Which qualities do Swedish people look for in their villas?

Which qualities do Swedish

people look for in their

villas?

Daniel Wirgin

2021

Civilingenjörsexamen Arkitektur Stadsbyggnad

Luleå tekniska universitet

Foreword

Abstract

Some would say today’s villas lacks interesting architecture. Little variation and frankly, uninteresting. In this thesis, investigations will be made towards figuring out if this is what the Swedish people want, or if given the possibility, they would pick something different from what is available and also, which qualities they look for in their home. This is what this thesis will look into. In order to answer this question, information needed to be obtained,

information which was attained through a survey that was sent out to the Swedish people. And interviews that was sent to architects and house brokers in different parts of Sweden. The response rate was 221 answers from the people, 8 answers from the brokers and 9 answers from the architects. With these answers the result was divided into 5 groups to see if there was a difference according to the participants age. The result showed that the swedes think much alike when it comes to location of their house, but when it comes to their own home, the answers are much diverse even though some specifications are more appreciated than others.

Sammanfattning

Vissa skulle säga att dagens villor saknar intressant arkitektur. Det är lite variation och uppriktigt sagt är de tråkiga. I denna avhandling kommer undersökningar att göras för att ta reda på om detta är vad människor vill ha eller om de hade valt något helt annat än vad som finns tillgängligt om möjligheten gavs, samt vilka kvalitéer de letar efter i sitt hem. Detta är vad denna avhandling kommer att undersöka. För att svara på denna fråga behövde

information inhämtas, information som erhölls genom en undersökning som skickades ut till det svenska folket, Och intervjuer som skickades till arkitekter och husmäklare i olika delar av Sverige. Svarsfrekvensen var 221 svar från folket, 8 svar från mäklarna och 9 svar från

Table of Content

Foreword ... II Abstract ... III

1 Introduction... 2

Questions at issue ... 2

The aim of this report is ... 3

Boundaries ... 3

2 Theory ... 4

The history (Björk, Reppen & Nordling, 2012/09) ... 4

3 Method... 7 Literature ... 8 Data Collection ... 9 Interviews ... 9 Report ... 10 Presentation ... 10 Method Criticism ... 10 4 Results ... 12

Answers from architects ... 12

Answers from villa brokers ... 14

Multiple choice answers from the people ... 16

4.3.1 Table of all the answers. ... 16

4.3.2 Table of the answers divided by the age ... 17

Text based answers from the people. ... 18

5 Discussion and analysis ... 20

The architect’s value´s ... 20

The market ... 21

Age group 1 (18-30 years) ... 22

Age group 3 (41-50 years) ... 29

Age group 4 (51-60 years) ... 31

Age group 5 (61-80 years) ... 33

Text based answers from the people ... 35

The different groups and their typologies ... 37

5.9.1 Typology 1 ... 2 5.9.2 Typology 2 ... 34 5.9.3 Typology 3 ... 35 5.9.4 Typology 4 ... 36 5.9.5 Typology 5 ... 37 Conclusion ... 38 Advanced/continued studies ... 39 My own reflections ... 40 6 References ... 41 Unpublished sources ... 41 Published sources ... 41 Appendix: ... 34

The survey sent to citizens of Sweden. ... 34

Architects answers ... 60

1 Introduction

Many of today’s villas lacks interesting architecture. With a majority of catalog houses speculations could only be made to whose fault it is. As of 2013, 65 percent of the privately owned houses was catalog houses (Wilhelmson, 2013). As Per Svensson (2002) says in his book Svenska hem: “Our home is a manifestation of dreams, ideals and utopians.” And even though the supply of the catalog houses is increasing, there are still compromises to be made, a buyer of a catalog villa, may not end up with exactly what they want. And it is not only the floor plan and the frame of the house, many house builders have their own supplier which can affect the buyer when picking household items and appliances (Wilhelmson, 2013). This thesis will investigate and look into if this is what the Swedish people want, or if given the possibility the Swedish people would think differently and maybe pay a little extra to have an architect drawing their villa. And if the choices would fall to the architect, how does the architect’s expertise affect the Swedish people’s opinion and how they value their villa. And with information obtained through interviews with different architects, figure out what they base their thoughts upon.

Some would like to have a new villa, and some would like to have an old one. Which villa is mostly represented today? And which type of villa would the Swedish people go for, a newly renovated or one where they can shape the old villa the way they want to? And how does the broker embody the qualities which the Swedish people represent?

This thesis will answer these questions and give a broad picture what the different parties think regarding the villa market in Sweden.

Questions at issue

As discussed above, there are several questions to be answered in this thesis, the most important questions are presented below.

• What are the qualities Swedish people look for? • How has history influenced these qualities?

The aim of this report is

The aim with this report is to investigate which qualities the Swedish people look for in their villas. With these qualities the thesis will try to answer the questions how the housing market reflect the Swedish qualities and how they are represented on the market today, and how/if the qualities correspond with the architect’s expertise and if that affects the work they do. The report will also investigate some of the history of the Swedish villas and how they have influenced what can be seen today. This thesis will be a paper for those interested in what the Swedish people think and what they look for in a villa. It can be helpful for developers and give them the opportunity to develop some new ideas accordingly. And give the companies responsible for the catalog villas a chance to improve their system, so that the Swedish people get a chance to be a bigger part in the development of their villa.

Boundaries

Since it is a wide subject, delimitations will be necessary.

• The thesis will only be directed towards villas. An area bigger than villas would include different types of living situations, and that could give different answers. • When looking into the history of the villas, the thesis will be looking back to the

mid-1800s till current villas. This is because it was at this time when the villa areas started to appear. And the term that can be see today started to appear.

2 Theory

The history

In the middle of the 19th Sweden had about 10 % living in cities. When the industrialization

grew with the ability to transport goods and people by steam locomotives the cities grew in a pace that was not sustainable, unhealthy and unregulated shanty towns popped up along the railway. To improve the living environment for the workers, small villa areas were designed for the workers. The Unhealthy environment in the “stone city” led the way for wealthier people to healthier way of living. The first real residential district with villas was

“Djursholm” and “Saltsjöbaden”. The new type of living was developed for the upper class and expressed a feeling of fresh air and clean clothes. And together with the development of more efficient garbage disposal and other necessities (Nylander, 2013), Sweden had by the turn of the century around a couple of hundred residential suburbs and ten years later the number had grown in the thousands.

