New Homes Give Way to New Trends - Home - Home Repair

New Homes Give Way to New Trends   by Ace Abbey

in Home / Home Repair    (submitted 2011-06-27)

New homes are often most desirable because they allow the buyer to customize every aspect of them, from their construction to their features and amenities to their location and setting.

This level of flexibility is not available when purchasing existing structures, making new homes the only portion of the housing market where cutting edge trends and fresh ideas are able to be featured.

Like other aspects of popular culture, these trends change often with the times and show up in a number of areas in a given house, whether it is the interior, the exterior or in the yard. In today's housing market, the most popular ideas seem to be a combination of both older and newer.

Often one of the most popular concepts in new homes is that of green building. The use of solar energy and various means of collecting it are commonplace on many newer houses. Likewise, utilizing efficient forms of insulation and installing materials like radiant barrier in attics are allowing houses to better maintain their interior temperatures and help conserve energy. Energy-saving appliances and tankless water heaters also help in this endeavor.

An offshoot of this concept as well as a reevaluation of the best use of space is the trending towards smaller floor plans. This doesn't necessarily mean that a homeowner doesn't get as much for his or her money, but rather that he or she is more creative and efficient with the space rather than wasting unneeded room on an area that could be suited perfectly fine with less square footage. An example of this is the dining room, which isn't used nearly as much today as it was in years past and can often be passed up when designing a home. This trend towards smaller space also helps with conserving energy.

While the living areas may be getting smaller, storage spaces are becoming larger. Providing more room for your stuff in dedicated areas cuts down on clutter in the main rooms and also helps homeowners make the most of the square footage that they have to work with.

Another feature that is being seen more often in new homes is the concept of extending space beyond the needs of the immediate family. This can mean adding a living space in a basement level or in an attic or extending the floorplan of the main structure to provide additional room for older live-in relatives or adult children that may live at home for longer periods of time.

These are just a select few of the many newer concepts showing up in new homes, but that doesn't mean you have to follow them. The best part of being the first person to own a home is the fact that you are able to do whatever you want with it, meaning you can follow these trends or start your own altogether.