Throughout 2020, we were forced to transform our homes into offices, classrooms, and gyms. Such transformation has made us rethink how we live and has reshaped the way we view our homes. As we continue adapting to our homes, encompassing all aspects of everyday life, new construction trends will begin to emerge.
Location may no longer be the most critical determinant factor when selecting a home; prioritizing functionality, comfortability, and efficiency will come first.
Here’s how builders are incorporating these behaviors and expectations into new construction homes:
Flex Spaces
There’s no doubt that open floor plans will continue to dominate in 2021. However, this year, new construction homes will emphasize adding a “Flex Space” or “den” to their floor plan. Simply put, a flex space is a multifunctional, extra area in your home. It can be used as an office, classroom, gym, and playroom. There will be no more need to have an office in your bedroom or a gym in your living room with flex space.
Safety and Health
As we recover from the pandemic, having a safe and healthy home will continue to be a top priority. New construction homes are being built with more restorative materials, less-toxic paints, better ventilation and air filtering, and cleaner water systems. For example, antibacterial fans are being used to help prevent mold, mildew, and bacteria in bathrooms. Low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints are being used to help prevent air pollution. With advanced water filtration systems, contaminants and pollutants can be removed before the tap’s water comes out.
Smart Features
New construction homes must be equipped with smart features to keep up with the fast rate of technological advancement. Smart features vary and can go from simple, smart locks to highly sophisticated intelligent air filtration systems. Advanced home control systems will soon overtake consumer-grade products sitting around the house as well. For example, more homes will take virtual assistant services like Amazon’s Alexa a step further; using voice commands and having them pre-wired throughout the house will allow daily tasks to be done easier.
Pursuing this further, our next generation of homes will start incorporating more smart thermostat technology, allowing you to regulate the temperature in your home from any WiFi-enabled device. This will give you more control over your home’s heating and cooling systems and will help maintain a stable temperature in your home. A healthy home is a smart home!
At Maronda Homes, you can upgrade your home with various smart home features of your choice.
Energy Efficiency
Staying at home for extended periods equates to more electricity use and a higher utility bill. New construction recognizes this and plans to include energy efficiency features in homes built here on out. Not only does incorporating energy-efficient features save you money, but it also creates a healthier living environment as it prevents pollutants.
For example, the integration of energy-efficient windows. Energy-efficient windows reduce energy consumption; they’re now double insulated with air-tight sealing, keeping the heat out while keeping them cool in, regulating air conditioning use, and reducing energy cost.
Other energy-efficient traits we’ll see moving forward include home insulation, solar thermal and electric panels, duct sealing, tankless water heaters, and Energy Star appliances.
At Maronda Homes, every home we build is 100% BEE Smart Certified Energy Efficient. Features we include in our homes are framed and insulated low-side foundations, ZIP System barriers on wall sheathing, R-30 insulation, concrete block walls, and Energy Star appliances. The homes we build are 15% more energy efficient than other homes being built to date.
Outdoor Spaces
The concept of outdoor living is quickly evolving. New construction homes emphasize outdoor spaces like sunrooms, patios, decks, balconies, and terraces in their designs.
Since we’re now spending most of our time indoors, an outdoor space can be used as an “escape” from your indoor living space. It can be a place for your kids to play after virtual school, a place for you to relax after a long virtual workday, or a place to entertain guests on the weekend. Outdoor living space is a must in every home and a trend that’s not going away anytime soon.
As we continue to navigate the pandemic, we will continuously look for ways to make our homes more liveable. There’s no doubt that functionality, comfortability, and efficiency will continue to be the top priorities for both buyers and builders going forward.