A movement which was important for the villa settlements was the “Egnahemsrörelsen” At first it was a way of trying to make Swedish people stay in Sweden and not emigrate to USA, but as the time went on, it became a crucial element for the planning and the construction of the villas.

Around the time of the turn of the century art nouveau was introduced in Sweden. The new style which in Sweden also is called Jugend came to be modernized heavily by the Romantic nationalism interest for peasant culture.

Ten years later and as a reaction against the latest 20 years of new styles, the architects are looking for new role models. This time towards the more international classicism. The villas were rectangular with saddle or mansard roof. The façade material of choice was either standing wooden panel or “lockläkt” as it is called. The facades during this period even if it was wood or facing plaster were often painted with lighter colors, as in white gray and yellow. And in the south of Sweden it was common with brick facades. It was also common for the windows to have an aggressive header. And the most common window was divided into 6 parts while the windows on top was divided into 4. An open porch twig was also common during this time. With a simpler canopy.

In the 1930s functionalism became popular. The style fetched inspiration from Germany and France. The style had both wooden façade and facing plaster, and the color of choice was white for the wood and white or light gray for the plaster. Protruding features was the copper roof, which in most cases where almost horizontal. The style demanded that the function would be the priority and the functions inside would protrude on the outside.

Since Sweden held itself as a neutral during the second world war, it was one of few countries which had industry and infrastructure intact after the war. Because of this the economy was solid during the century. With a growing number of cars in the country and the middle class getting bigger, the idea of a life in a villa grew increasingly more popular. USA was the dominating industrial nation, and from there the dream came about having the good life in a villa with garden and swimming pool. One story villa´s became more popular, small balconies was not that unusual either. To make the buildings more interesting, the architects of the time came up with some new architectural expressions like buildings that were offset, and

unsymmetrical saddle roofs to cope with the unusual building style.

During the 1960s, wooden panel and brick was the way to go, or with the more popular

The way of mixing materials went into the 1970s as well, the mix of hard burnt brick and wood panel was popular. 1,5 story villas dominated and in group-built areas, the color of choice was green, blue, yellow or red to create some variation. This kind of house can be seen in many different places around the larger cities because of the “miljonprogram” which not only built large apartment complexes, but a substantial amount of “Småhus” aswell. This type of building included both villas, row houses and others like it. The number of “småhus” that was built during the period 1961-1975 was somewhere around 570.000.

At the end of the 1990s, supermodernism came into play. The style had its roots in 1930s functionalism but made what was not thinkable back then, possible. It was during this time when the windows got a more protruding part in the architecture because of the way the daylight got important. And together with a better technology concerning isolation and how much light that goes through the windows (Nylander, 2018), many villas had the opportunity to have larger windows. An opportunity which many did not have back in the 1930s. And as mentioned in the tv-serie, “Svenska hus, 1995”. The light that goes into the building, could be the most important part in architecture.

3

Method

The subject for the thesis developed through meetings between the author and David chapman. Alternative subjects and different ways how to go about it was discussed. The subject seemed interesting and was relevant both to the author and at the same time could contribute to new research. An area which had not been looked over regarded how the swedes like their home, what type of windows they like, which kind of façade and do they want different colors? This is what the author decided to write about.

After the subject was confirmed, a project plan was developed. The project plan discussed the different questions that would be answered in the thesis. Also, which books that would be used in the literature study. These books laid the foundation for what would become the interviews. A Gantt-scheme was established so that it would be clear how much time would be spent on each parts of the project.

The methods used in this thesis had its foundation in the interviews with the three different groups. A literature study was made to get the necessary information so that the questions for the interviews could be made. Three different groups were reviewed, The people, villa brokers and architects. These three groups specifically so that the main questions could be answered. The information from “the people” was divided into five different groups according to the age of the participants to see if there were a difference in the choice of answers. Later this information was used as an input to produce 5 different typologies.

When doing this type of model, a survey. Additional answers bring a more accurate result. And since the answers would be divided into groups it would be beneficial if the participants were from different age groups. Therefor the survey would be shared by different persons in different ages to ensure well balanced answers.

affected by the area close to the participants. The email was sent prior to the questions being ready, with a question if they would like to participate in the interview so that the number of participants would be sufficient. When receiving an answer that they would be able to answer some questions, a file was sent out with the questions. Since the group would not have that many participants, and that it is their profession, a qualitative study would be more efficient and would give a much broader understanding than if they would have gotten the same survey as the people.

Literature

The history of the Swedish villas was of importance during the whole process, the book “Så byggdes villan” was one book of much interest. This book was used to investigate how the history has changed throughout the years and how the history has influenced the Swedish villas, also how and what has led to what can be seen in the architecture today. The book was written by Cecilia Björk, Lars Nordling and Laila Reppen. Cecilia Björk is a known architect who graduated “arkitekturlinjen” by KTH 1975. She is managing an architectural firm

Data Collection

The most important question regards the Swedish quality, what does the swedes value, what are the qualities the Swedish people look for? The answer to this question lays the foundation for the whole thesis. Everything is built upon this question. To get the information needed, a questionnaire was sent out via Facebook to get the response rate needed. When sending out through such media, there’s always a risk that the answers will be coming from the same age group, which is why several people in different age groups were asked to share the interview on their page. What is crucial in this type of paper is to give the thesis a solid base to stand on, and since the participants could have a hard time answering more in-depth questions, a

quantitative way of asking questions was more preferable. And there for a lot of answers was desirable. The survey had 30 questions of which 4 was writing questions. After receiving what was thought to be enough entries. The survey was closed so that the result would not be change during the analyze. Since the survey had 4 writing questions and about 220

participants, the number of writing answers had a total of 800 answers. The rest of the questions were multiple choice which made it easy to produce tables from which the information could be retrieved. Since the information would be interesting to study in the form of different groups, depending on the age, the data was collected and put into different charts. From these charts, information was retrieved and used as input in ArchiCAD, which in time lead to 5 different typologies. The different typologies were created so that the reader could have something more figuratively to look at. And also, because it seemed interesting to see how the different groups would differ in their answers.

Interviews

With the information from the people the next step was to compare these values with some of the professions who work with the Swedish villas. The selected groups were Swedish

question and both of the groups. Like acknowledged before, the interviews were made in a more qualitative way since the two groups had a lot of knowledge of the subject. Interviews are meetings with experts in some area, where information is obtained. (Wikberg Nilsson, Ericson & Törlind, 2015) By asking the question this way, it was be easier to get a better understanding of how they think and how they operate.

