New Home Building Design Trends
April is New Homes Month. There are some very interesting new home design trends according to the National Association of Home Builders. These trends are creative and provide cost-savings for the new home buyer.
- Pocket Offices: A combination of more space being devoted to popular family gathering places like the living room or kitchen, and people becoming more mobile means that less space is being devoted to a home office or den. "Pocket offices" are being created anywhere in the house.
- Window Seats and Alcoves: They don't take up much space, yet provide quiet time, so home builders are seeing an increase in demand for both.
- Master Laundry Rooms: Home owners like the convenience of adding the laundry room to the walk-in master bedroom closet.
- Shadow Units: With the economy, multi-generational families are increasingly living in the same home. New home design has reflected this with "shadow" units that are built alongside a home, or separate living units that access the main floorplan through a door, or homes with at least two master suites - often one on the ground floor for the older family member.
- Rectangular Home Design: This type of design is becoming more popular because it is more cost-effective to build. In order to make them more attractive, these homes may have two windows in a corner to let more light flow in and provide unobstructive views. Also according to the NAHB, these homes might mix exterior materials such as metal, wood and stone to give the home a more modern look.