Popular House Trends for Baby Boomers

Here at the Hodorowski Group, we are noticing a rising trend in the types of houses and communities we are building that are more geared toward Baby Boomers, or, those born between the years of 1946-1964. Many of these Boomers are looking for convenient independent housing and are not at all ready to move into a retirement home. We wanted to share with you some of our senior-friendly house designs and a brand new community we recently finished building that are more popular with the Baby Boomers.

Homes with first floor Master Bedrooms: According to National Association of Home Builders, "more than 40% of new homes have Master Suites downstairs, a 15% increase over a decade ago. Boomers not wishing to go up and down stairs... helped fuel this trend. The bedrooms also are also larger, with more spacious walk-in closets and bathrooms that have a separate tub and shower and dual sinks."  (NAHB) We offer a number if different house designs with a first floor Master Suite. Some of our more recently built houses that follow this trend is the 'Ashley', 'Biltmore' and 'McKinley.' Other designs include the 'Brighton', 'Taylor', 'Buchanan' and the 'Tyler' designs.

The 'Ashley' design

Downsizing to a one story design: Another trend we are seeing with Baby Boomers is downsizing to a smaller one-story or ranch house. "A smaller home sometimes means less maintenance, less work and less worry." says a recent article from U.S.News, "... and a lot of them, suffering from bad ankles, bad knees and bad hips, are opting for one-story housing." In the past year we have built a number of different ranches in several different communities including The Preserves, Sandy Rock Estates and Traver's Meadow. The more popular one story house designs we've built are the Stanton, Aqueduct, and Cleverdale. Other ranch designs include the Camden, Cleveland, Franklin Pierce, and Covington.

The 'Aqueduct' design

The 'Stanton' design

This ranch is custom designed model

Age restricted apartment living:  Then there are the Baby Boomers that take downsizing to another level and move to an age restricted community or senior apartment living.  These Boomers are looking for the quality of independent living but with the convenience of not needing to maintain a house or property. The Hodorowski Group recently finished building a 110 unit senior apartment building called Glenwyck Manor, in Glenville, New York with amenities included like a fitness center, indoor pool, community center, and spa. There are about 80 units available to rent still in either a one or two-bedroom option. For more information on Glenwyck Manor, visit www.MeadowsAtGlenwyck.com. If Glenville isn't the area for you, we are also starting phase I of construction of a similar community in Wilton, New York.

View of Living Room at Glenwyck Manor, senior apartment living.

View of an Entry, Kitchen, Dining & Living Room, Glenwyck Manor apartment

View of hallway into Dining area from Master Bedroom, Glenwyck Manor apartment

In-law apartments: One final trend we are seeing in the houses we build, is the rising popularity of in-law apartments attached to the main house of a home. We offer several options for those looking to build a brand new home, with the convenience of having Mom and Dad next door. You can read more about the In-Law options we have, and see some of the designed we've built here.

This 'Helmond' has a custom built in-law apartment attached.

We'd love to know, if you are a Baby Boomer, what something that look for in a home or community?

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region’s premier home builder building single family homes in Schenectady, NY and its surrounding areas. Please visit www.hodorowskihomes.com for more information.

Rising Trend for In-Law Apartments

There is a rising national trend in new home construction that we're seeing evidence of in the Capital District; people are opting to add an in-law apartment to their new home plans and designs.  USA Today cites that, "3.5 million American households include adult children and their parents."  This is a number that is expected to rise as, "the country ages and baby boomers move into retirement," says Nancy Thompson, an AARP spokesperson.

We have worked with a number of families to customize a design to meet the needs of a family that wants to keep aging parents nearby, avoid institutionalized care, but still foster a sense of independence for family members.  Check out the floor plans below from our community Windsor Estates in Niskayuna.  This house, also featured above, has a one-story addition to our Biltmore plan, adding a Master Suite, Kitchen, Gathering Room, its own Garage with a wheelchair lift, and a Universally Compliant Bathroom.

At Hodorowski Homes, beyond the plans, we treat each portion of the home as if it were its own house, encouraging separate selection appointments, creating a unique feel for the distinct sections of the home.  At The Preserves, in Clifton Park, we recently completed a beautiful home with an in-law apartment.  Each family was able to express their unique tastes in the design and selection of materials.  Take a look below at the Family Room, Kitchen, Fireplace and Stairs of the main house and the distinctly different choices made in the neighboring two-story in-law apartment.

^ Main house, Family Room and Kitchen area.

^ Main house stairs.

^ Main house stairs and Kitchen

^ Main house Kitchen

^ In-Law apartment Kitchen

^ In-Law apartment Living Room

^ In-Law apartment stairs

^In-Law apartment Master Bathroom tub.

Do you and your family have the need for an in-law apartment?  Do you know of someone who does?  Keep in mind, some municipalities do not allow this type of accessory housing, so check with your local building department before getting too far along in the process.

A Tale of Two Broadways

Remember when we posted recently about our development in The Preserves? Well guess what? We are completely SOLD OUT there! (Woo hoo!) Not only are we sold out but we are getting closer and closer to closing on our first house in that development.

The most popular model house in The Preserves is the Broadway Model.  We love how our customers have taken this house and completely made it their own. Take a look at the two Broadways below.

The one on the top has chosen a very traditional look. We love the "Wineberry" shutters color against the Champagne siding! The Broadway on the bottom has selected a more modern contemporary look and we love how the garage door glass coordinates with the glass on the front door. Although both of these houses are the exact same model, they each portray a completely different look and both are beautiful! Just wait until you see the insides! More photos to come as the houses progress.

Although this development is sold out, you still have an opportunity to build right around the corner! If you are interested in building a home with Hodorowski Homes, check out our Sandy Rock development! Contact Paula Filkins (518) 221-7757 or Jim Bordis (518) 229-6235. Tell us what your favorite Hodorowski Homes model is!

The Preserves

Happy New Year!!

Wow, can you believe its already 2014?  Here at Hodorowski Homes we are really looking forward to what this new year will bring for our business and the new places our customers will call home.

Speaking of new homes, we are so happy that our latest development at The Preserves in Clifton Park is almost sold out! It's hard to believe that we haven't even broken ground there yet and already the neighborhood is filling up fast. Take a look at the lots below- there are only 3 left!

If you are looking for the perfect home, let us build it for you!  We offer affordable luxurious houses to suit your budget. If you are interested in one of the three remaining lots at The Preserves, contact Paula Filkins: 518.221.7757 or Jim Bordis: 518.229.6235 to set up an appointment.  If Clifton Park isn't the right area for you, no problem! We will build your new home where it suits you.

What does 2014 have in store for you?