatives to Plastic
When it comes to windows and doors, homeowners are looking for alternatives to plastic. Google searches for ‘aluminium doors’ have continued to steadily grow over the past five years, whilst searches for ‘uPVC doors’ have been in rapid decline.
This is because aluminium offers a sleeker profile and slimmer sightlines, meaning more light can enter a property and views are maximised, whether that be via bi-fold or sliding doors, and windows. Due to its inherently low cost, uPVC products can only offer homeowners bulky frames with thick sightlines.
Multi-generational Living
Multi-generational living has soared since 2020. The decline in ‘empty nesters’ means that families want to update their homes to meet the needs of different generations all living under the same roof.
To accommodate this, open–plan layouts have been ditched in favour of broken-plan designs. Popularised in the 1970’s, open-plan layouts are no longer practical for the growing modern family where space for work and socialising needs to be separate.
Builders can help homeowners strike a balance between having separate, functional spaces and ensuring natural light in the home. They can do this by adding internal glazed doors to a property. Internal doors have become the most searched-for door type on Google over the last three years with searches rising by 35% in the past year alone. This is because homeowners are looking for ways to create practical areas within their homes, whilst still retaining natural light. Further to this, our Origin Internal Door range webpage has consistently been the most viewed product page on our website since launching in June 2022.
With more people now working from home, the Origin Internal Door can also create dedicated home office areas by using a combination of doors and screens with a corner post to create a new room in the home.
In Summary
As momentum builds in 2024, it remains paramount that housebuilders keep potential homeowner’s front of mind. Whilst some trends come and go, we predict sustainability and lifestyle changes are here to stay. Those proactive builders that consider the wants and needs of their customers, will be the ones that dominate sales in 2024 and beyond.
For more information on Origin visit Partner with Origin | Join Our Trade Team | Buisness Account (origin-global.com).
