@Stax, there's been 2-3 threads regarding this already. It's certainly no more ridiculous that 99.9% of the threads in Hot Topics or some of the other subforums that were part of Gardenweb.

Wow, so this is the first time I’ve ever posted on here. I’m seeing how it goes here...as an investor I’m seriously asking what expectations we will see from buyers going forward. I’m not opining about validity or even giving a political opinion, just asking what you think may be on the horizon for changes in housing, building, design, etc. That’s all. Why is that “nonsense. absolutely ridiculous” @Stax?

How about a decontamination room as your front porch. Anyone wanting to come in the house has to strip down and be hosed down with sanitizing solution and then change into a full hazmat suit. A UV light room. Any packages, groceries, mail etc has to go through the UV light room to be sanitized before coming in the house.

In all seriousness not much has changed for me in what I would want in a house post covid.

as an investor I’m seriously asking what expectations we will see from buyers going forward. I’m not opining about validity or even giving a political opinion, just asking what you think may be on the horizon for changes in housing, building, design, etc.

Trying to predict how the public will respond to any crisis is quixotic. If I were guessing I would guess that "open concept" might give way to more private spaces, but that might be wishful thinking.

Odds are people are going to be influenced tomorrow by the same thing they were influenced by yesterday... HGTV.

As an investor, I would agree with others here that none of those things will have a long term return on investment. Soap and water is plenty effective - no need for crazy decontamination units.

As others have said, look at pantry/food storage space, home office, play space for kids, etc.. Around me big yards (especially with playsets) have become a big draw - we know people moving just because they're going stir crazy with three kids an no yard space. I should note, they were probably going to move anyway, but this all accelerated their timeline. I know someone else who bought a house with almost no yard because "the park is just two blocks away," and she's very much regretting that choice.

My forever house will have a transporter room with a double decontamination function.

I can’t remember if I said this in the other thread, but damn...I sure wish we’d put in a pool. Or built on the lake. It would be easier to keep my teens entertained this summer.

Honestly, I don't think the whole concept of a pandemic will have all that much influence on how houses are designed and built.

What it may influence, at least in a shorter term, is which houses/markets sell most readily. There might be a reluctance to purchase in a home where "community" features would previously have been a big selling point - things like a community pool, hall, etc. It's entirely possible that the house with it's OWN pool will be a more attractive choice. A big enough yard for a playset, as mentioned previously, might be more sought after than a house near a public park. Kitchens might become even more central, if those who typically only used them to reheat take out actually started to cook and decided it wasn't so bad.

Bry's notion about a decrease in the popularity of the open concept might figure in. Or at least a preference for a REAL home office, as opposed to some of the closets or shared spaces marketed as an "office".

Will being on the bus line be as big of a plus as it was previously?

Do things shift more toward the suburbs?

Does it further energize the homestead movement?

In all, I'm not sure any of these shifts (if we see them) will really last all that long, anyway. People forget pretty easily. Or adapt. (I don't have a big pantry just now. But I do have a bunch of places in the house were I tend to keep larger packages of things like bags of flour tucked out of the way0

I wonder if HGTV will rerun/look for a successor to "Sarah off the Grid." :-D

The preference for homes with yards and automotive access will be heightened as the downsides of the "urban experience" have been as obvious as the U-Haul vans packed with oozing decomposing bodies parked outside city funeral homes.

To you and to me those downsides are obvious, worthy. To lots of other people, not so much.

Plagues of all kinds have always been much worse in urban settings than rural ones. Lots of people still live in cities. I don't think this has been scary enough to significantly alter that. Some, maybe. But not lots. I do wonder what it will do to other recent causes like mass transit, reusable packaging, etc.

To you and to me those downsides are obvious, worthy. To lots of other people, not so much.

Plagues of all kinds have always been much worse in urban settings than rural ones. Lots of people still live in cities.

That is not really correct though, it is a trick of the numbers. Contagious diseases are almost always worse in rural areas. They may get there slower but are usually far more devastating. For example, during the Spanish Flu epidemic urban mortality rates were about 1 in 100 people, while rural mortality rates approached 9 in 10 people. You were 90 times more likely to die from the Spanish Flu in rural areas! This is the main reasons why the Spanish Flu had the second devastating wave, in the first wave it was concentrated in urban areas and had a relatively low death rate, over the summer the virus disseminated and when the second wave hit, it hit rural and urban areas equally, but far more deaths came from rural areas.

In fact, rural areas have a higher mortality rate for most conditions and a lower life expectancy overall. They often seem safer because of the numbers, but it is just a trick of the numbers. Pick a rural community of 5,000 households and a comparable 5,000 households in an urban area and report only on those and the rural community will suddenly appear a lot less safe.

