Top 10 Builder's Choice Trends for 2007

DENSE AND RICH

With land in short supply, builders are searching for infill spots in old growth neighborhoods, making the most of existing infrastructure.  The architecture often defers to local tradition (think Craftsman, Victorian or colonial), but the housing types may not.  Witness clever pockets of tidy townhomes or condos stitched into venerable single-family neighborhoods.  Or duplexes on teardown lots that previously held single homes.

WALK THIS WAY

Urbanism has never been cooler, and the concept has officially migrated outside the city proper.  Say so long to bedroom communities.  The ‘burbs are coming into their own with smart, vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods offering immediate access to retail, entertainment, jobs and public transit – all within walking distance.

SECOND CHANCES

Preserving architectural history is not longer just about aesthetics or nostalgia.  It’s also a way to conserve resources.  Today’s landmark buildings are more likely to be rehabbed than razed in efforts to revitalize downtrodden neighborhoods.  Urban pioneers integrating new construction with historic structures are finding that old-school buildings, when sensitively restored, lend exactly the sort of character and patina homebuyers crave.

WARD AND JUNE CLEAVER…NOT

The “average” American family isn’t as big as it once was.  Builders and developers (and the city officials who approve their projects) are responding with smaller homes on smaller lots to accommodate non-traditional families such as single parents, couples without kids, empty nesters and single buyers.

LESS IS MORE

The 10,000 square-foot manse isn’t as popular as it was during the housing boom.  What today’s homebuyers are giving up in square footage, they are investing in stuff you can see and touch – fine millwork, delectable finishes, commercial-grade appliances, sturdy fixtures, good lighting and authentic materials.  Quality over quantity is the new mantra.

EASIER BEING GREEN

No doubt homes and communities built to LEED-H or NANB’s Model Green Home Building guidelines are proliferating.  An undisputed movement is afoot, and there are myriad ways to be eco-smart.  Think passive solar, habitat preservation, storm water reuse, locally produced components (which reduce the petroleum needed for distribution), recycled or salvaged materials and low-VOC substrates.

WASTE NOT

Treading lightly on the earth also means sending less to the landfill.  Converts to this line of thinking are designing plans with standardized dimensions to reduce job site waste, dabbling in panelized construction and building homes that are skinned in low-maintenance materials (fiber cement, metal, stone) that last.  Savvy builders are also facilitating the creative reuse of resources derived on site.

EARTH, WIND, FIRE, WATER

Energy prices are soaring (newsflash) and high performance systems have become synonymous with good design.  Homes incorporating photovoltaics, low-E windows, SIPs, low flow toilets and showerheads, tankless water heaters, dimmer switches and geothermal systems are winning homeowners’ hearts by reducing their energy bills.  Money still talks.  Energy Star has become the gold standard.

HUMAN SCALE

Environmental stewardship is contingent on economic survival, and the fact is, affordable housing is in short supply.  Some of today’s most groundbreaking dwellings are popping up at the low-end of the market.  As they say, discipline begets innovation, and that includes the budgetary kind.

BUILT TO LAST

Building, neighborhoods, towns and cities that endure for centuries are, by nature, sustainable.  A home that is loved, cared for and built to withstand the elements is one that will not be razed in 30 years.  Great design, deft craftsmanship, intuitive site planning and sound construction.  Those are the things that have always stood the test of time.  And that truth remains unchanged.