Report

After the analyzes had been made, the information from the survey and the interviews, could be used to answer the questions of the thesis. The report is the most important work since it shows what has been researched and lays the foundation for letting other people read the paper and understand it. Therefor the report was made with that in mind. So that there is a red thread throughout the work. And also, that the report is written in an academic matter.

Presentation

During the presentation all of the different parts of the thesis was presented, and all the work that had been done was shown. It was important that the presentation was made in a way so that everyone could understand. And also, that the information presented during the

presentation could be found in the report for those that would like to read more about the thesis. During these times when covid-19 is still spreading throughout the country and the world, the presentation was done with this in mind, and was presented via zoom. There was a risk that this would affect the presentation, but the risk seemed small. The presentation was executed with 30 minutes of presenting the thesis, after the first 30 minutes, 10 minutes was dedicated to opposition and lastly 5 minutes was dedicated for questions from other

participants of the presentation.

Method Criticism

4 Results

The result is divided into four different groups. The first two are the answers from the more qualitative studies: architects and, villa brokers. Then are the multiple-choice answers from the people and the qualitative part of the four last questions. The questions regarding the qualitative studies has been summarized into a flowing text where similar/comparable questions has been presented together to give the reader an easier understanding.

Answers from architects

This text is based upon the answers which was received from the interviews with 9 architects. To keep the text down to a format better appropriate as a result, the answers has been merged as a text which represents the answers. All of the answers are available in the appendix as a whole. The answers have been translated from Swedish to English, but the context of the answers has stayed the same. When looking for participants for the study, emails were sent out to different companies with the question if they wanted to participate in the interviews. Architecture in Sweden has the possibility to be similar in some sense depending on in which area the villa is located. And to rule out this affecting the answers, the emails were sent to different companies located in different parts of Sweden.

When asked about the architect’s freedom when drawing and designing a villa, the answer was that they do have quit great freedom, but in the end, it is always the client that will decide because it is the client that will live in the villa. And if the client demands something

villas (9). The typical catalog house is often generalized. Which is why they often would work for many types of families. This is something that some architects sometimes have to explain to the clients that the house should have some degree of generality (from a

sustainability point of view). So that other families could be able to live in the villa since the house often outlives the owner (18). But in the end, it is the clients who decide since they are the ones that are paying for the project.

And since money often is a problem when it comes to architect designed houses, a lot of people cannot afford the service. Which is why people reaching out to hire an architect often has the money for it, which leads to the design of the villa often reaching a large living space. Somewhere around 200 sqm but it can range from 140-400 sqm (3). But even though they usually have the money for the service the main question which often gets asked is the cost of the service (8). Which could be why many seems to ask for solar energy (panels) but when they know the costs, they change their mind (17). Some other common requirements are: Open floorplan, large windows, conservation of daylight, good storage and the fulfilling of their clients wishes and at the same time being financially sustainable (4).

Design wise it is most common with single story villas nowadays. But it often depends on the area and if the detail plan allows for two stories (5). The final product is usually dependent on two aspects. Either the area which the house is located or the style of which the villa represents. The area in which the villa is located affects the house in many ways, from surrounding nature and sunlight to the weather lines (11). And the style affects the villa in other ways as the reason why many of today’s more modern house will not have mullions on the windows, it is not appropriate to the style. but of course, the client decides what they want unless some regulations or some decisions are of special importance as a wooden façade which needs to be in a certain way because of the special regulations (10).

Answers from villa brokers

This text is based upon the answers which was received from the interviews with 8 brokers. To keep the text down to a format better appropriate as a result, the answers have been merged into a text which represents the answers. All of the answers are available in the appendix as a whole. The answers have been translated from Swedish to English, but the context of the answers has stayed the same. When looking for participants for the study, emails were sent out to different companies with the question if they wanted to participate in the interviews. Architecture in Sweden has the possibility to be similar in some sense

depending on in which area the villa is located, which in return would influence the market. And to rule out this affecting the answers, the emails were sent to 3 different companies with offices located in lots of different parts of Sweden.

According to the brokers, the easiest villa to sell is one built between 1900s and - 1930s. Otherwise newly built villas will work as well, but the most important aspect is the location which often older buildings can bring to the table (1,10, 13). The most common size seems to be around 140 sqm and the most popular façade material seems to be the ones which are easy to maintain, as bricks and plaster (2). The color is often white. Light colors work well too, but the color often depends on where the villa is located. Urban areas often have more white, gray and black theme, and more traditional colors works better outside the city (3). Wooden

facades are not that hard to sell either (2).

Other preferable specifications are high ceilings, which are much appreciated and attractive (7,17), and large windows when the location allows for an astonishing view, and not when facing a neighbor. Well sized windows often generate enjoyable light in the home, which many find positive. So, all in all, the attractiveness of the window size and location is affected by the location of the home (8). In the last 10 years, open floor plan has been of great

point because of the low operating costs (16).

Less preferable specifications are renovation needs, when the property is in much need of a renovation, the sales process often becomes complicated. As was answered in the previous questions, the location is important, it’s not only because of the surroundings, the sound levels could also be a major factor (11.). Basements are a small gamble… Some people demand basements, but most of the time it seems to scare away a buyer, due to. the risks of moisture problems. A well-drained basement has many benefits. But all in all, there is a small demand that seems to increase a bit (12).

But do people look for renovation or ready to move in? In recent times, the renovation objects have decreased in interest, may be due to the fact that the new generation does not have the same inherited attitude to do things themselves and does not have the knowledge to take on a project. There is also an interest in older homes as well that need renovation, but a ready-to-move-in home is more preferable. However, there is a risk that ready-to-ready-to-move-in homes do not match what the applicant is looking for. And since prices are set accordingly, there is often no possibility for the buyer to change this (14). Maybe this is why the most common question is what kind of renovation has been made and where (5).

Multiple choice answers from the people

This is the result from the multiple-choice questions. The number of participants in this survey was 220 persons. The chart below shows each of the most popular answers to each question. The survey was conducted in Swedish, and thereby the questions in the chart has been translated. But the questions are in the same order in the appendix with the

corresponding number. The survey was sent out to several persons in different ages, so that they could spread it with the hope of getting a diverse group of people who answered the survey. The most represented group in the survey was between the ages of 51-60 with 84 participants which corresponds to 38,2%. What is important to know is that there are a few people who did not answer the last four questions, but the majority did. Qualities like high ceilings, fireplaces, and an open floorplan, are popular amongst all of the participants as can be seen in Table 1 below. Other answers regarding the outward surface are more diverse.

