1. What types of projects are in greater demand today: cottages for permanent residence, country houses, or houses with a specific set of consumer characteristics?1. What types of projects are in greater demand today: cottages for permanent residence, country houses, or houses with a specific set of consumer characteristics?

2. What sources of information do you use when selecting projects for your clients (do you design, order from friendly architectural studios, use banks of ready-made projects)?
From what sources do you learn about the wishes and preferences of the mass customer? Have they changed in recent years?
What do your potential clients say about their project preferences?

3. Describe the project that has the greatest chance of becoming a best-selling project in your segment. Name the main features of the most popular country house projects of 2010.

New projects and “hybrid” technologies
Which design and technological solutions offered by builders are in the greatest demand in the private housing construction sector today? In the previous issue of “ZO” we discussed this topic with those who sell ready-made projects (“Dacha Nashego Vremeni”, “ZO” No. 7, 2010). Today, continuing a series of surveys of heads of construction organizations, we decided to ask builders about popular design solutions.

It should be noted that the “testimony” practically did not diverge and can be reduced to a common denominator: in all segments of the private housing market, environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, easy-to-build cottages that require minimal maintenance are popular. Moreover, if in the segment of affordable houses these requirements are primarily due to cost considerations, then for business-class properties this means a minimum of personnel involved in the maintenance and operation of the cottage. Modern engineering and security systems make it possible to minimize dependence on the “human factor” in the person of a drunk plumber, a sleeping guard or an unscrupulous janitor. All aspects related to energy efficiency and “independence of people” are laid in the foundation of the future home ownership at the design stage. If so, is it worth saving on the project?

Both builders and dealers specializing in the sale of finished projects believe that the most popular type of house among today’s customers is a cottage with an area of ​​120-150 sq. m (representatives of companies specializing in business-class houses note the demand for properties larger than 200 sq. m, but the requirements for them are the same). In any house, regardless of the size, everything should be ergonomic and verified to the smallest detail: correctly installed stairs, bathrooms (it is assumed that they are on both the first and second floors). The typical layout of our time assumes that, first of all, this is a house with an attic, which contains a “private” zone (bedrooms for all family members) and an open planning space on the main (first) floor: it can contain a living room, a separate kitchen, utility rooms. Such a layout assumes a minimum of partitions and separate rooms. An exception, dictated by the not very gentle climate of the Russian North-West, is the obligatory vestibule-hallways (if a separate hallway eats up a significant space of the hall or living room, most likely, the project was borrowed from warmer climate zones).

A distinctive feature of most popular projects today is roofs of simple configurations (most often gable), under which living quarters are located. In turn, this means competent organization of the attic space: it should be well insulated (by the way, this is relevant both in winter and in hot summer) and there should be no unused nooks and crannies in it. In addition, such a roof also requires minimal maintenance.

A massive basement floor with utility rooms (the main one of which was once a boiler room), as well as a built-in garage, are a thing of the past. The garage has given way to a carport attached to the house, from under which you can also enter the house (by the way, cottages without a garage at all are also not uncommon today). Today, few representatives of the middle class need a personal auto repair shop, and modern heating equipment, as a rule, no longer requires a separate room for a boiler room. Nevertheless, a modern house must have a spacious separate room for storing garden and country furniture and equipment, of which today’s homeowners have a great variety: from gas trimmers to ATVs.

Potential homeowners are becoming more and more experienced. One of the participants in our survey noted that even an abnormally snowy winter made its own adjustments to design and planning preferences: houses and outbuildings, regardless of the size of the plot (and in Russia today, as before, spacious ones are valued) are not “scattered” around the territory today, but they strive to group them as close to the entrance as possible – as far as the general architectural concept allows. Nevertheless, here too the trend is obvious: in all segments of the design solutions market, houses that require minimal effort and operating costs are popular.

A few words about the technical solutions that are popular today. One of the most popular is a passive house with a “hybrid” heating system. This means an electric heating system (it can be convector or tied to water “warm floors”), supplemented by high-quality stove heating with air ducts. In this case, during the cold season, electric heating maintains a positive temperature in the house. But, having arrived in such a house for the winter holidays, the owner can easily warm it up to a comfortable temperature in the traditional “dacha” way – using a wood-burning fireplace or stove. “Smart” electric heating, which does not allow the house to cool down and the water to freeze in the pipes, is controlled by an electronic controller. Such systems are used in wooden and frame cottages, and in houses made of aerated concrete. Another innovation is recessed window openings, which, when equipped with roller shutters, allow one to do without the not very aesthetic “pads” above the windows. This solution is also implemented in houses of different technological types (frame, aerated concrete).

