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05 July 2008
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01 March 2007 |
The latest home trends focus on convenience and beauty
By Ferne Hale
Lost Lakers will admit to at least idlecuriosity about new homes they seebeing built on the shores of SmithMountain Lake. And those who arebuilding — or thinking about building— want to know the details. So weasked builders who are on the cuttingedge: What are the hot features of today’s new Lake homes?
Understanding the trends requires examining the
demographics of custom home buyers at SML.
“They are usually ‘empty nesters,’ at or near retirement
but with active lifestyles,” said Eddie Fort, president of
PD&M, a Lake builder for nearly 25 years who completes 4-6
homes each year. “Convenience is very important to them,
and they want minimal exterior maintenance.”
That means maintenance-free Dryvit®, brick, stone, or
Hardi Plank® siding — no time spent on ladders painting.
Fort noted that even roofing is expected to last longer.
“Some years ago, cedar roofing was favored, but it hasn’t
held up well,” he said. “Now asphalt shingles in many
different styles, synthetic Mediterranean-looking tiles, and
‘standing seam’ metal roofs all carry 50-year warrantees.”
There’s even a new exterior synthetic trim material, AZEK®
that looks like wood but can be bent to fit arched window or
door frames.
Decks are important to Lake houses, and there are
innovations, here, too. John Brock of Brockworks, Inc., who
has built 2-3 Lake homes a year for the past 13 years, favors
structural steel decks topped with tile, enabling the deck’s
underside to be finished like a ceiling. For synthetic decking,
he uses Crosstimbers® which, unlike earlier synthetics,
doesn’t store heat, doesn’t split, and has hidden fasteners. “I
haven’t done a treated wood deck in years,” Brock said.
Fort favors a new synthetic decking material, Louisiana
Pacific’s Weatherbest®, which is an improvement over
former synthetics – more resistant to UV fading, mildew
and warping. It has hidden fasteners and a more woodlike
“grain” pattern. To maximize homeowners’ Lake view,
Fort now recommends “see through” deck railings. He even
replaced the picket railing on his own home’s deck with
tempered glass: “How did I ever live with it the other way?”
he wonders.
Another exterior trend Fort noted is the use of decorative
paving (see story Page 50). “Brick pavers give any home a spectacular look,” he said. Stamped asphalt, at about twice
the cost of regular asphalt, costs less than pavers but also has
a dramatic effect.
Brock cited carriage-style garage doors as a significant
trend. “They lend an ‘old-world’ charm to the exterior, and
they come in rich woods or wood-look maintenance-free
fiberglass or vinyl.”
On the interior, Fort is seeing more emphasis on the
kitchen, master bedroom and master bath -- areas where
clients are willing to spend substantially to suit their tastes.
Open floor plans continue to be prevalent, with kitchens built
for entertaining.
“People know everyone always ends up in the kitchen
at a party,” he said. Clients are opting for commercial-look
appliances with 5-6 burner cooktops and, again because of
kitchen entertaining, cabinet-matching panels on appliances.
Kitchen lighting is more important than it was 10 years ago:
task lighting must be bright, but dimmers are used to tone it
down for entertaining.
Brock noted there are always new kitchen items: vegetable
sinks and faucets over cooktops for filling large pots. Fort
mentioned the demand for kitchen warming drawers and
two-drawer dishwashers, the top one for small loads. A
frequently-requested feature in the laundry room is a frontloading
washer and dryer set on a built-up platform for easy
access.
In the master bathroom, Fort is getting requests for large,
doorless showers, measuring 5-feet-by-5-feet, 6-by-6 or
larger, with two shower heads, body sprays and seats. He’s
also seeing more demand for radiant heating in the master
bathroom floor. Brock noted that Italian tile and marble are
popular where vinyl was once used.
Exotic wood floors are gaining in popularity. Fort cited
the increased use of African hardwoods like Wenge for
decorative floor borders or in medallions at the front entrance.
He’s currently building a house with bamboo flooring.
Also noting the retirement age of many clients, Brock said
he designs to accommodate owners’ evolving physical needs.
Wider hallways and doorways make master bedrooms and
baths handicap accessible. He routinely uses generous 3-foot
doors.
“With the ever-improving financial standard of the
American buying public,” Brock said, “things that were
previously considered luxuries are now more common. For
example, an elevator costs around $20,000 but can be a wise
investment for a retiree who anticipates potential mobility
issues.” A lower-cost approach is to include a 5-by-5 “extra
closet” that can accommodate an elevator installation with
only minimal remodeling. Brock has two such projects in the
works right now.
“Specialty rooms” are also gaining favor. Fort has built
several wine cellar/tasting rooms in the past few years. Some
of Brock’s recent homes have included media rooms — from
large, plush home theaters to 12-by-12-foot rooms wired for
high-end sound and video.
Indeed, Brock sees electronics and home automation as
a definite trend. He pre-wires rooms (bedrooms, kitchens,
offices) to suit tech-savvy clients. The wiring can be used
for phones or internet-related electronics. With computercontrolled
“smart house” systems, owners can play different
music in different zones of the house; a cell-phone call
during the drive home can turn on lights and adjust room
temperatures.
Building materials and techniques are always evolving.
Here at SML, the new homes we see being built are often
incorporating trends that make life more comfortable,
luxurious and maintenance free for their owners.
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Last Updated ( 29 May 2007 )
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