4.3.1 Table of all the answers.

Here is the result when divided by age. Table 2 is following the same questions as the Table 1 and to be able to fit the table to the page, only the numbers are represented at the far left of the table. The age of the group can be seen at the top of the table with the corresponding number of participants in each group. The most represented age are 51-60 years with 84 participants and the age group 18-30 years with 79 participants. The other groups are divided between 15 and 26 participants. The most diverse answer among the different groups is regarding the basement where 18-30 years is the only group positive towards the basement. Most of the answers are somewhat similar when it comes to the majority, the biggest difference is the outward surface of the villa, as the façade and roof. The porch twig is something that many seems to be divided about as well. Two groups prefer it, and two does not, while one group is 50/50. But generally, the Swedish people tend to agree with each other regarding the most popular answer in each group. The majority is not that protruding in all of the cases, many questions have a majority around 50-60%. Not so substantial difference.

4.3.2 Table of the answers divided by the age

Text based answers from the people.

1. Where should your villa be located? Feel free to elaborate if you want it near water, near a big city and where in the country it should be located.

From the response rate of 201 persons, 118 persons answered that they wanted their villa close to the water. And with a percentage of 59% it is overrepresented. The second most common answer with 19 percent was that they wanted to live close to all services but still not in the city. The remaining percentage is divided between living centrally and living by the nature and at the countryside with 15 percentage each, with a small advantage for the city.

2. How much does this villa you just created represent the house you grew up in? (Even if you did not grow up in a villa, there could still be some similarities)

The table above is showing how the people has answered on the question. From the green “very little” to the purple “very much”. The green and light blue “very little and little” correspond 58 percentage of the total answers. Which clearly indicates that they do not think that their villa corresponds that much with what they lived in during their childhood/youth.

3. What is most important with your villa? The choice is free and most not be connected to this survey.

• Many people answered that the home should be designed after their needs, much because they want to create comfort and homeliness. Comfort and homeliness were two words which occurred often. That it should feel like a home and not a showroom was important. It should show that it is a home.

• What occurred most was the location of the villa. The locations are important to a lot of people. Even if they have something else which they point out as well, the location is still part of the reasoning.

• In addition to these points, functionality and a well-planned floorplan was two words of importance. Two words closely related.

• Many were also talking about the environment. People want a healthy house with good- and environmentally friendly materials. The survey shows that this is divided all over the age span.

Mycket lite lite medel mycket väldigt mycket

4. How much do you think this villa you just created look like the other villas created with this survey?

Mycket

lite lite medel mycket väldigt mycket

10 31 36 79 2

5

Discussion and analysis

The discussion part will start by discussing the answers from the architects, then go over to the answers from the villa brokers and later move on to the answers from the people. The answers from the people will be discussed per group and will incorporate a discussion between the answers as a whole and the current group, to see if there is any difference depending on the age, but also bring in the architects and the brokers to strengthen any arguments and see if they think differently than the general public.

After the discussion of each group, there will be a presentation of five typology which has been made with the majority of each answer from each group. These typologies can be used as a reference when discussing some of the questions regarding the design of the villa. The data was used as input in ArchiCAD to produce these 5 typologies.

The architect’s value´s

When an architect is drawing a house, they start with some parameters that has been given by the client. And to get the base of the drawing, they use a lot of their own thoughts and liking and experience to produce that first version. After the first version the client has to say their part if the villa represents what they are after. And sometimes the client asks for something that would not be possible or simply would not be a smart idea according to the architects’ thoughts. And the thoughts do not come from nothing, during their entire career the architect has been gathering a lot of experience and they know if something will turn out as expected. It is then their job to sometimes convince the client that their option is better. Or in some way come up with a compromise that will satisfy the client, knowing that the solution is

“A home is more than a residence. Home is about identity, about the neighborhood, district and a special place with the people living in the same area. “(ArkDes, 2017). The architect is well needed when producing someone’s home.

Quote from one of the answers from the architects: “As an architect, you should consider the customer's needs and wishes, but it can also be a good thing (from a sustainability point of view) to also draw something that has a certain degree of generality. The customer must sometimes be able to look up and understand that even if they are the ones building a house today, that house will survive the customer. Someone else will own the house in the future which is why it is beneficial that the house also works for others. Some customers may find it difficult to understand why they should think of others when it comes to a house for

themselves. Not often, but sometimes there can be a conflict over this.” The architect does not only have to think about the person who will live there now, and understandably the

architect’s value in this situation, is to create something that will work for a long time, as the architect said. The house usually outlives the person buying it. And with this in mind, it is not so strange that the architect’s values may differ from the client trying to build a house for themselves.

What is interesting as well is that most of the architects that was asked, seems to dislike what is in general terms called “Catalog house”, it is not that hard to understand since it is the opposite way of buying a new house than buying from an architectural firm. But since many people would prefer an architect drawing their house and still could see themselves in a catalog villa, it is interesting when it is known through the interviews, how badly the architects think of the catalog villas.

The market

villas or homes with simpler renovation are clearly more sought after than renovation objects. This is partly due to the fact that the new generation does not have the same inherited and entrained attitude to doing things themselves. You do not have the strength and do not know how to renovate yourself”.

A lot of people seem to care about the energy consumption, mostly because of the costs. And thereby passive houses have a sort of unique selling point even though todays house generally are energy efficient. But a lot of the brokers has not had any encounters with this type of houses, which comes to show that it is not so well spread across the market yet.

In a general sense it seems like the brokers have a good idea what the general public wants and what goes most well in a sale. From high ceiling to the correct size of the villa.

Age group 1 (18-30 years)

color; it is a luxurious choice. Another question that was asked regarding the façade was if they would prefer if the façade was made of different materials or if they wanted the same type of material on the whole façade. 60,8% answered that they only wanted one material, and this corresponds with the answers as a whole as well, 59,8% answered that they wanted one material and not different types. This is a question which could have been hard to imagine. Might have been a different result if an example would have been presented.

