What's Hot

Not that there's anything wrong with Southwest Florida Mediterranean. For years it's been the style of choice (although purists will argue that our version is nowhere near the real thing). This new West Coast style, though more Plain Jane on the outside, spares budgets for interior finishes, says Miller. "Layers of precast stone on the outside take the value out of the inside of a home, where people spend more time," he says. "Finishes on the inside are beginning to take precedence over the outside."

What The Estuary home may lack in architectural exterior embellishment, it makes up in eye appeal-texture created through stucco detailing and the play of light and shadow through the undulations of the building and deeper recessed windows. Wood visible in exposed beams, rafter tails and arbors and trellises adds a natural element. Landscaping greenery, iron work and awnings with wrought iron finials also contrast with the creamy white façade. Bougainvillea supplies a splash of color.

The exposed beams, says Miller, replicate bygone building practices. "It gives new homes that well-worn feel."

That's what we're all really after, aren't we? A home that offers the best of both worlds-new, as in never been lived in before, but molded to our comfort and lifestyles, much like a favorite old T-shirt. From carriage-riddled cobblestones covering the driveway to distressed cabinetry and weatherworn copper, homes nowadays are made to look and feel old.

While London Bay's Estuary model offers a refreshing contrast to the Mediterranean mindset, there are still many new transplants who want the exterior detailing that has characterized Southwest Florida homes during the past few years. Gary E. Aubuchon, president of Aubuchon Homes (which is building Cape Coral's largest single-family home-11,000 square feet), says his clients are demanding more interior and exterior embellishments. "They want the exterior detailing, the precast stone and columns," he says. "Inside, they're paying more attention to ceiling treatments-to the look up, to the floors and to the walls."

Steven Watt, president of Gulfshore Homes, says his clients are abandoning precast stone on the exterior. They're replacing it with coquina, a more expensive finish. "In the highest-end homes, we're seeing a move toward more natural products inside and out because they offer a more authentic look," he says. "Our clients want the absolute best."

This zest for the best extends to windows and also reveals itself in a move to mahogany, says Watt. "Our clients are choosing Tichler windows, which cost three times as much as the Pella windows we were using in the past. Again, this creates a more authentic and richer look."

Polished marble with intricate inlays is replacing Saturnia as the flooring of choice, says Watt. Interior architecture is becoming more elaborate. New homes are boasting more groin- and barrel-vaulted ceilings-artistic treatments that require the eye of an artist and the skill of a craftsman-and faux painting and Venetian plaster on the walls.

Buyers themselves bring a lot to the homebuilding process, simply by requesting that souvenirs brought back from their travels be incorporated into their new home. Everything from ornamental antique doors and fireplace mantels to old butcher-block countertops and columns are being worked into these new homes, says Miller. London Bay has been asked to convert items acquired on sojourns to Indonesia and Asia-a Buddha and decorative elephant chains-into a fountain and swags for light fixtures.

Here's what some local building industry professionals say is hot:

Multiple stories: No tall tales here. Whether looking in Southwest Florida's most upscale communities or more affordable neighborhoods, more and more new homes have at least two floors. The shrinking availability of buildable property is the prime motivation. "Two-story homes were uncommon just a few years ago," says Darrin McMurray, Southwest Florida division president for US Home, a community developer and builder. "Two stories have become very popular today, especially for families who want a lot of square footage." It's not just families who want two or more floors, says Aubuchon, whose company is building several homes of three or more stories. Elderly retirees who once shunned climbing stairs have become more active, and they're eager to get views from the top. We've been very successful with two-story homes in other markets, and lo and behold, people like them," says Joe Schwantes, vice president of sales and marketing for Beazer Homes in Lee and Collier counties. "They provide a lot of square footage for the money, and, often, five or six bedrooms."

* Families first: Communities that cater to the family are wildly popular. US Home's Stoneybrook in Estero has been so successful, the company plans to launch two similar communities in Southwest Florida. McMurray calls the so-called intergenerational community in Estero "one huge block party."

