You’ve already decided that building your new home is the right choice for your family, but now you need to think carefully about the design of that home. What features do you need to give your family the comfortable lifestyle you’ve been dreaming about? What features could add value to your home in the future?

We break down some of the most popular features in today’s new homes so that you can make an informed decision about what you want in your own home.

Keep Your Home Tidy With a Mudroom

A mudroom gives your family a place to neatly store things like coats, boots, sneakers, backpacks, and sports gear. If you don’t want the dirt and grime from outside tracked throughout your home, the mudroom is an absolute must.

In addition to having a mudroom at the garage or side entrance, families who love entertaining are also finding it helpful to have a mudroom – or at least an oversized foyer – at the main front entrance. This gives guests the space they need to hang up coats when they come over for Thanksgiving or birthdays. It will also give your family a place to take off their shoes and set things down before heading out of the house.

Upgrade Your Kitchen

Kitchen renovations are expensive, so it’s wise to include everything you want in your kitchen in the original design of the home. Quartz and granite countertops are particularly popular these days, and they have a timeless appeal that’s unlikely to go out of style. 

Families also tend to prefer kitchen layouts that include a large island at the centre of the room. This gives more space for food prep, and most islands have an eating ledge for a casual dining space. Think about including pendant lighting here. It will give the space an elegant glow, and it’s easy to replace these lights if styles change over time.

A Convenient Laundry Room

Gone are the days of lugging baskets of dirty clothes down to the basement to do the laundry. These days, families like having a convenient laundry room. This means thinking about placement. Some prefer to have it on the main floor because it’s easier to get a load of laundry started as you go about your day. Others prefer to have it on the second floor because it’s closer to the bedrooms, and this makes it easier to put clothes away. Additionally, some families are choosing larger laundry rooms that give them some space to air dry delicates or fold and iron. What’s your ideal scenario?

Extra Flex Space and/or Bonus Room

Everybody wants space that will fit their lifestyle. For some, it’s as simple as having a bedroom for each person (including an ensuite for the parents), along with a kitchen, dining, and living room on the main floor. Others want something extra like a home office, an exercise room, a guest bedroom, or a hangout space for the kids and their friends. This is where having a “flex room” or “bonus room” in your new home will come in handy. You’ll find that many of our floor plans include these extra rooms that you can use as you see fit.

Plenty of Storage Space

Ample storage space is what you need to keep your home neat and tidy, so think about all of the places that you can find a little bit of extra storage space in your new home. 

Need some ideas? How about:

• Built-in shelving in the garage 
• Walk-in closets in all of the bedrooms 
• Oversized kitchen cabinets 
• A walk-through pantry from the mudroom to the kitchen

These are all fairly simple things to include in the build of your new home, and you’ll be grateful you made this choice now before you move in and feel like something is missing.

Finish Your Basement

Finishing the basement is an excellent way to get more living space in your home. In fact, if you’re looking for a home that’s more than 2,000 square feet, you could find that it’s more affordable to choose a 1,600 square foot floor plan and get the extra space with a finished basement. 

Even if you don’t want to finish the basement now, consider upgrading to a deep pour basement. This means that you’ll have higher ceilings in the basement, giving you a bit more storage space if that’s what you’re using the basement for. It also makes it easier to finish the basement in the future.

You could even opt to convert your basement into a full legal suite. This is a great option for multigenerational families with older relatives who want to live with the family but still maintain some independence. Alternatively, you could use your basement suite as a rental property and earn some extra cash to pay off your mortgage quicker.

Install Extra Outlets

Some of the best features are the simplest, and including extra outlets in the design is a big plus. Modern families have so many tools that require electricity: phones, tablets, laptop computers, LED lights, smart home accessories, and more. It’s not always safe or convenient to use extension cords. With outlets located in prime locations around each room, you’ll never worry about finding a place to plug something in.

You deserve a home that meets all of your needs, and that’s what we strive to build at Sterling Homes. Contact us today to see how we can design the home that’s right for you.