Homes for the Future

BY LEE NELSON

The pandemic proved a few things; homes became a sanctuary, workplace, homeschool, entertainment, and a haven from the world’s woes. Many decided they need more space — inside and out — to enhance all facets of living, working, and playing. They have turned to New Jersey designers, architects, and developers to build brand-new homes.

Even though sky-rocketing costs and supply chain issues continue, there is still demand for brand-new builds. They can be big or small, manufactured offsite, built with organic and sustainable materials, or totally customizable. Builders continue to ask their clients to be patient since some items are still hard to receive in a reasonable time. Plus, it’s difficult for them to give bids on projects that are months away when the price of many materials won’t stop fluctuating.

Trending Home Building Materials

Inflation hasn’t stopped people from coming to New Jersey from New York, Philadelphia, and other big cities to spend money to tear down older houses and build their dream homes, said Dan Fortunato, principal architect at the Fortunato Architecture. When they come to him for designs, their main desire remains more space.

Clients are also requesting more height with vaulted ceilings and beams, home offices, and outdoor space to entertain.

Our home buyers are prioritizing separate home office spaces away from the main area, separate entertainment spaces, larger yards for pool and outside entertainment and smart home compatibility,” said John Davern, D.R. Horton’s New Jersey Division President.

Davern is also seeing a growing demand for luxury vinyl plank flooring, which can withstand wear and tear while still offering an attractive hardwood appearance, as well as interest in wider floor planks.

Families are important. Everyone stands at the kitchen island,” said Fortunato. “They want very large areas to gather. People are even foregoing dining rooms and using the island as dual purpose.

In bathrooms, quartz and Silestone countertops with rectangular sink bowls have become top fashionable choices due to their clean lines and sophisticated feel, and flooring offers more rectangular tile plans as opposed to more traditional square tiles.

Smart home technology continues to grow in popularity, and D.R. Horton homes include smart home technology features such as a smart home panels, Echo Dot, and SkyBell, a video doorbell. Davern said he recently began installing electrical switches that can be controlled through voice activation.

As the younger generation who grew up with smart technology all their life, when they get to the home-building age, you will see more voice and motion-activated controls and other technologies added in,” said Hartman.

Home Construction

A modular home is a method of construction and can be designed and built offsite whether it’s a modest ranch or a large, multi-million-dollar home. The public used to confuse a modular home with a mobile home, said Alfred J. Sica Jr., president of SICA Modular Homes in Toms River.

All modular homes are built inside a factory under controlled conditions by a competent, qualified, and dependable labor force,” said Sica.

That means that the wood, floors, trims, and all the other materials are never compromised by inclement weather during the construction process, and builders adhere to stringent quality control standards and inspections.

Before the pandemic, Sica’s company could build a home in six to 10 weeks, but now with the supply chain problems, it takes five to seven months to get a home delivered.

Modular home foundations are already built when the home is delivered. But that still doesn’t alleviate all the supply chain issues. A modular home can be 10 to 15% less expensive than stick built despite all the cost increases the past few years, said Sica.

Other home options in New Jersey can be complicated because of local zoning codes and laws, according to Hartman.

He comments, too, that shipping container homes are a fad and “you have to do so much work to make them fit a code— energy and structure codes. It’s counterproductive. But I applaud the reusability,” said Hartman.

As for sustainable products, he recommends people using the materials that make the most sense in their region.