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](https://foundrysiding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Tru-Exterior_AIA-Survey2-1024x768-2.jpg)
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](https://foundrysiding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/aged_grey_DSC_0876-1024x684-2.jpg)
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.