When looking at the inside of the house, the majority wanted a size of 110-140sqm (31,6%). Which falls well with the majority of all the answers, 110-140sqm (35,5%). This answer also corresponds well with the answers from the brokers. According to the brokers, the size people are looking for is 140 m2 or somewhat bigger. So, from what can be seen people are looking for a house near 140 m2. But according to the architects, the answer is a bit different. The architects get the impression that people are looking for larger villas somewhere around 140-400 sqm. And generally, it seems to be around 200. The point is that people which tend to hire an architect usually has much money to put into the project, which is why the size could matter. Which could be the reason why only 10% of this age group would look towards having a villa greater than 200sqm. One of the most unanimous questions asked was

regarding the height of the roof inside the villa. 96,2% wanted a higher roof height which also was in line with what everyone else answered. 94,5% of all, answered that they wanted higher roof inside their villa. Of course, there are some types of roof that would not benefit with this type of style, but generally it would seem that generous ceiling height is beneficial. Since 58,2% answered that they thought that the price would be affected significantly, their motives of choosing a higher roof can be strengthened. And regarding the outside surface of the roof, the majority would go for mono-pitched roofs (26,6%) closely followed by saddle roof (24,1%) and hip roof (24,1%). The majority of all participants chose mono-pitched roof (27,7%) which is in line with this group. Since this group (18-30) is one of the groups with more participants, the result of the many could have been affected by the group.

they wanted, and some felt it depended on the surroundings. When designing a villa with these types of windows, much need to go into how they are placed, no one wants a window directed towards the next-door neighbor. But if the site is placed in an area with a lot of vegetation, large windows have many positive benefits. The answer according to the brokers is the same. It could affect a sale in a positive way, but only if the windows are directed in a certain angle and not towards the neighbor. They find that many of today’s new houses tend to have these larger windows, and in some villas, they are directed towards a busy road or similar, in these cases, it would not be beneficial with this type of window. The large windows do not only bring nice view (If placed correctly) but they do also bring desirable daylight into the home. When asked about the mullions, 56.4% did not want this type of style. It is less common nowadays and according to the architects it would not fit the style of

today’s houses. Of course, if the house is designed with an older style in mind, it would be suitable. When asked about the door, a majority wanted to have a single door, without any glass inlays (41,8%). Which is in line with what everyone else wanted as well. Something the swedes seems to take liking to is the view and to live close by the nature and the ocean or some kind of lake. When the group was asked how important the area is, 48,7% answered with a four on a five-degree scale followed by 35,9% for a five. Which is why it is important to have somewhere to sit when they are outside.

When asked if they wanted to have a balcony, 64,3% answered that they would. Compared with all of the answers there is not much difference (62,6%). And when asked if they wanted a balcony or a patio or both 60,3% answered both, but patio (37,2%) compared with balcony (2,6%) gives another picture. And when all of the answers compare with the groups, there is a clear difference, with a majority for patio (49,8%) only. It is unclear why this group was keen on piking both.

percentage of 55% a bit less than the group, but a porch twig is something which is often seen on villas with wooden facades and since this group was the ones who preferred wooden facades, this could be a reason behind their answer. Regarding the style of the villa there are a lot of different alternatives. A style which originates from the 1930s is the functionalism. And when asked if this is a style which they would like the answers showed that they did not. With a small majority of 51,9% for a negative answer towards the style. The general answer did have a majority towards the positive side with a majority of 59,2%. The style is known for often being portrayed with facing plaster and sometimes with small inlays of wooden panel to contrast the white surface which is something that this group did not prefer and in other words could be the reason why they differ from the rest of the participants in the survey.

When the architects was asked if they would prefer to draw an open or shut floorplan the answer was that it depends on what the customer wants, the open floorplan has been popular the last 10 years, but it is becoming less popular due to some reasons. One reason is that people often wants more storage which an open floorplan could not provide. But when asking our participants, the majority for an open floorplan was clear (82,1%). Which corresponded well with the general answers which had a majority of 83,3%. Another solution if they would still want to have an open floorplan would be to build a basement. This is a question which did not correspond with the answers as a whole, the groups answered that they wanted a basement with a percentage of 55,7% and the people as a whole answered with 67,3% against a basement. The reason behind this could be that the younger people do not know all the problems that often come with basements, according to the brokers a lot of people are afraid to buy villas with basements because of the problems that usually comes with them, regarding moisture and damp walls in general. Though the demand for a basement is rising if barely. But a villa with a basement would not sell any better according to the brokers. So, the group does not agree with the brokers. But at the same time the brokers look at the groups as a whole.

When looking at the answers, and if the possibility is given, the group choose a newly built villa (57,7%) but the difference is not that protruding. The answers of the group correspond well with all of the answers (61,4%). When asking the brokers which type of villa that will be sold most easily, several of them answered that a villa from 1900-1930s will be sold easily. Which contradicts what the people say, but what they also say is that people want a well looked after villa, it could be that the people associate older villas with problems. And the other question about if renovation objects are more sought after then newly renovated shows something similar. They seem to agree that the benefit with older houses is that they usually are located in nice areas, and that is important, but if the house is not properly maintained, it does not matter that the area is suitable. But since 41,8% wanted a villa which they could renovate, the statistics show that there are still young people who are willing to put down the time and fix the problems themselves. This percentage corresponds well with another related question regarding the willingness to live in a catalog villa, 42,3 percent did not want to, and 51,3% wanted to, which corresponds in some meaning with the previous comments regarding new or old villas. This numbers also corresponds well with the general answers with 53% for yes and 41,5% for no. The missing numbers are people who commented that the decision depended on a few details like how free the choices where and how much they could change with the villa.

Age group 2 (31-40 years)

This is the least represented group together with group 5 when it comes to pure numbers, with only 15 people. Since the numbers of participants are much lower than the other groups, there is not a way to know how much the result is affected. The preferred façade type in this group fell to wooden façade as the last group with a percentage of 46,7% and as said before the whole group went for facing plaster with a percentage of 29,1%. But when asked this group whether they live in a villa at the moment 60% said yes. The point is that younger people tend to have more energy to fixing problems and maintaining the villa which is why it is still possible that the choosing of wooden panel depend on the age of participant. The color of choice for this group was also white as the rest of the groups with a percentage of 42,9% compared with 38,2%. The closest color behind white was gray with a percentage of 21.4% exactly half, when looking at the right number of decimals. Even though the number of participants is so few in the group, almost half the group answered white, which makes the answer reliable. When asked about the façade and if they would like to have different

materials, the answers are similar. Homogeneous (the same material) gets one more vote than the alternative, so with a percentage of 53.3% against 46,7% any valuable conclusions cannot be drawn. It is way to close in the answers, some would like it, and some would not.

