Today’s home improvement trends show that we like our houses to work harder and smarter for the money we spend. We no longer want the large McMansions; instead, we want space that’s flexible, efficient, and brings order to chaos. Here are some of the top trends in home improvement and building for 2015.
1.) Maintinance free siding
I know, it's a shocker to me too but cementious siding clocked in at #1 on the list. The main reason is that is is very low maintinance and only requires caulking and some cleaning each spring, doesn't show cracks like stucco, won't rot or get temites like wood and is non-combustable. Maintenance is limited to a cleaning and some caulking each spring. Repaint every seven to 15 years. Wood requires repainting every four to seven years. At $5 to $11 per square foot, installed, fiber-cement siding is more expensive than paint-grade wood, vinyl. It returns 84.3% of investment, the highest return of any upscale project.
2.) Kitchens, Kitchens, Kitchens
Although houses are trending smaller, kitchens are getting bigger, according to the American Institute of Architects’ Home Design Trends Survey. We are seeing a trend away from kitchens that are so big you need skates to get around and into kitchens with a better use of space, good work flow and higher end finishes like upgraded counter tops ((quartzite It also more closely resembles the most luxe classic—marble—without the
drawbacks of staining easily. Quartzite is moving ahead of last year’s favorite, quartz, which is also tough but is manmade))., appliances, better storage spaces, larger pantrys, and charging stations for mobile devices. We are seeing a trend away from large commerical type appliances and seeing more efficient appliances. How many times do we relly use a 6 burner stove anyway? Small under cabinet wine chillers are getting more common here and they look especially nice in the island.
The dual prep style sinks are becoming less popular and are we are seeing the rise of the large, single basin- farmhouse style sink.
Pantrys are still a hot button, I've never seen someone want a smaller pantry- lets put it that way!
Under cabinet drawers have been gaining popularity for a while now and that trend is continuing along. They are really nice from a sheer storage standpoint as you can access things in the back of the drawer without having to almost crawl into the cabinet and if you are older this is much easier on your knees and back!
3.) Energy Efficiency (number 5 on thier list)
This has been a hot topic for a few years now and is only getting stronger. Everything from LED lights to spray foam insulation to programable thermostats ((Nest thermostat. tracks your habits and adjusts the temp according to your habits after 1 week)) we are always looking for ways to beome more energy efficient. Wheather you want to become more ?green? to sve money or reduce your carbon footprint almost everyone can agree that the less energy we spend the happier we are, right?
Most builders are going green as well. A lot of them are doing energy audits to the home before you move into it. Most are using better insulation such as spray foam, radiant barriers and just normal cellulose insuation but much thicker than before. ((I was living in my town home a few years ago and showing homes in PV. We looked at a newer home with a brand new high efficiency AC system. The seller happend to be there so my buyer asked them how much their average utility bill was. It was lower than my town house!! They had a pool and 4k sqft and my older town home had only 1700 sqft but their bill was smaller than mine. Goes to show you how much efficiency can save you every month)).
4.) Storage Space (number 7 on their list)
With the homes getting smaller, we still need a place to put everything, right?
Maximizing storage sace is key with the new home trends. Everything from using all of the space under the stairs to adding built-ins to a blank wall or nich, everyone is clamoring for adequet storage space. The garages are getting storage space upgrades as well. Garage organizers are a big hit with homeowners wanting to take back the space in their garages and not have it packed to the rim with unneeded chaos. Several builders that I have seen are offering to add reenforced trusses to the home to add a lot of storage space above the garage. Previously you could only put about 200 lbs above the garage according to most buiders, now you can add a whole lot more and have space to walk around up there so you dont have to be a contorsionist to get your stuff.
5.) Home offices (as opposed to formal living rooms)
Lets face it, almost no one wants a formal living room now-a-days. Formal dining rooms are going away too but not as fast as formal living rooms. A great use of the formal living room space is to make it into either a convertible space with things such as a murphy bed type set up or make the upgrade to a dedicated office. The office may require having doors on it for privacy but that is easliy done with minimal cost. A lot of people are working from home now so the dedicated home office is a huge benefit. Consider runnint Cat-5 cable in the room and adding extra outlets for printers, fax machines, computers, moniters, etc..