Ask Mark McNaughton if he has seen many changes since his family started building homes in 1979, and he says, “Oh, my goodness.” Yes, indeed, there have been changes. Economical split-levels and bi-levels have gone the way of the disco ball. Total square footage once averaged in the 1,100 to 1,350 range. Today, “the smallest single-family home we build is 1,600 square feet.”
As treasurer of McNaughton Homes, McNaughton has his finger on the pulse of what today’s homeowners want. He is also known for his time as state representative, serving 10 years after his election in 1996. He continues pursuing his passion for policymaking in government affairs and legal action positions for the National Association of Homebuilders, Pennsylvania Builders Association and Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Harrisburg.
His civic involvement has included an endowment supporting a Harrisburg-area Catholic school and a college scholarship fund, both to honor the memory of Christian McNaughton, his son who died at age 4 in 1997.
1. What do homeowners want in a community today?
People want to know they’re in a nice environment. They want nice neighbors. In every municipality we build, you’ll find a park. In Autumn Oaks, for instance, we have 55 acres of open space. In some there are walking trails. In others, there are large green areas behind the homes. You can go out there with your dog, or if you’re having a party in the backyard, it can bleed over into the open space. It beautifies the community. It helps the environment. It helps property values.
2. What’s new in townhomes?
The townhouse is not the townhouse of old. They have vaulted ceilings. They have two-story family rooms. They have first-floor master bedrooms and two-car garages. People want the same things in a townhouse that they would get in a single-family home. They also want maintenance-free living. They want somebody else to do the snow removal and the mowing. A lot of older individuals are buying townhomes. You know why? Because they can lock the door and go away for a couple of months. They don’t have any worries.
3. How do regulations affect the homebuilding industry and homeowners?
About 35 to 40 percent of the cost of a home lot is due to regulations. Some of it’s absolutely necessary. Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, which has been very successful, drives a lot of the regulations regarding erosion and sedimentation. The goal is to take the water that runs from the sky and give it back to the ground to reenergize the groundwater. If more municipalities would go back to opening up the curbing and letting water run into the grass, that would help. We have to change the way we think. We’re still doing curbs and streets the way we did them 35 or 40 years ago.
4. What has your time in homebuilding taught you?
My dad always said that hard work is good for you. He put me out in the field and told the guys, “Do not treat him any differently than you would any other employee,” which I was very grateful for. Then I started getting more involved in the land development process. I learned that working with the municipality, working with the regulatory agency, working with the inspectors—it’s much better to have a relationship that’s amicable than one that’s adversarial.
5. How do you feel about the state of politics today?
When I served, we had great camaraderie between Republicans and Democrats. We would debate issues vociferously, but in order to get something accomplished for the citizens of the Commonwealth, we would sit down after session and work out a compromise that everybody could live with. Today, it has become so partisan. Both sides believe they’re right, and there is no middle. That’s not good for anyone. Some of the greatest pieces of legislation have been the greatest compromises. If you don’t think in those terms, you get paralysis, and that’s what we have. I’m hopeful that reason prevails, because that’s the only way we’re going to all keep moving forward.
6. Why does civic engagement mean for you?
I hope I have a legacy as remarkable as Christian’s. He helped 90 kids attend college. There’ve been 6,000 students touched by him at St. Catherine’s. Civic engagement is important to all of us. My sister sits on the HACC board. My nephew is into all the coaching things. We’re the community builders. We’ve lived in Dauphin County all our lives. You have a duty to give back. What’s the phrase? To whom much is given, much is expected. That’s true.
7. What’s next for McNaughton Homes?
Whether it’s my niece or my nephew or my daughter or myself or my brother or my sister or my father, we all live in the communities we build. We have three generations in our company. We love the houses we build, and we love our neighbors. We’re proud of what we do, and we’re also proud of the fact that our neighbors invite us in. They tell us to stop for coffee. They come over and sit on our porch, and we’re invited to sit on theirs.
7 New Home Must-haves
The 7 new home must-haves, according to Mark McNaughton:
1. Drop zone. The old mudroom now features cubbyholes for backpacks, shelves for shoes, and hooks for coats. Lockers and closed cabinets help neaten the space if it’s visible from living areas.
2. Walk-in pantry. A now organized space where all cooking essentials are handy, and you can see at a glance when staples are running low.
3. Walk-in closet. The oversized garage creates airspace for the walk-in closet of your dreams and maybe even a second walk-in for the husband’s use, partly.
4. Flex rooms. Whether it’s a first-floor study or a top-of-the-stairs open hallway, spaces that can serve as an office, den, playroom or reading spot are essential.
5. Oversized garage. There’s room for two or three cars plus a lawn mower, a snow blower and bicycles.
6. Eye-catching details. The touches that gave character to the homes of old are making a return, like crown molding and tray ceilings, plus new takes on pocket doors with barn-door sliders.
7. First-floor master suites. When parents and grandparents come for extended visits, they have their own private quarters, sometimes with separate entrances.