Naturally, the question arises: what is a cottage built taking into account this set of requirements – a house for permanent residence or a dacha? Today, the boundaries between these definitions are blurring. One of the current trends, which determines the choice of projects by private customers, is the change in the “geography” of dacha areas and suburbs designed for permanent residence. City dwellers are not ready to give up the familiar urban environment (primarily social infrastructure facilities), but want to spend as much time as possible at their dacha. This is why more and more “hybrid” houses are being built in cottage villages and dacha areas close to the city, which can remain empty for a long time, but are ready to comfortably receive their owners at any time of the year. From a country house, such a cottage inherits the architectural “openness” to the environment (terraces, awnings, large windows, a large number of guest and utility rooms), from a cottage for permanent residence – a set of amenities inherent in city housing. But in any case, a modern country house should be economical in construction and operation, energy independent and vandal-proof.

As for projects that have a chance to become best-selling projects, each construction organization whose specialists we interviewed has its own. Moreover, these can be both their own developments and ready-made projects from Russian and foreign banks and catalogs adapted to customer requirements. The main thing is that the project is proven, and the builders do not allow themselves expensive experiments at the expense of the customer.

Petr Molchanov, senior consultant in the field of cottage construction at the RusWoodHouse company:
1. According to the results of the study of the suburban real estate market by specialists of the DomFinland agency, which is part of the RusWoodHouse group of companies, the most popular are houses for permanent residence in the immediate vicinity of the city (no further than 35 km), with a readiness of at least for finishing, in the price position up to 5 million rubles.

2. Since the company specializes in the construction of houses from glued laminated timber (Angara pine, cedar, larch) and hand-cut houses from large-diameter logs, our customers experience a certain shortage of finished projects. As a rule, the customer brings us an idea in the form of a hand-drawn drawing or a computer image of a stone or frame house with the desire to transfer it into wood. The RusWoodHouse company has been successfully operating in the suburban construction market for more than ten years, and our specialists will always help the customer with the embodiment of his dream idea into life. Of course, we monitor new fashion trends, new tendencies in the development of wooden architecture. The use of glued laminated timber has significantly expanded the possibilities for organizing space in wooden houses, including the huge windows, double height, etc. that are in demand by customers. The time from the start of construction to the housewarming is also of great importance. We offer turnkey construction of a house made of glued laminated timber in just four months, and from hand-cut logs in six months.

3. Today, eco-friendliness and comfort are in fashion, and the best-selling project in our segment is a house of 120–150 sq. m., something between economy and business class, wooden (glued laminated timber or log), one floor plus an attic with a balcony, a covered terrace, a fireplace room with double height, a kitchen-dining room, 3–4 bedrooms, and utility rooms. There is a canopy for two cars next to the house.

Roman Shulika, Commercial Director of LivingWood:
1. The need for inexpensive housing has not disappeared, but the crisis has forced people to approach this problem more rationally. At LivingWood, we are increasingly seeing a keen interest in projects with carefully thought-out planning solutions that allow us to optimize the costs of purchasing a square meter of space. The customer’s choice of finishing materials and components also confirms this trend. Undoubtedly, the demand for cottages for permanent residence is higher, since for many families this is the only affordable solution to the housing problem, while a country house is a pleasant addition to the existing housing. Although I have an assumption that over time, country buildings will receive the corresponding development, especially in the Leningrad Region.

2. The specific nature of our company’s work, which operates on its own production base, does not allow us to work with projects from third-party organizations. A third-party organization may not take into account production and technological features that must be taken into account when designing, and the cost of an error in this case is very high. It is for this reason that LivingWood has its own architectural design bureau, which both works with individual projects and develops standard series in accordance with average ideas about housing. Again, this provides a good opportunity to optimize costs when creating a project and does not complicate feedback. Of course, the preferences of the mass customer have changed greatly recently: a reduction in the design area of ​​​​the building, increased attention to energy saving and environmental friendliness of the materials used are the main trends. Very often, clients come with architectural solutions borrowed from our Finnish neighbors. Of course, the Finns have accumulated a huge amount of experience and knowledge in design (these are the levels we should strive for), but it is not always possible to simply adapt the “picture” to our reality due to national characteristics. For example, Russians do not accept low ceilings, which are in honor of their Finnish colleagues, and a change in height leads to a change in the architectural appearance, and, unfortunately, not always for the better.

