The final chapter in our comparison of three top-selling one-story home plans around 1,600 square feet in size examines these designs in terms of Flexible Living, the fourth “lens” that home buyers tell us they use to evaluate a home’s livability. Flex spaces in a home are golden, in that they are designed for you to tailor to how you want your home to live. In addition, they may serve multiple purposes simultaneously, or routinely shift from one purpose to another to keep up with your needs.
As originally designed, all three of these homes have a front bedroom which could be re-purposed as a home office. If that’s your intent, consider that the Jensen Falls and Shelton Farm offer easy access for client and colleague visits (red dashed lines), plus convenient, adjacent bathrooms. In the Locklear, guests need to walk through the family room and down the bedroom hallway to your office. How would you feel about having visitors walking through your home? How might it make them feel?
The Jensen Falls, plan 29385
With its Pocket Office, (concept illustrated below) the Shelton Farm presents the most flexibility of these three designs. Don’t need a pocket office or planning center? Add a half-bath, storage closet, wine room, pet center, or a second walk-in pantry!
The Shelton Farm, plan 42392
Claiming the top Spot for Flexible Living is…The Shelton Farm. That plan’s Pocket Office flex space gives it a significant advantage, as well as the design of its unobstructed dining area which can temporarily encroach into the Family room for big dinner parties.
Another version of the Locklear, plan 42315 (Locklear Cottage) re-purposes Br. 3 as a Flex Room immediately accessed from the entry. The dashed lines suggest there could also be a door for direct access from the stoop.
The Locklear, plan 42074
Overall, considering all four of the Livability At A Glance lenses, the winner is… Well, this would have been easy if it weren’t for the fact that both the Jensen Falls and Shelton Farm tied in terms of plan sales over the last 2 years, with the Locklear right behind. Each one of the three plans “won” at least one of the four lenses. The Locklear and Jensen Falls offer 3-car garages, while the narrower Shelton Farm fits on many more lots (or can be ordered as a 3-car garage plan.) Ultimately, we crown the Shelton Farm as the winner because in addition to the home’s tremendous livability, its value engineering means this home is also the most affordable to build of these three designs (even with 3rd-car garage)!
But if you want your bedrooms together in a “wing” arrangement and have a wider lot to build on, the Locklear will appeal to you more. Or if you love being outside, the Jensen Falls’ front and back covered outdoor living spaces make it the obvious choice. Again, all three of these home plans are top-sellers, any of which is a superb choice!
For more resources on thoughtful design and products:
- View other articles on our blog
- Browse our Her Home™ Magazine
- Thoughtful Design Concepts
