Moving is never an easy decision. It involves uprooting your whole family, packing up your entire house, and sometimes, saying goodbye to a lifetime of memories. While it might be hard to close this chapter of your life, a whole world of possibilities lies ahead of you. You can choose to buy an older house, invest in new homes for sale, or even work with a custom built homes contractor.
Custom design homes can give you an exciting new way to start the next part of your life. You can often pick from several custom homes floor plans, make adjustments to these plans as you desire, and personalize them with your own touches. The flexibility you get with a custom home is unparalleled, and many people are capitalizing on it. The number of homes built in 2014 is supposed to increase by about 580,000 homes, according to Kiplinger’s Economic Outlook, which means more people are looking to build their dream home.
If you do decide to head in the custom home building direction, here are some trends in 2014 that you will want know about.
- More Space is Better
This year, more people are choosing custom homes floor plans that offer a more open feel. While homes built pre-2000 are more compartmentalized, newer homes are knocking down barriers between the kitchen, living room, and even the foyer. This expands the space, giving a room an aura of grandeur, height and length. The average living room size is about 16′ X 16′, and opening up one side of the room makes it appear much larger than its original size. This also gives homeowners a chance to cook and entertain at the same time, as they have a view of the entire room.
- Start Green
As “go green” initiatives continue to rise, homeowners are hopping on this trend with their custom homes. For example, people are opting for tank-less water heaters in order to save on energy and water costs. A typical water tank continuously runs to keep water hot for the shower and sinks, but a tank-less water heater only heats water on demand, as needed. In addition, home automation systems can greatly reduce energy wastage, as they allow an entire home’s energy output to be monitored using one system that can turn lights, water, electric appliances and many other functions on and off as needed.
- Extra Suite
What is generally known as an in-law addition, is also becoming more popular, and is also being used as a guest suite. A Census Report on Households in 2012 showed that there is an increase in multi-generational homes in the last decade, meaning that families are opening their houses to grandparents and other relatives. With custom homes floor plans, a builder can tease out extra space before construction that can be used as a room for elderly parents, as well as guests. These rooms can also be called “bonus rooms” that can be utilized for other purposes as well. You can have the room put in with a future suite in mind, and utilize the space as an office or playroom until it is needed, which makes the room functional and adaptable.
The best part of custom homes is that you can follow these trends, or not. In fact, you can start your own fad. The idea is that building a custom home gives you the freedom to create the house of your dreams, and that is not a chance everyone gets.
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