TOP TRENDS FOR CUSTOM HOMES IN 2018

Most people may not realize that building custom homes is a job that changes as often as any other industry that is consumer driven. As time marches on trends change and the custom home building business changes with them. Just because custom homes may not seem to change in the way they are built doesn’t mean the trends don’t change. In reality, the custom home building industry is changing at a faster pace than ever as builders and architects try to stimulate the slowly expanding industry. In fact custom home building has become exponentially more popular than buying cookie cutter homes over the last decade or so and for good reason. The National Association of Home Builders recently discussed a number of growing trends popping up in custom builder’s designs lately. While some of these trends simply add convenience to the homeowner, a lot of them actually add value to the home when time to sell. If you are looking to have Picklo design and build your next home, here are some of the trends on the horizon of custom homes.

Go Green Or Go Home

While the nation has become more socially aware of the environment and the need to conserve, the custom homes industry has kept up with that sentiment with green building techniques and materials as well as implementing energy efficient components in the home designs. Builders are using renewable or recycled materials such as reclaimed wood for exteriors or recycled rubber tires for playground filler. Features that can be added to the home to make it more energy efficient are solar panels, double-pane windows, advanced insulation such as radiant barrier and much more. Since clients chose a custom build for more control over design, they are quite satisfied at all of the environmentally friendly options being offered and the benefit of making their home uniquely different.

Smart Homes Are Better Homes

With everything becoming “smarter” in the electronics industry it was just a matter of time before smart technology melded with home construction. Now homes can be built to be optimized and pre-wired for a seamless smart home controls experience. Using home automation interfaces from companies such as Control 4, your home can be completely controlled by voice or touch panel. If you want to come home from a stressful day and just take a bath and relax, just tell your home to dim the lights, play jazz on your Sonos speaker system and adjust the climate to your liking. All this at the simple command of your voice, it may have been futuristic in movies of the 80’s such as Back To The Future II but it’s reality now and it makes life easy. With appliances now being incorporated with the technology even the kitchen is getting into the mix with ovens that you can tell how long to cook, what temperature, and to sense doneness; no more overcooked turkey on Thanksgiving right? Rounding it all out, is outdoor living spaces that can be controlled from your smartphone, specifically outdoor pools and patios. Imagine having the house to yourself after a late night at work. You walk in the door and with the touch of one button, gas tiki sconces come to life, the pool lights come one in shades of red and purple, and the hot tub begins to bubble all before you’ve even dropped your briefcase. There is no room in your home that can’t be automated these days and we think it’s only going to get better.

Artificial Intelligence Is The Next Evolution

Even as smart home technology is still fairly new to the industry, that hasn’t deterred tech companies from creating the next big thing right on the heels of their success of smart technology. Not necessarily a new product but rather improving on smart home tech, AI enabled apps and control systems are changing the way we interact with new homes. Appliances such as smart thermostats now can “learn” your heating and cooling habits and predict when you will want the climate changed and to what degree. Everything from facial and voice recognition to recognizing who is in the room and how they like the lighting or audio, to AI enable security systems that can sense trouble in your voice and call the police if an intruder has you cornered. Artificial intelligence is making smart homes, smarter and self-aware with advanced learning computers. The amazing thing is this level of smart home advancement wasn’t even a blip on the radar just a year ago.

Tiny Houses Aren’t Just For HGTV Shows

While HGTV shows did bring the spotlight to a building trend of tiny houses and modular living, you can actually thank the struggling economy the past 10 years for this trend. With many economic factors preventing traditional home ownership, buyers began learning to downsize not only their budget but their home expectations. Younger people buying a starter house or baby boomers looking to move down to a smaller empty nest are driving this burgeoning industry. Designers are taking note by focusing more on connecting these homes indoor and outdoor living areas so the homes feel larger than they actually are. In fact, one of the most popular small home plans is a mere 890 sq. ft. with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, with a modest deck and a solar panel roof. Yes, solar panel roof; small home buyers tend to be very into sustainable forms of energy and conservation. These small homes with light utility needs make it the perfect home to implement solar panels and other green tech.

Home Shows Have Created A More Informed Buyer

Thanks to the influx of popular home improvement shows such as Fixer Upper, Property Brothers and pretty much every HGTV show; buyers now are much more informed on what they want when they begin shopping for a home builder. In the past home builders would have to prod and guide home buyers to make the right choice in materials for their plans. Now, buyers approach with a list of materials, plans, pictures and more and have most of their ideas the moment they get a home builder on the phone. One thing that hasn’t changed for homebuyers though is the inability to tie multiple design cues and desires together to flow throughout the home, that is why home designers still have a job and likely always will.

Kitchens Get An Upgrade

One of the bigger trends is younger households enjoying exploring their culinary skills and embracing their “foodie” tendencies. Young couples and families love to try new recipes and entertain and they like to do it together as a familial unit. This means kitchens are becoming very modular and workstation based. In traditional kitchens you may have a prep table, your stove, the counter and maybe a breakfast bar. Newer kitchen design trends include auxiliary workstations; some with an additional albeit smaller sink, more open kitchen floor plans, and designs and components that make the home kitchen resemble a restaurant kitchen than a cozy home one.

It’s a Wired World

We now live in a connected world that is constantly on the go and in need of constant communication at our fingertips. Chances are you are probably even reading this on your mobile device. With that comes the need for juice, power, and the full battery symbol we crave to keep our social media apps refreshed. Charging stations for electronics are popping up everywhere in new home design. The most popular are charging ports built into kitchen countertops, into living room walls, bathroom countertops and outdoor living spaces as well. There really isn’t many spots where charging stations can’t be implemented so if you must be connected 24/7, this would be the design cue to list as your priority.

Modern Makes A Comeback

In the 60’s, futuristic design was all the rage and while rightly progressive it did leave some bad style aftertastes. While the 80’s brought minimalistic designs and the 90’s color splashes and vibrant boldness; modern is back in a big way. You see its style marks everywhere from TV commercials, in stores and even in appliances. We have refrigerators with cameras inside and screens on the door so you can see your inventory without opening the door. If that isn’t indicative of moderns’ big push then you are living in denial. Horizontal fireplaces, tempered glass countertops, and geometric bath fixtures are all trending right now and gaining major momentum.

Ready To Build Your New Home?

If these new trends got your creative juices flowing and you are ready to build your custom home, there’s never a better time than the present to contact Picklo Homes and start creating your dream home. With designers and contractors that have decades of experience building the finest homes in Texas, Picklo is your number one choice for quality crafted custom homes that stand the test of time. Give us a call today and let us get to work for you and let’s build a home together.