One of the reasons rural areas are hit harder is the lack of access to better health care. Rural hospitals are closing, therefore people have to travel longer distances for medical help.

" Small-town hospitals were already closing at an alarming rate before the COVID-19 pandemic. But now the trend appears to be accelerating just as the disease arrives in rural America. When Decatur County General Hospital shuts down indefinitely by April 15, it will be the ninth small-town hospital to close in 2020 alone. According to a report released this month by the Chartis Center for Rural Health, nearly half of rural hospitals were already operating in the red before the COVID-19 crisis. "

" The group cited Blaine County, Idaho, as a glimpse into the future as the coronavirus spreads into rural America. The small 25-bed hospital there is overwhelmed with patients. The county, which includes the Sun Valley Resort, recently had the highest rate of infections in the U.S., and patients had to be transferred to larger regional hospitals that had begun seeing their own rise in cases."

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/09/829753752/small-town-hospitals-are-closing-just-as-coronavirus-arrives-in-rural-america

My husband read an article that made the case that mid-sized, lower density cities are well positioned to come out of the current outbreak stronger for president the reasons listed above - access to city quality healthcare without the density that has been problematic.

While I am not disputing that story, the studies I have read contradict that. The states with the highest incidence of flu are Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama. These are not states with high population density.

The problem is the length of flu season. Flu, and Coronaviruses, spread well enough and live long enough that population density is just not that big a factor. However, in densely populated areas the flu never goes away, it is less contagious in the summer months but still present and spreading. All those people who contract it in the summer months act as interrupters in the infection chain. So you end up with outbreaks that infect fewer people overall (a relatively small difference) and outbreaks that are much less intense.

I am not an expert by any means, I just read too many studies.

Does anyone know if the Houzz user Stax lived in a rural community? They seem to been deleted from this thread.

Stax lives in D.C. and I realize that I am completely ignoring that attempt at levity...

we planned these things pre-pandemic but can see application post-pandemic.

hot and cold water in garage. we did for dog washing and car washing but could be future shower if needed before entering house.

pool. can't wait. no worry about social distancing there.

home office.

home workout room.

big pantry.

large garden for veggies.

I am now thinking a vineyard might be nice. lol

I like the hot and cold water in the garage idea. Why is outdoor sink not popular? You’d think everyone would need one next to a deck, a patio, a grill.......

Why do I need a sink next to a deck, patio or grill?

Why is there no worry about distancing in a pool?

I think I am appreciating our choices in the new build- and being a bit isolated (on acreage). We have a separate outbuilding that could serve as a quarantine space (or, an exiled husband space, which may be much more likely)

Home office rooms for each (even if they double as spare bedrooms with attached bathrooms); pantry space; a pool; proximity to a huge park, outdoor living space to entertain, etc.

Just saw an article that home ownership is accelerating here as apartment dwellers WANT MORE SPACE - and that "walk to the all city amenities" are not so glamorous when they are all closed and you are stuck in 800 square feet eating three meals a day.

And just like that- at least here - younger folks may start the move to the suburbs. It was only a matter of time - usually driven by marriage and children, but this accelerated it.

A home that makes you feel comfortable, cam and safe in a topsy turvy world is more valuable than ever right now - at least to me.

C Martin, I think an outdoor sink would benefit everyone ( gardener, cook, kids....) for a quick cleaning up. And now in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, you could wash your hands outside before entering the house (during warm weather). I am thinking about using an old picnic table as a sink table, and hook up the sink to a garden hose, this way is more cost efficient. :-)

Professor Virgil, CDC says COVID-19 cannot survive in properly treated pool water.

https://www.swimmingpool.com/coronavirus/

What about the transmission directly through the air of closely spaced persons? Or will all pool inhabitants be wearing masks...?

You're right professor. 6' apart is set for the water zone too, and limited capacity for all pools.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/parks-rec/aquatic-venues.html

Unless . . .

Overall I have been satisfied with my house during the quarantine. I have been happy to have a butlers pantry with a sink right off of my entry. It is the perfect hand washing station and all packages and groceries are disinfected there before being brought into the rest of the house. Having a second refrigerator, ours is in the garage, has also been very helpful. If I ever move, I would love a big pantry that has room for a refrigerator, if not possible a 3 car garage would work.

I am not sure anyone was suggesting a pool to host parties or that a pool negated the need for social distancing with folks outside your "bubble", but to further enjoy their home with their own families vs trying to social distance at a community pool.

It took this country probably a month to completely forget about the Las Vegas shooting where 1 guy shot 471 innocent people at a concert. Once the media decides the virus is over, we will completely forget Covid even happened

Once the media decides the virus is over, we will completely forget Covid even happened

The latest series of nationwide US riots and looting too? (Hate to note the reality outside this sheltered bougie forum.)

