Are you planning to build your dream home? Here are our Top 5 Home Building Trends and practices that we have seen working with our clients this year. Whether you are building a new home or just doing renovations, these building trends can provide you with some inspiration for your next project. Check out what’s trending to see if your design plans are on point.
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Open floor plans are still a must-have:
Our build specialists are seeing the emerging trend of open floor plans when working with our clients through the design process over the last year. Entertaining guests with a wide-open floor plan is essential for many clients. Everyone enjoys a large entertaining space when you are cooking for guests in the kitchen. You want to be able to see the dining room and great rooms so you can socialize when people are over. When discussing with clients we are seeing more people want continuity throughout the house. Bringing a sort of flow where spaces cooperate is a very popular floor design right now.
Check out this awesome open concept floor plan where the kitchen looks out to the great room!
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Bathrooms; clean, elegant, and classy!
White and grey still seem to be very popular colours for tile in the shower. Subway tile and hexagon tiles seem to be a continued trend with many homeowners and designers exploring more with grout colours to enhance tiles. People are also exploring with colour on cabinetry such as dark shades of blues and greys, but it is always nice to see the beauty of natural wood.
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Concrete Isn’t just for the driveway!
There are many designers and homeowners that are experimenting with concrete in various ways. Depending on the style of the home we are no longer just seeing it on the exterior of a home. People are using it for countertops, accent walls, and backsplashes which brings texture and a natural element to the overall design. We are seeing the use of concrete in lots of modern contemporary designs that include the use of natural wood to highlight the home.
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More Smart Technology
We are seeing an increase of builders and homeowners incorporating more smart technology in their builds. What is Smart Technology? From many appliances to lights, locks, and windows, smart home automation lets you control the systems of your home with a touch on your smartphone. We are seeing many of our suppliers incorporate this technology and it seems like it will be a trend not going away anytime soon.
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Energy Efficiency, Green Technology, and a net-zero building.
British Columbia has recently introduced the BC Step Code which is going to continue this trend. The province has committed to taking incremental steps to increase energy efficiency requirements in the BC Building Code to make buildings net-zero energy ready by 2032. A net-zero building is a home that creates as much or more energy than it consumes. This can be done in multiple ways for such as using solar technology or other renewable energy to power and run your new home comfortably.
It is important to recognize that Renewable Energy can only do so much in the way of a net-zero home. If your home is wasting an excessive amount of energy achieving net-zero could be a challenge. This means that you’ll need to invest and ensure that you have a secure building envelope that prevents air leaks, heat loss, and stops water from getting into the home.
Our build specialists have worked with some of our clients to achieve this with the use of our Pacific SmartWall® Technology which creates an airtight building envelop.
We’re here to help, so get in touch!