Outdoor Living, Low-Maintenance Exteriors Remain Increasingly in Demand, Architects Say - Foundry Siding

Outdoor Living, Low-Maintenance Exteriors Remain Increasingly in Demand, Architects Say

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Perhaps not surprising to anyone active in the housing industry, outdoor living continues to dominate as one of the most sought-after features of home exteriors.

Outdoor Living Spaces Remain Popular

In AIA’s Q2 2019 Home Design Trends survey, released in late June, 68% of architects said interest in outdoor living space among their clients is increasing, up slightly from 67% in 2018. The upward trend includes the blending of spaces, of which interest rose 5 percentage points to 57% in 2019.

Earlier
this year, in the association’s Q1 survey, architects indicated outdoor
kitchens also continue to remain popular, with 49% reporting increasing
interest in those spaces versus 45% in 2018.

Despite
craving more outdoor space, lot sizes appear headed down, with -28% of survey
respondents reporting an increase in lot size for 2019. 

Home Sizes Shrinking

According to architects, overall home size is on the decline, with a -8% differential between designers reporting increasing vs. decreasing, a drop from 7% in 2016. However, there’s a distinct difference when broken down by home type: the survey found a 15% differential of architects saying size for custom and luxury homes is increasing, while -31% indicated the same for entry-level/affordable homes.

On a more
unexpected note, demand for open floor plans declined from 56% in 2018 to 45%
this year. Single-floor living, however, remained relatively steady around 50%.

Low-Maintenance
a Must

Late last year, AIA’s Q3 poll on other exterior trends found durability and low maintenance the No. 1 popular feature, with 60% of architects reporting increasing interest. This trend is ideally suited to a number of Boral products, including TruExterior Siding & Trim, which offers the look and authenticity of wood with long-lasting durability resulting in minimal regular maintenance, and Grayne engineered composite shingles, featuring the warmth of real cedar with no painting or staining required.

Boral TruExterior vertical siding polyash fly ash outdoor living
TruExterior siding

Elsewhere
in that quarter’s survey, architects pinpointed Contemporary home styles as the
most popular, with 41% of respondents indicating increasing interest.

Among the most popular neighborhood and community features were infill development (63%), higher-density development (56%), an increase in tear-down projects (55%), and mixed-use facilities (54%).

Grayne siding outdoor living
Grayne engineered composite shingles in Aged Grey

To see the
full AIA Home Design Trends survey, including an archive of previous quarterly
results, click here.

The post Outdoor Living, Low-Maintenance Exteriors Remain Increasingly in Demand, Architects Say appeared first on Westlake Royal Pros Blog.