Home » Archives » June 2005 » Tired all the time [Previous entry: "Jackasses and Inspiration"] [Next entry: "What to do with my old Powerbook..."] 06/23/2005: "Tired all the time" listening to: tv in background ?
feeling: okay

Well, as it is summer time and I am a college kid you would think that I would be relaxing atleast part of the time but no not me. Between my full time job as an architectural intern and my full time job as thesis prep student, oh and don't forget about the full time diet, full time girlfriend, wonderwoman, etc. I am a busy person. That's right but we'll talk about the wonderwoman thing another time. The question is how do I get other people to do some of my research for me without missing out on the big picture? Idea #1
Make up a survey and send it out to housing organizations that would keep records of the most popular floor plan and color combination. The problems- - - getting responses, and knowing if people picked what they really liked or if it was forced on to the buyers - especially the color. I know that in Columbia there are restrictions so that neighbors don't have the same house or color combination to reduce the appearance of a production neighborhood.

Idea #2
Search through town journals and the web to find out what is out there and compare over all floor plans for similar things because if everyone's doing it than architects have either A) decided it is effiecent or B) people actually request that feature, like big ass walk in closets. The problems--- A) this is only covering suburban single family homes, mostly; B) what the buyer really wanted issue.

Idea #3
Ask everybody what they would do and then do something with their knowledge and my own to get the necessary information. So thanks for your help.

Replies: 1 Comment

On Friday, June 24th, Jocelyn Sandruck said

National Association of Realtors and I'm sure some national association for home builders has research on home trends. I know houses are getting larger, yet lot sizes and family sizes are getting smaller. You are also going to need to take into account the price range. Exterior color choices will vary on location too. Siding is rarely used in the south. You have more stucoo homes in the west, etc. Another hot feature that is growing in popularity is outdoor rooms/kitchens. Something to consider. Its going to be hard to to narrow down statistics due to age of the study. Younger homeowners, first time home owners, families, and retirees are all looking for different features and are naturally drawn to these features. I know everything I'm saying is a few steps off of your thesis topic, but purhaps it will help.