Remodel Trends

Remodeling trends are fluid. What homeowners want today isn’t necessarily what they wanted yesterday—or what they’ll want tomorrow.
????If you’re planning updates, you’ll want to know what’s hot now and what’s likely to endure. Today’s homeowners, for example, still covet kitchens that are open to living areas. And they’re insisting on energy-efficient and eco-friendly features as well as built-in breakfast seating and sexy open master bathrooms.
????Baby Boomers are embracing universal design, which facilitates aging in place, while younger buyers are going gaga over contemporary kitchens. Stainless steel continues to be in vogue, showing up on appliances, fixtures and even cabinets.
????Here’s more of what some of the region’s top remodeling pros had to say:

Green Building is a major trend. We try to incorporate as many green elements into our remodels as we can. There are some great (green) products out there these days.
Cathy Byrd, Innovative Restorations?
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Universal design is a big trend. We’re getting older folks tired of their (inefficient) kitchens. And we’re getting some requests for banquettes instead of eating nooks. They save space and offer additional storage.
Jon Greaves, Greaves Construction
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I think universal design will be hot. It’s not the sexy thing on the block, but more and more people want to stay in their homes as they get older. The sexy thing is open bathrooms where the bedroom and bathroom are basically one room, separated by glass. It’s definitely cutting-edge and not for everyone, but there are a group of people who follow fashion. In general, bathrooms are becoming bigger and multi-functional, with special mood lighting in the shower. They’re also combining light and sound. It’s almost like going into a disco.
Wes Jenkins, Blue Diamond Builders

There’s a trend to build bonus rooms. People are asking if they can build bonus rooms on the second floor. It’s very expensive and not easy to do. But we don’t have much land, so we have to build up.
Guy Pearson, Safety Harbor Custom Builders?
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I don’t see Tampa as a trendy market, but I think people are looking for improvements and features that provide more function, such as cabinets with better organizational features. And people want more open kitchens now than they have in the past. The days of plant shelves and soffits and fluorescent lighting panels are gone. One thing that is becoming more popular is mixing multiple woods and finishes in kitchens. And man-made quartz material for countertops has made some significant inroads in the last couple of years.
Jeff Ulbrich, Dream Renovations

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