When you’re deciding to build a home, part of the design process is making sure you include all the features and amenities that are important to you and your family. Each and every homeowner may have a completely different list of priorities, and it is our job to make those happen; having a ‘must have’ list will help make the process move along smoothly. It’s important to have those practical necessities that make living easier in a home, but also some fun features that make a house your home as well! Here are seven popular ‘must haves’ that are trending in new home construction today:
- Convenient Laundry Room- Doing the laundry isn’t typically thought of as a fun task, and even more dreadful than actually doing the laundry is putting it away. A common thing we see how is homeowners now building their homes with laundry rooms on the level that the bedrooms are located in. In fact, most of our custom floorplans are designed that way! Homes designed this way make the process of doing laundry and putting it away much easier so there is no excuse for leaving all your clean laundry folded in the laundry room for months if the laundry room is just down the hall!
- Open Floor Plans- In older homes, a common thing to see are homes with spaces throughout separated by full walls and doorways. Over the past decade, open floor plans have become increasingly popular. An open floor plan flows from room to room to enhance a family’s lifestyle and create a sense of togetherness and increased communication. Now, instead of walls between each room, there are now casted openings or archways to create a smooth transition between spaces.
- Storage- Homeowners can never have too much storage! Walk-in closets, linen closets, kitchen storage space and walk-in pantries are all giving homeowners the added storage space they need for their belongings and household items. Added storage units in garage spaces to keep tools and recreational items organized and out of the way are very common also!
- Family Entrance with a Drop Zone- With our frigid North Dakota winters approaching, it is important to keep the salt and dirt from getting tracked around the house. A drop zone, or mudroom, is a very popular and yet charming solution to the problem. Variations of this space can include walk in closets, lockers, or benches with hooks. Designating a spacious area to be able to enter the home and drop shoes, coats, school bags, grocery bags, etc. makes life easier and more organized for the whole family!
- Green Features- Everyone wants to save money wherever they can when investing in building a new home. Homeowners can save substantial amounts of money on their monthly bills by including energy efficient features in your home. Some areas to consider green features include appliances, insulation, windows, and insulated garages.
- Reclaimed Materials- More and more people are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental footprint. We are seeing frequent use of reclaimed materials in new home construction such as exposed wood beams, wood flooring, doors, fireplaces, and other details throughout the home. Reclaimed materials can add a unique, trendy, and rustic feature to your home.