* A woman's place is in the kitchen-or near it: While men get to keep their home office/study/den, London Bay's Miller says the trend of his-and-her studies is now passé. The woman of the home hasn't been slighted, however. Her home office has evolved from a tech center in the pantry/kitchen to a command center near or in the kitchen. It's equipped with a computer for accessing recipes and checking email.

* Informal is in: Miller says London Bay is building more homes with a less formal living room. "People spend more time in the family room because they don't do the formal entertaining they did up North."

* More outdoor living: For Aubuchon Homes, outdoor living continues to be the biggest trend. As Gary Aubuchon explains: "Everyone wants a piece of Busch Gardens in their own back yard. We don't even call them pool packages anymore because they encompass so much more, including big-screen TVs, fireplaces, a full kitchen and entertainment area."

"Some of the outdoor living environments we're creating now are as expensive as the first home we built 10 years ago," he adds.

Pools: The "hood ornament of a home," according to Christian Andrea, president of Architectural Land Design, the pool enhances architecture and lifestyle. Builders and homebuyers are forgoing the pool cage, preferring to let the sun shine in. Free-form waterways resemble lagoons and often have multiple waterfalls and shallow areas for chaise lounges. "Infinity edges have become almost boring because they're pretty standard now," says Andrea. "We're doing washboards, which create more of an interesting waterfall." One of Gulfshore Homes' recent models at Quail West Golf & Country Club showcases nearly $500,000 in water features, says Watt.

* Green building: Reducing waste in the building process, using materials that are recycled and reclaimed, and increasing energy efficiency and air quality in the home will become more important this season with the introduction of two green showcase homes and an entire community devoted to greenness. In developing Verandah, located along the Orange River in Fort Myers, The Bonita Bay Group is incorporating green building into amenities and educating homebuilders and homebuyers on these principles.

* Expo exposure: Thanks to last year's opening of Expo, Home Depot's upscale sibling, more consumers and potential homebuyers are learning about the higher-end interior options available for their homes. "A lot of our clients are doing specialty items in their homes, like granite countertops, different flooring, furniture-style cabinetry and designer ceilings," says US Home's McMurray. "Every day, I have someone who comes into my office and says, 'I saw this at Expo ... and want to do it.' We have to keep up with that."

* No more starter plants: Instant lush landscaping comes in the form of mature trees and specimen plants. "We're planting fewer trees, but bigger trees," says Andrea.

* Appliance envy: A few years ago, industrial-grade appliances like Wolf and Viking were transplanted from restaurant kitchens into home kitchens. Now these gleaming stainless steel accoutrements are practically standard. Recently, they've been joined by built-in pasta makers and cappuccino makers. Stainless is also big for hoods, says Maria Dow, a kitchen designer with Cornerstone Kitchens. So is convection cooking.

*Dressed-up kitchens: "People are getting more decorative in the kitchen," says Dow. "They don't want just a plain look." Finesse is achieved by incorporating the look of furniture into kitchen cabinetry, complete with legs and extras such as drawers for pots and pans and accessories like garbage rollouts. Often, the island-a must in any kitchen-is a different color than the cabinetry, which is now matched to entertainment centers in adjacent family rooms.

* Dramatic driveways: First impressions form at the curb. This means the driveway has to make maximum impact. Pavers - particularly multi-colored stones-still reign supreme, says Andrea. "Pavers have become more decorative, and there are new shapes out. Old World and European cobblestone are really popular."

* King of the hill: In flat Southwest Florida, some builders, Andrea observes, are setting their homes on higher ground by creating hills. "This really gives the home a more elegant, stately look," he says. "There's also more contouring being done to the land."

* Bathrooms that aren't bashful: Onyx and glass add gleam to the bathroom, in the form of countertops and bowl sinks, says Dow.

* A place for pack rats: Three-car garages appeal to all age groups, says Beazer's Schwantes, and not just those with a third car or the obligatory golf cart. "People have a lot of stuff," he says. "Bikes and lawn mowers and everything. Also, we find that a lot of men, especially retirees, enjoy puttering around in the garage, and are used to having a work bench."

* High-tech homes: Homebuyers, says Schwantes, want structured wiring for their high-speed cable modems and home theaters. "The home office has become high-tech," he says.