Building Trends

Even though we are in economic tough times, new homes are still being built, especially in Central Texas.  But with these new homes, it is interesting to note that people are approaching their custom homes in a different way than before.  Here are some of the trends that we are seeing.

• Smaller floor plans:  It seems that people are going more conservative when it comes to square footage.  Media rooms and 3-car garages are being replaced by bigger family rooms and 2-car garages.

• Quality products:  Homeowners are wanting high-quality products that last longer and are energy efficient, even if that means a higher up front cost.  That is because people are staying in their homes longer and want to have to deal with less ongoing maintenance.

• Outdoor living areas: The outdoor living trend continues to be strong.  This space is serving as family's second kitchen, family room, and dining room all rolled up in one.

• Increased storage: Another trend that is still going strong, but the shift is that homeowners want the storage to be smarter and better thought out for the space.  For example, laundry rooms are getting a lot more attention in how they are laid out and the additional storage space that they can bring.

The bottom line is that people are spending more time at home than before and they are also planning to stay in those homes longer.  So every detail and decision becomes more important when designing and building a home.

Laundry Room Makeover

While many hours each week are spent in the laundry room, it may be one of the least thought-out rooms in the house.  It is all too common to focus your attention on the kitchen or master suite, but the laundry room is just an afterthought.

But when someone takes the time to think through the features and logistics of a laundry room, it can make the necessary chore of doing your laundry a much better experience.

Take this laundry room renovation that I tackled this summer.  My client had a typical laundry room that did the job, but was narrow and had limited storage.  And with two active kids, the laundry baskets often piled up.

So they decided to change things around a bit.  The wish list included:

• More storage
• Everything to have its place
• More open space  that would make it easier to move around in
• A room that could function like both a laundry room and a mud room

And with a design by Austin designer Jon Salinas AIA, we jumped into the project.  

We extended the laundry room by using some of the existing garage space.

Then we added much needed storage in the form of cabinets and an island from QSI Custom Cabinets.  The cabinets work well for all of those random items that end up in the laundry room: dog food, water bottles, etc.  The soapstone island countertop from Dorado Soapstone serves as a great work surface to sort and fold clothes.

And my favorite part of this renovation are the perfect-sized cubbies to hold those laundry baskets and the cloth bins that can hide the clutter.  Everything has its place.

The final touch was a fresh coat of paint. The mustard yellow warms up the space immensely.

When an overlooked laundry room gets the attention that it deserves, the results can be extraordinary.