Lone Star Building Home Remodeling Trends

This article was written by Wayne J Ball of Lone Star Building & Construction Services. It was printed in the Houston Chronicle in the Homes Section on February 20, 2022. This is the text of the article:

The pandemic has influenced the way we want to live in our homes.  We have seen our home in a new light.  Our homes became our offices, classrooms, “restaurants” and “movie theatres”.  Going forward these experiences will affect some trends in future remodeling.

Open layouts are still desirable, but flexible, multi-functional spaces are gaining in popularity. Multipurpose spaces will be a must have for those working or schooling from home.  This might include a larger kitchen island for preparing food and dining with built in charging stations or charging stations hidden in kitchen drawers. A space that will support multiple needs of multiple family members for cooking, working, and gathering.

During the pandemic people were doing more bulk shopping to reduce trips to the store. An emerging trend is a working pantry with plenty of storage, specialty drawers, and room for small appliances with working areas for coffee makers, blenders and toasters.

Now there is more of a desire to transform those underutilized or unfinished spaces in your home such as an attic or garage. These are great locations for creating an additional bedroom, office, or media room.

The pandemic also reinforced the necessity for cleanliness. Natural, durable materials, easy to clean and maintain surfaces like Quartz remains the most popular countertop choice. Touchless faucets, automated soap dispensers, and smart toilets with touchless flushing, and self-cleaning features will relieve you of your toilet-scrubbing duties. In addition, there is large demand for laundry rooms with lots of storage and working space located near an entrance for sanitizing purposes or bedrooms for convenience.

Homeowners are looking for ways to reinvent their living spaces to make them more functional, productive and aesthetically pleasing for their specific lifestyles.   It’s a new normal to find the perfect balance for our homes and our lives.