The size of the villa is important because it dictates how they would be able to build on a certain plot. There are regulations regarding the size which the client can build and how high, so if they would like to have a villa that is stretching the parameters there could be a problem. Since the selection of people in this group was not that many, the question regarding the size of the home got split over three different answers. 140-170sqm, 170-200sqm and 200sqm- got equal 26,7%. Which is why any reasonable conclusions would not be possible to make. The group has much higher percentage for above 200 than the survey in general, which would suit them better for an architectural drawn villa because of the costs and the relation to having more money to spend. And if the numbers regarding the architectural drawn villa would be examined, 26,7% answered with a three or a four on a five-degree scale, which would

question regarding the inside ceiling height is examined, the answer is unanimous, everyone in this age group wants to have high ceiling, and if compared with all of the answers there is not that much difference (94,5%). It probably depends on the group having such few

participants. There is not much information regarding why people like to have such high ceilings and it would have been an interesting question to ask, but at least it is known by this study that people strive for a higher ceiling height. The type of roof this group is looking for is a saddle roof (33,3%), which is different regarding all of the answers which was mono-pitched roof. Though 20% picked mono-mono-pitched/mansard roof, so it was not that far behind. And when asked about how much this villa represented their childhood home, the answers were 50/50. The point is that it is hard to understand why some think that a saddle roof is the best alternative. But some are surely impacted by what they saw as a child, and during this group’s childhood, somewhere around the 1990s when saddle roofs were popular (Björk, 2009).

built villa. But it shows that a porch twig is as much popular now than it was years ago. And it is something that still can be seen as modern.

Regarding the other qualities of the villa, people in this group is not any different than the other groups when it comes to the fireplace. 93,3% would prefer to have one, which is a bit more than the 90% from the whole survey. And since everyone but 3 said that they wanted to live close to the water it is not so difficult to understand why 70,9% said that they wanted to have a balcony and when asking if they wanted a balcony or patio, the majority wanted to have both (53,3%), and 46,7% wanted a patio. It would seem that a patio would be more preferred than the balcony, but still both types provide a nice place to hang out when having such nice areas around. Like said before, the area is important. A builder cannot place a villa anywhere and expect people to be excited. The area plays a larger role which can be seen in the answers clearly, on a five-degree scale 50% said five (very important) and 35,7%

answered with a four and the rest with a three, so nothing below three which confirms that the people taking this survey is keen on the location of the villa. Even though the majority of this groups wanted to be close to the ocean and the nature it is surprisingly few who cares where their energy for the heating comes from. The answers are divided almost equally between the three alternatives. With a slight majority for either Much important (35,7%) or little

importance (35,7%) and the remaining does not care (26,6%).

As mentioned before, a basement can provide much needed storage when the open floorplan (76,9%) will not allow any storage, but it can also be used in many other ways. But this group may be aware of the problems that usually comes with it as the brokers said before regarding the problems with moisture. In this group 80% said that they did not want to have a basement, which is a bit more than the general survey’s 67,3%. This is probably because the first group said the total opposite and they had so many participants. Otherwise, they would have been more similar in their results.

Age group 3 (41-50 years)

everyone else, white (41,7%) the closest color behind white is gray with 33,3%. And they would not want to have different materials on the façade, it should be homogeneous (65,4%). The percentage of those who wants to maintain a façade is getting fewer. Which can be seen as well when the group was asked regarding if the villa would need renovations. 73,1% felt that they would want a villa which was newly renovated. And if looked at the similar question regarding old or newly built villa, the answer is exactly the same as the last one with 73,1%. They also feel like it would be enough to have 110-140 sqm (42,3%) These questions give a view of comfiness or laziness, they do not want any problems with the house, everything should work fine and low on maintenance. They also feel like a catalog house would work for them (61,5%) which is more than the survey as a whole (53%). And asked if they wanted the service of an architect and how much they would value that service, the majority gave the service a three on a five-degree scale. The comfiness of a catalog villa further confirms the thesis. And the point is that 92,3% of the people asked, do currently live in a villa, so they would know the problems that come with them.

Regarding the roof for this group, 42,3% picked saddle roof. And 92,3% wanted high ceiling indoors. Which further confirms the thought of that almost everyone wants to have heigh ceilings. Exactly 50% thinks that it will be more expensive with the high roof. And the same goes for this group as the last one regarding how much they could have been influenced by their childhood. About 65,4% grew up in a villa during their childhood so the possibility is there, and saddle roofs would have been a roof type which was popular during their

childhood. The outside surface does not only consist of the façade and the facing plaster, but the windows also have a huge impact on how the façade looks like. During much of history they have changed a lot depending on how the rooms were placed and other factors. The windows can be placed according to the floorplan but have also been placed symmetrically when the outside was important. Windows are vital and technology in the later years allow us to have larger windows. This is something that this group finds attractive because 76,9% wanted windows which went from the floor to the roof, in other words, large windows. As expected, 69,2% did not want mullions. Which corresponds well with the rest of the

with glass was more represented than the votes from all of the participants (16,7%/9,5%). It is hard to know exactly what is behind their choices without asking the people a lot of related questions about the doors only, which would make this paper something different.

Historically this type of doors can be seen mostly prior to the 1960s, during the 1960s it became more popular with glass inlays beside the door to bring in some light into the hallway. (Björk et al., 2009)

The different details on the outside would be the porch twig and the balcony/patio. And as with the other groups, people tend to answer that they want to live close by the nature and water, which is why it is not that strange that 57,7% wanted a patio and 34,6% wanted both a balcony and a patio. They also answered a five (65,4%) on the five-degree scale regarding the importance of the location. Regarding the porch twig, 69,2% answered that they did not want one, compared with the general answers where 55% said that they wanted one. What is interesting is that 76% also said that functionalism is something for them, that is an area where they are also overrepresented compared to the rest of the people. Functionalism and a porch twig are something that usually represent two different styles.

The importance of an architect is clear in some senses. Like how they mentioned that too much of an open floorplan is not so practical. The architect carries so much experience which the client can take advantage of. For instance, 93,3% wanted an open floorplan and 80,8% did not want a basement. And if someone would plan their villa with an open floorplan and lose a lot of storage space, a basement would have been a smart choice for storage space.