The title of this thread should be Riot and Post Riot Home Design. Hurricane glass with ports for your AR-15, buried phone and power lines, and a fireproof roof.

Just perusing an article correlating crowded homes with rates of infection among families: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-households-spread-coronavirus-families-navajo-california-second-wave-11591553896

"Crowded" is defined as two people sleeping in one room. I'm in my sixties. In the neighborhood I grew up in, many homes were small enough that siblings shared rooms. If a peer lived in a house with TWO bathrooms, that was considered pretty upscale. We didn't have two bathrooms until Mom and Dad had saved up to have a full dormer added on that provided a second bathroom and an extra bedroom. Until then, all five of us share one. I suspect many people would even bother looking at a house with only one bath, now. One could make homes more adaptable to every person living separately under one roof - but how many people will be able to afford that?

Post-riot, everyone needs to build these now :)

https://www.businessinsider.com/safe-house-warsaw-2011-5#who-knew-zombie-proof-homes-could-look-so-good-15

I would guess that the open-concept home will get re-evaluated as familiels get tired of smelling burnt food from a kitchen disaster everywhere in the house. Also, kids needed seperate space to 'Zoom to School' and didn't have it. And, as mentioned above, the need for play space/yard will be re-evaluated too.

You apparently think that you will be practicing quarantine or similar and Zooming to school for years to come. I am not trying to minimize the disease, but I am not believing I would buy a house to support living that lifestyle for years and years.

Hurricane glass with ports for your AR-15, buried phone and power lines, and a fireproof roof.

Standard features in Texas Hill Country architecture. ;-)

The one thing I would consider is that many of the people working from home instead of from an office may not return to the office. I suspect that many companies will look at the cost savings and decide that they wish for some of their workforce to continue working remotely. If I'm correct, there will be increased demand for home offices with doors that are tucked away in the house instead of showplace offices right inside the front door that often don't have doors. We have one of those offices and I really wish it had a door. Unfortunately it would be very expensive to add one because the doorway is arched with decorative molding.

Some of the things I thought would be more hygienic, are not. I thought touch free faucets would be better — they are actually worse. Johns Hopkins found the electronics in them harbor disease causing germs. I thought brass door handles would be better because they are supposed to be antimicrobial. Turns out the salt or oil on our skin takes away that benefit. Found out the water purifier I plan to put in to get rid of bad stuff and chlorine may allow mold and bad stuff to grow in the pipes unless I regularly flush them with the chlorinated water. My adult kids get mad at me because they say I want them to live in a bubble. Maybe we need to build bubble houses with hydro gardens and chicken runs!

mtpo I am not certain how the electronics within a touch free faucet could harbor any more disease germs than your wall sockets. But for people like myself who have a naturally low body temperature I have difficulty getting that type of faucet to start. Salt is a natural antimicrobial and used as a preservative for many things.

Perhaps your kids are not mad at you but your sources. You need to re-read your sources or if you are receiving the information second hand read the original source not a explanation of that source.

Interesting this popped up again today. Now that it appears that the virus is easing it's hold it would be interesting for people who have had the disease found most useful to them when they were sick to post. A review of the above postings might give some suggestions either yay or nay. Each person reacts differently to illness and not all had more than a mild case so what was most useful or what they had in their living situation would have been useful will vary for each person.

"DonFriman" is a necrospam editor, Maifleur. )

All this sanitizing and disinfecting will not be a good thing in the long run.

All this sanitizing and disinfecting will not be a good thing in the long run"

I agree with this.

COVID had no effect on what I want from my house --> It's aging that's doing that.

A guest room with private bath which could be used for isolation if one person in the household became infected.

I know several families that struggled to avoid the entire family from getting infected when one person in their household became infected. Most did not have a place for the infected individual to isolate.

I removed my comment after sushipup posted but it was about what people did or did not find useful this past year. It is always difficult to look ahead to see what is needed because often the small things that are of the most help are overlooked. It would be interesting to see what changes in looking back at this past year and a almost half what people found most useful.

It sounds like you're trying to predict the stock market (i.e. future wants and expectations) - good luck with that. I don't see this pandemic as changing anything people want with respect to contamination/decontamination. It will change what people want with respect to structural things, but not with respect to infection.

No, but it may be temporarily leading to trying to figure out how to build with less lumber, given the prices! :-)

Nice to see ya, Miss Holly; I've been thinking about you! I read the other day that veterinarians around the country are absolutely *swamped* with work, since so many folks either acquired animals during the pandemic, or were simply around more to notice suspicious symptoms in their pets. Hope you and yours are doing okay. <3

Sometimes I am proud not to be a "pro"......

My friend after covid 19 wanted to change wallpaper in your room.