Nailing Down New Designs

BLUFFTON, S.C. —  Del Webb Corp. has spent $1 million or so ripping out skylights, moving counters and lowering ceilings in its new houses.

Wasted money? No, the developer that plans to build $1.3 billion worth of homes over two decades says the six experimental homes are a good investment in finding out what South Carolina buyers want. The company is using architects, interior designers, builders--and, most important, focus groups of regular folks.

The company has changed the interiors several times--moving skylights, lowering ceilings, altering building materials.

Out West, most Sun City homes have tile roofs and stucco exteriors. Here, roofs have shingles. Stucco is too expensive because crews apply it by hand; in the West, machines are used.

Many of the houses will be sided with Hardiplank--a combination of cement and cellulose fiber that looks like cedar siding but is immune to the high humidity, heat and heavy rains of the coast. The idea is to provide low maintenance for retirees.

Inside, potential buyers balked at a plaster-coated wall. They wanted painted sheet rock, thank you.

And in one home the graceful curves of a living room wall were ordered ripped out. It seems they looked great on an architect’s plan, but there was no real place to put the furniture.