Age group 4 (51-60 years)

Of the five divided groups, this is the largest one with 84 participants out of 220 (38,5%). The most popular façade in this group is divided between two different types, facing plaster and brick with a percentage of 34,5% and the color white (42,2%) which is a little more than all of the answers. Wooden façade has gone down to 9,5%. This confirms the theory regarding the maintenance being a factor or it may be at least a valid reason. Brick and facing plaster

statements further confirm that they look for something which will not take away too much of their time. And regarding the type of façade or how it is portrayed, the majority does only want one material (56,6%) which is in reach of what everyone else thought. And the possibility of not being able to imagine how it would look like, could still be the reason behind their choices. But at the same time, each question cannot be examined in every great detail.

looking for a villa with an open floorplan and 79,8% do not want a basement in their villa. It could be that basements were more popular years ago, and because 78,6% grew up in a villa it could be that they are familiar with the problem’s basements present which affects their choice in the question.

It seems like a big part of the people in Sweden wants a closeness to the nature and water if they would be living in a villa. As with the previous answers, 56,0% answered with a five on a five-degree scale regarding the location of the villa. Compared with the 51,4% from all of the answers. It seems like the location of the villa is getting more important the older the persons are. And the “low” 51,4% is highly affected by the first group which only answered 35,9%. But because of this love for the nature, 53,6% wanted a patio on their villa and 44,0% wanted both a patio and a balcony, this answer should had been done in a way where people should have been given the option of saying that they did not want either, but if the previous question would be examined, they could have answered no if they did not want a balcony, and 60,7% still wanted one. So, by this answer the outcome can surely be that the answers

regarding the patio is fair.

Age group 5 (61-80 years)

many did not think that functionalism was something they were looking for, even though the percentage was 50/50. Even though they seem to look for something in an older style, 92,9% want high ceilings, which is something not associated with older buildings. They want their size of the villa to be somewhere around (110-140) with a percentage of 50%.

The roof style of the villa is hip roof (35,7%) followed by Saddle roof and mansard roof with 21,4% each. Compared with the whole survey, a difference with 35,7% against 17,3% can be seen for the hip roof, which is almost the double, and for the mansard roof it is the same, 21,4% against 19,5%. Saddle roof is more popular amongst the other groups which is why it is more represented than in this age group. Mansard roof and hip roof have a lot of

similarities, which is why typology 5 is portrayed with a version of both. This type of roof brings another type of style into play, a style which often is not associated with large windows, or at least not windows from the floor to the roof. It is thus reasonable that the people in this age group do not prefer large windows (53,3%). Even though they prefer smaller windows, they still do not want mullions (53,3%). But they are still more keen to mullions than the rest of the participants (62,3%). Since this group seems to be keen for a more modern villa but with the style of an old one, it seems only fitting that they have an open floorplan which is what 84,6% wanted. It is also a typical building style which would have had a basement since during the times it would had been preferable. The basement was never intended to be used as a living space, with no isolation, it was to be used as storage or laundry room and similar (Sundström, 2006). And even though todays basements are much better isolated against the moisture, 78,6% did not want a basement.

the drawing of their villa. Both the three and the four got 33.3% which is more popularity than the rest of the groups got on the same question. It shows that they appreciate the architects work more.

Text based answers from the people

The following four questions are the last questions in the survey to the people. This is where they could elaborate a bit more since the questions were more open and not based on

multiple-choice questions to see how they thought on some topics without misleading them.

1. Where should your villa be located? Feel free to elaborate if you want it near water, near a big city and where in the country it should be located.

2. How much does this villa you just created represent the house you grew up in? (Even if you did not grow up in a villa, there could still be some similarities)

The table above is showing how the people have answered on the question. From the green “very little” to the purple “very much”.

You could believe that many would be influenced by what they have grown up with, but the table is showing the exact opposite. The green and light blue “very little and little” correspond to 58 percentage of the total answers. This suggests that many strive to live in something other than what they grew up in. It could be that many strive to have a nicer villa and simply a better life. Today’s society is filled with demands of commitment and self-fulfillment.

Everyone should be so much successful and have a fulfilling life, that many strive after a luxurious lifestyle and thereby a nice home (Cwejman, 2019).

3. What is most important with your villa? The choice is free and most not be connected to this survey.

The reason why the question is formulated this way, is because the answers shouldn’t be affected by the villa they created. Since there are so many different attributes about a villa which cannot be brought up by a survey. And thereby I try to find out what is most important to those taking the survey.

• Many people answered that the home should be designed after their needs, much because they want to create comfort and homeliness. Comfort and homeliness were two words which occurred often. That it should feel like a home and not a showroom was important. It should show that it is a home.

• What occurred most was the location of the villa. The locations are important to a lot of people. Even if they have something else which the point out as well, the location is still part of the reasoning.

• In addition to these points, functionality and a well-planned floorplan was two words which was important. Two words which are closely related.

• Many were also talking about the environment. People want a healthy house with safe and environmentally friendly materials. The survey shows that this is divided all over the age span.

• Lastly people want the villa to be easy to maintain.

Mycket lite lite medel mycket väldigt mycket

4. How much do you think this villa you just created look like the other villas created with this survey?

Mycket

lite lite medel mycket väldigt mycket

10 31 36 79 2

Green” very little” and purple “very much”. Many people believe that their dream villa is exactly what others wants. With 158 answers (many didn’t know, and some wasn’t an answer of the question), did 79 answer that their villa is similar to what others created through this survey. This gives exactly 50% of the answers. This shows how different the Swedish people are, 50% thinks that they created everyone’s dream villa. If someone makes something they like, it doesn’t mean that someone else will think the same. Which leads us into the question about catalog villas. Does this mean that those 51% which answered that they could imagine themselves getting a catalog villa picked that answer because they think that the catalog houses are perfect for everyone. Everyone’s dream villa is mostly different. None are exactly the same.

The different groups and their typologies

To be able to study and see if there was any difference in answers by the age, the participants were divided into 5 different groups, so that the answers could be studied. The most

represented groups who took the survey were people in the range of 18-30 years (79) and 51-60 years (84). The five typologies which came out of the survey were produced so that the

information would tend to theright side of the brain, who is keener to perceive things in a

5.9.1 Typology 1

The shape of the house was developed with the size in mind, namely the size that was the most popular answer. And also, which type of shape that would fit a certain house. Different variations can be seen between the different groups, typology 1 and 4 are similar, what differs is the minor details as typology 1 has a basement, porch twig and the façade is made with wooden panel, typology 4 is not. Other than this, they were similar. They preferred to live close to the water and the nature which has been illustrated as well. The point is that since the two groups had a lot of similarities, the first typology could be used again with some minor tweaks. These two groups are also the only ones who picked mono pitched roof as their favorite. But many others picked it as well, so they are well represented in all the other groups except age group 5. This group is also the only group who preferred to have a basement, it was not a huge majority (55,7%) but compared with the other groups who had majority for not having one with all of the groups around 80%, the difference is immense. The age of this group affects the result in a few categories, one that could be affected is the question