3. In our company, such a project is a Russian version of a Finnish house made of glued laminated timber (sometimes with insulation) on one floor plus a spacious attic, that is, a house with a total area of ​​120-140 sq. m. On the first floor are required: a well-thought-out bath and laundry complex, a cozy living area, a bright kitchen-dining room and a small guest bedroom. The attic floor is equipped with a bathroom, three bedrooms (larger for parents, a little smaller for children) plus a balcony. Of course, the emotional component is also very important when choosing a best-selling project, and this is always a deeply personal connection with the image and idea of ​​​​the dream house, and here any, even the most insignificant detail can be significant.

Stanislav Pechenkin, CEO of Vladimirskaya Rus LLC:
1. We build houses for permanent residence, and our customers are residents not only of Russia, but also Germany, Finland, Norway, France.

2. Our company has its own architects and, accordingly, has its own projects. We determine the demand for a particular project from conversations with customers, we can fulfill the wishes of the most demanding clients. So far, customers have not had any complaints about us, although the requirements are increasing, because there are more and more people wanting to have a comfortable residential house outside the city.

3. We do not have similar projects, all projects are exclusive. Our company uses northern forests for construction, the wood undergoes a strict selection (log diameter – from 28 cm). We build houses of any number of storeys and complexity, corresponding to the high demands of our clients.

Sergey Vytnov, General Director of the company “ROSSTROY”:
1. We always focus on providing a full range of services for the design and construction of houses for permanent residence, as well as country houses with the possibility of year-round use.

2. Customers come to us with ready-made projects purchased from other organizations, but we also have our own house projects. However, in any case, an individual approach to the customer is necessary. Everyone has different preferences, so we rework or develop projects from scratch, based on the wishes and needs of our esteemed clients.

3. If we talk about a best-selling project, today it is a two-storey house with an area of ​​120-150 sq. m made of aerated concrete or a brick house of 200-250 sq. m, but it must be functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Roman Zotov, Development Director of Ollikaisen Rus in the Moscow Region:
1. In the central region, the two most popular options are: a house for year-round living of 350–400 sq. m, with a full second floor (and, possibly, with a separate house for service personnel) and a small cottage, mainly for summer living of 150–190 sq. m, with an attic second floor. Basic characteristics are still important for clients: the quality of wood materials, the qualifications of the builders, the elaboration of the project.

2. Dialogue with a potential client usually begins with studying our catalog of projects. Gradually, finding out the wishes and preferences of the customer, we move towards choosing a specific solution. About 30% of potential buyers of our houses come with projects of varying degrees of readiness and completion. These are both their own projects (some clients have a construction or architectural education) and projects of other manufacturers of wooden houses. It cannot be said that we work in the mass customer segment, therefore our approach to the client is individual. We always listen to the wishes of our clients and offer a choice of materials, technologies, and design solutions. We always draw the client’s attention to possible incompatibility or bottlenecks in the project.

3. A country house of 380 sq. m., made of laminated veneer lumber, with two full floors, with additional rooms (boiler room, sauna), without a basement and attic, but with two (or more) verandas. Additional solutions are possible – for example, high sliding windows for access to the verandas. Perhaps these are all the features that our clients choose most often!

Rustam Mamashev, CEO of STROYINVEST:
1. Nowadays, cottages for permanent residence are more in demand. St. Petersburg keeps up with global trends, and residents are gradually moving out of town. You must admit that living there in your own 150-200 sq. m. house is much better than living in a stuffy city in a concrete box 1.5-2 times smaller in area, and also being bogged down in a mortgage for the next ten years. Since most of the plots on which people are going to build their houses are located in garden associations, the requirements for houses most often consist of an acceptable price (up to 2-3 million rubles) and the environmental friendliness of the materials used: wood, less often brick. In this case, a frame house is the best solution.

2. Our company has its own projects and cooperates with architectural studios, using their project database. But we always prefer to finalize any project, bringing the frame technology to perfection, including achieving compliance with the wishes and constructive proposals of clients. The customer’s preferences, of course, have changed. If earlier they built brick “castles” that were not distinguished by architectural sophistication, now they want to get both a utilitarian building and a beautiful one, different from others in appearance.

3. Our company can also offer a project of such a house with an area of ​​150 sq. m. Its main advantages can be described in a few words: economy, environmental friendliness, ergonomics, comfort and safety. The project provides for the possibility of changing the internal layout and the main dimensions of the house. Such a house can be placed even on a plot of six acres! And also vary its external decoration (siding, blockhouse, imitation log, wild stone) and internal (walls – euro lining or plasterboard; floor – planed board or ceramic tile). Advanced technologies allow you to combine low prices, quality and time savings with maximum efficiency.