Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

THE GREAT MODERNIST ARCHITECT Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is credited with delivering the über-famous dictum “less is more.” But what does that really mean? It certainly isn't a directive to build houses with less detail, less thought, and less appeal. The idea is not to go overboard with design detail.

The hardest part of creating great houses is deciding what to leave in and what to leave out. A trip to the average subdivision reveals that character is often lost because too few inspired details are included. If you're trying to create irresistible homes that raise the style bar and inspire buyers to part with their hard-earned money, read on.

Good houses start with good architecture, but an important element in building houses with wow factor is taking the time to sweat the details. The right products and strategic detailing need to follow through on the architecture. Complementary products take a house to the next level, says Robert Sears, principal of Sears Architects in Grand Rapids, Mich. “The right products have perceived value to the buyer, and from a marketing standpoint that is huge,” he says.

Sears' Bay Street Cottages in Harbor Springs, Mich., is one example of this concept. Each house in this community of up-scale cottages has high-end products such as cedar shingles, Waterworks plumbing fittings, and Sub-Zero and Viking appliances. But each unit also has an unforgettable arch-top Dutch entry door. “When potential buyers look at that door, it is something they can identify with after they have left,” Sears says.

It's no surprise that Sears focuses on the entry door as a highlight of his projects. His philosophy is that builders and architects should put money in the products that buyers see up close. “The door is the first thing [buyers] see, and the hardware is the first thing they touch,” Sears says. “That first impression makes a big difference.”

When it comes to making a good first impression, architect Donald Powers believes in small details that yield big results. This strategy is important for the high-end custom projects that are Powers' usual bailiwick, but it is even more important for the cost-conscious production work he does for builders. “My objective is to harness the custom-home look with the production-home price,” says the principal of Donald Powers Architects in Providence, R.I.

To do this, Powers focuses on quality over quantity. “We design smaller houses with simpler forms,” he says. Simple houses are less expensive to build, obviously, but Powers makes up for it in details and cool product selections. For his Warwick Grove project in Warwick, N.Y., he designed a model home with bold exterior forms that were simply detailed. Inside, uncomplicated details such as a freestanding console in the master bath made a big difference. “The stand-alone vanity doesn't need to be built in,” Powers says, so it is cheaper and quicker to install. “But it's a way to create a particular look.”

Like Sears, Powers also uses his door specifications as a way to add wow. “Using 8-foot doors on the first level had such an amazing effect on the feeling of the house,” he says. “People are drawn to them. It is a way to knock the house out of the production realm and into the custom arena.” Larger doors cost just a little more than standard 6-foot, 8-inch sizes, Powers says, but builders can balance the cost with less-expensive units on the upper level.

Cost is perhaps the main reason builders settle for the status quo. Lou Marquet says creating wow might require some extra effort, but he is convinced that it is worth it. “Some details are not as expensive as people think,” says the executive vice president for design and construction at the Tuxedo, N.Y.–based developer and builder Leyland Alliance.

If you're concerned that taking a chance on details and putting special product features in your homes will blow your margins, it could—if your details aren't thoroughly considered. Is it risky? Not as much as you think.

A few years back, Eric Brown, president of Artisan Homes in Phoenix, was convinced that people in the largely traditional single-family home market of Phoenix wanted something different. So Brown partnered with Irvine, Calif.–based William Hezmalhalch Architects to develop and build a new urban loft building near the city's center. Starting at $159,000 for 1,050 square feet, the units had 10-foot ceilings, concrete floors, and upscale appliances and cabinets. The lofts sold quickly—one buyer combined three units and upgraded the unit for a cool million. So much for being risky.

You can even add special details to an affordable home or one with a rigorous budget. “We sometimes go with three-panel doors instead of the typical six-panel version that everyone uses,” says Sheila Dial, an architect with Everton Oglesby Architects, a Nashville, Tenn.–based firm that does affordable multifamily projects in the city. “Sometimes we use Andersen's 200 series windows and group three to create a window wall,” she continues. “A lot of people walk into the houses and say they look bigger, but they don't know why.”

Many builders and developers use this type of strategy to create more interesting houses and have been rewarded with brisk sales, while others experience higher margins. “We find that the [detail-rich projects] generate excitement with potential buyers,” Marquet says. “[Buyers] respond to them. The upshot is that it also differentiates us from the competition.”

One builder/developer who has clearly benefited from creating irresistible spaces is Michael Lander, president of The Lander Group in Minneapolis. It's no accident that Lander's detail-rich projects have won numerous Builder's Choice Design & Planning Awards over the years. With elements such as birch plywood floors, pine-slat walls instead of gypsum, and aluminum-and-glass cabinet doors from IKEA, Lander's projects exude style and sophistication on a grand scale, but with a minimum of cost.

“We tend to evaluate the things we do on their marketability,” Lander says. The company decides whether the details will deliver a good margin, help the project sell faster, or help the company build its brand. “The details we put in our projects clearly build our brand,” he says. They don't necessarily help units sell faster, Lander says, but he's not interested in that. “We prefer to sell over time to maximize our value. If we sell throughout a project, there will be a few price increases over that time, and we make more money.”

Every detail does not work in every area of the country, so you need to do your homework. “Our target market is design-savvy, so they appreciate design,” Lander says. “That is an area you have to evaluate.”

Still, inaction is just as bad as doing too much, says Marquet. The housing market is hot, so pretty much anything sells these days, but things change. “You have to take the chance to create a house that has greater value,” he says. “You can't keep doing the same things forever. The market will eventually get you.”

When it comes to tricking out a house with cool details, everyone knows that stainless steel appliances, stone countertops, and whirlpool tubs add value. These aren't bad places to start, but smart architects and builders use other techniques to help make a style statement.

STAND ALONE: Architect Donald Powers used freestanding cabinetry in the master bath to add flair and simplicity to his Warwick Grove, N.Y., project. The piece doesn't need to be built in and is thus quicker and cheaper to install, he says.