5.9.2 Typology 2

Typology 2 and 3 would be close to each other in resemblance if it were not for the difference in size. Other than the size, the only difference is that typology 2 is represented with wooden panel and typology 3 is portrayed with facing plaster. But because of the sheer difference in size the outcome is much different. To be able to squeeze in enough room in typology 1. The model was portrayed as a 1,5-story villa. Half the villa has spacing to the roof with high ceiling and half the villa has a loft with an exit to a balcony. Since balconies are hard to portray on a 1 story villa. And when asked the people if they would prefer a patio over a balcony the choice landed on a 1 story villa without balcony. Otherwise, this villa would be portrayed with both a patio and a balcony since the majority wanted a balcony. Even though all of the groups had a majority for building a new villa, this group was overrepresented with 80% majority. The closest one was group 3 with 73,1% and the rest was somewhere around 55%. All the questions in todays society regarding the energy consumption are important, which is why it is extra concerning that this group has the same percentage for the

Typology 3

5.9.3 Typology 3

This is the only group that had a bigger majority towards not having a porch twig. Group 4 and 5 were somewhere around 50/50 but this group had 69,2% who did not want a porch twig, which protrudes somewhat against the other groups. The following question regarding the 1930s functionalism is also protruding against the other groups: the group’s majority towards the style is 76% and the first two groups have a majority against the style with somewhere around 50%. This gives somewhat of a thought to what they like. The 1930s functionalism is not a style which is often associated with porch twigs. What confirms this thesis even further is the fact that they prefer large windows with the biggest majority of all groups of 76,9% which is associated with the functionalism or super functionalism (Björk, 2009) and they are also the biggest majority of all groups towards not having mullions. Even though all of the groups fancied catalog villas, this group are the ones who favored it the most. And functionalism is a style who catalog villas could produce without any problem, it is a style much represented in todays villas, at least many of the properties the style.

Typology 4

5.9.4 Typology 4

Like said before, this group and the first one share much of their opinions. These two groups are also the two largest groups when looking at the number of participants. Other than some few objects, they seem to be a bit average with their answers. Because of their choice in roof, the villa is affected greatly, but other than the roof, it is similar in some ways. They are almost the only one who prefer a double door at their entrance, except group 3 which equally prefer both double and single doors. The reason behind them not choosing to have a basement is probably because they know the problems that come with it. According to the brokers, people are aware of the problems with a basement and they are sometimes afraid and see it as a risky construction. Which is why this group, who is older, might not see it as a great of an

opportunity as the younger group 1. What seems to be consistent throughout the groups is the love for the water and the surrounding nature, which is why this group and the other groups are portrayed with water and green landscapes around and close to the villa. The closeness to the water is something that keeps coming throughout this thesis and seems to be something that the Swedish people value very much.

5.9.5 Typology 5

The only typology that differs the most in appearance is typology 5, and that is mainly because of the type of roof which no other group had a majority for. This group had a

majority for hip roof, but was closely followed by mansard roof, and since the two roof types are a bit similar, they got a combination of the two types. The style is much represented in older villas dating back to 1550s as its earliest example but became popular 300 years later. (Designing buildings, 2020). This certainly makes the villa look like it is older. As with much of the answers, this villa is portrayed close to the nature with a lake behind it. The participants of this group did not have a majority whether if they wanted a balcony or not. And since the villa has such majestic views at the backside of the house it would be unwise not to portray the villa without a balcony. It is also the group who got the highest majority for claiming a newly renovated villa at 78,6%. Which is a number who got from an 58,2% at the younger groups to 78,6% in this group. The number got higher and higher throughout the different ages except 51-60, where it took a little dip to 66,7% but got right back up at the next group. This group is also the one that preferred brick façade over the other types, the only group that preferred brick as well was group 4, but it shared the majority with facing plaster, both got 34,5%. But this group as said, preferred brick (40%) and with a second most favorited material of stone with 20,0%, brick had the advantage.

Conclusion

• What are the qualities Swedish people prefer?

The Swedish qualities seems to be a concoction of locations more than it is the villa itself. When analyzing the information from all three parties, it is clear that the location itself is the most important part in the surveys and interviews. It is not some specific attribute like the façade, color of the villa or if the villa has a balcony. The location is protruding in all of the interviews. As the architects and brokers say, it is not so important if the villa is old or new, the area is more important. And during the analysis of the survey for the people, it was clear that it is scattered amongst all of the answers for most part of the questions. Some questions like high ceiling and fireplace seems to be something that many swedes enjoy, but the location is important to many people. The Swedish quality can be found in the location of each parts home.

• How has history influenced these qualities?

The unhealthy living situation when the industrialization grew laid the foundation for the villa areas that can be seen today, and those thoughts and opinions is a reference of what the Swedish people answered in the developed survey. People want to live outside the city close to the water and the nature. This is somewhat of what the people originally were looking for, they wanted the feeling of fresh air and the scent of clean clothes which was not possible to the extent it is today. The whole thought about living outside the town has been with us since the industrialization: people don’t want to live in the dirty and unhealthy city, and of course it is much better in today’s society. But the villa life still expresses some kind of healthier alternative where you are closer to the nature and a cleaner alternative.

• Is the brokers view of the qualities in alignment with the people?

alignment with the people when they are on the job, they know what people like and therefor it is true. But the thesis regarding their personal likings cannot be confirmed. Because the questions to the brokers were not asked in such a way that those conclusions could be drawn.

• Do these qualities correspond with the architects’ professional opinion?

The architects have so much experience in the subject since they have drawn so many villas beforehand, and when the client wants something that cannot be made or is not desirable, the architect needs to come up with a compromise or show how something can be made

differently and better. This is why the architect’s values and qualities do not correspond with the Swedish people: their experience makes up the difference.

Advanced/continued studies

• Deep dive on location

How much does the location mean to the average Swedish person? Would be interesting to know how much the location affects the Swedes choices when they buy a new villa. • Why is 1900s and – 1930s so popular?

Several of the brokers said that this type of villa is sold much easier, what is it with this type of era that is so catching, is it only because of the location, or is it the villa itself, the feeling of something old.

• Why are catalog villas so popular

Self-explanatory, why are they more popular than an architectural drawn villa? would also be interesting to know.

• Send the typologies to the participants of the study.