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Big Changes Needed in American Home Design, According to "Better Homes and Gardens"(R) Survey

Key Factors Identified by Consumers as Vital to the Future of American Homebuilding

One-of-a-Kind Home Design Based on Consumer Input to Be Built and Given Away in 2005

"Better Homes and Gardens," the country's leading home and family magazine reaching 38 million people monthly, identifies the top characteristics Americans want in their homes today. Nearly 60,000 Americans responded to the magazine's Better Home Better Living(TM) contest and survey, registering their current home improvement projects and future home-building aspirations. Based on these findings, "Better Homes and Gardens" will design and build the Better Home Better Living House, which will be featured in the magazine and on its website www.bhg.com)"> throughout 2005. The house and its contents, a $500,000 value, will be given away in a nationwide sweepstakes through the magazine's website, www.bhg.com/win.

"Affordability and flexibility top America's wish list when it comes to their homes," says Karol DeWulf Nickell, Editor in Chief, "Better Homes and Gardens." "People are hungry for ideas that fit their budget and they want their home to work through all the changes their families go through. Inside, they're concentrating on kitchen improvements that can substantially increase their families' everyday satisfaction. Outside, they're looking to add living space to their yard or garden. In our Better Home Better Living House, we're combining these consumer needs in a completely integrated design that brings innovation to a whole new doable and affordable level."

Inspired by the first-hand, proprietary insights of the nearly 60,000 consumers who responded to the magazine's home improvement contest and survey, "Better Homes and Gardens" editors, working with a select panel of leading home design experts, will literally "build" on readers' suggestions -- designing and constructing the Better Home Better Living House on a site at Vickery, a "new kind of neighborhood" located in Cumming, Georgia, just north of Atlanta. The home will incorporate the five key trends identified by respondents as those which are paramount to the design and construction of their "ideal home," -- affordability, flexibility, indoor/outdoor livability, innovation, and kitchen-centricity -- trends which will shape the future of American homebuilding.

Affordability is especially important due to a major rise in housing costs over the past 10 years. The Better Home Better Living House will be affordable (under $120 per square foot) and will be scaled in size (less than 3,000 square feet) for most suburban lots. According to the survey:

--  The average home improvement project costs the homeowner $12,427.
--  DIY (do-it-yourself) is the most popular type of home improvement
    project with 86% of respondents working on their projects alone.
--  57% of Americans "pay as they go" when asked how they finance a home
    improvement project.
--  60% agreed that working with a homebuilder or contractor is a smart
    investment.
    

Flexibility is perhaps the most revolutionary forward-looking trend identified. A house that incorporates a flexible design readily adapts to changes in family dynamics. The Better Home Better Living House will incorporate a flexible design which allows for significant change/expansion to the home in the future. Survey respondents indicated that:

--  An enormous 68% of Americans are interested in shifting to a "work
    from home" lifestyle over the next five years, which could significantly
    impact the homebuilding and remodeling industry.
--  People currently only stay in a home for 3-5 years due to expanding
    family, demonstrating a need for homes that can grow with families.
--  69% completed a major remodeling project within the past five years,
    and 42% plan to do so in the next five years, indicating that Americans are
    constantly changing their homes.
    

Indoor/Outdoor Livability will play a more significant role in homes of the future than ever before. Outside areas are becoming extensions of the American home's indoor living spaces, with patios, barbeque centers, decks and other areas essentially serving as "additional rooms." Survey respondents said:

--  Building a major garden or landscaping project is the second most
    popular home improvement choice among respondents asked what they would do
    with $20,000.
--  The # 1 reason that Americans give for remaining in an existing home
    is "watching something grow that I have planted," such as a tree or garden.
--  88% of survey respondents said that "a neighborhood that's walkable"
    is important to them -- more so, in fact, than spacious rooms or acreage.
--  92% said that "looking great from the curb" is an important quality in
    their selection of a home.
    

Innovative construction and materials will be incorporated into the Better Home Better Living house which will use technologies to save the consumer money over the life of the home.

--  60% said they like and use technology in their homes -- including
    advanced home entertainment equipment, hi-speed computer access, home
    computer network, security system and smart appliances.
--  The home will incorporate innovative Structurally Insulated Panels
    (SIPs), which allow for more efficient building and less waste.
    

Kitchen-centricity tops the list of important trends and will be the heart of the Better Home Better Living house. The kitchen will have an "open design" so that families can not only cook together but spend quality time together while preparing meals.

--  The kitchen was the #1 room respondents added onto, remodeled or
    redecorated.
--  When asked which room most needed updating, more respondents answered
    "kitchen" than any other single room in the house, indicating it is the
    room that gets the most use -- it's certainly the one room that everyone in
    the household depends upon equally.
    

The Better Home Better Living House: Win America's Home sweepstakes is currently in progress. Details are available in the magazine and online at www.bhg.com/win.

About The Better Home Better Living Program

The Better Home Better Living Program includes: a six-part editorial series starting with the February 2005 issue; in-store "how-to" clinics starting in February 2005 at The Home Depot's 1,700 retail stores nationwide; an original 10-part television series currently entitled "Building America's Home" filmed on location and premiering on the Discovery Home Channel in Fall 2005; a dedicated mini-site at www.bhg.com/win where consumers enter to win every month for their chance to win a variety of monthly prizes including the Grand Prize. Visit the site and enter to win a key which may unlock the door to the new half-million dollar home, a trip to Atlanta for the grand finale event, a $500 gift card from The Home Depot and a year's supply of Behr paint.

Distributed by Market Wire