Phoenix Home Remodeling Then and Now

The recent economic climate has forced many home owners to reassess their values and how to focus their home remodeling dollars. Here is a list of four ways homeowners have re-focused their values at home.

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THEN: Formal Living Room
NOW: Open Family Room

Formal living rooms used to be a room for fancy furniture, family heirlooms, grandfather clocks, and maybe the Christmas tree. It’s often an unoccupied room and in this economic climate and social awareness for green homes, unoccupied spaces are not “cool”. Instead of having separate living rooms and formal rooms, today’s home remodeling trends have shifted to an open family room that combines the kitchen, living room, and dining room. Homeowners are using their furniture to break up spaces, rather than walls. One room instead of many is also beneficial in terms of heating and cooling and can reduce a family’s energy bill over the course of a year.

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THEN: Grand Foyers
NOW: Drop Zones/ Mud Rooms

Another unoccupied space that’s only purpose was to serve as an impressive showpiece for guest is the grand foyer. This is a room that sets the tone to a home and often used for “showing off”. Recently, frugality and modesty has replaced grandiose gestures. It’s become taboo to show off for showing off’s sake. Many homeowners are making the most out of the space that they have and squeezing in as much functionality as possible. It’s not uncommon for elaborate foyers to be replaced with casual drop zones designed with the family in mind. This is often a place for decluttering when entering and exiting the home. A drop zone typically combines children cubbies, backpack hooks, a place for mail, and possibly a small closet for winter clothing.

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THEN: Office
NOW: Lifestyle Center

Lifestyle centers are a multipurpose room that is typically adjacent to the kitchen. It’s a place for computers for children to do their homework while mom and dad cook and can keep an eye on them to make sure they’re not playing on the internet. It’s often a workstation that is modest in nature and may contain a few cubbies for storage. A room like this doesn’t require an over sized mahogany desk and plaques of awards.

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THEN: Soaking Tubs
NOW: Large/Steam Showers

Soaking Tubs seem like a great idea for relaxing and releasing stress, but overtime they’ve become a novelty. Now when a homeowner decides to remodel their bathroom, they typically focus their budget on the shower and may not even include a bath tub. One way to get the most out of your shower is to turn it into a steam shower. A steam shower can have many therapeutic effects, especially in Phoenix. Many family’s see themselves staying in their homes rather than moving. In this case, it’s usually a good idea to accommodate the elderly in the home by adding larger benches and grip bars in the showers.

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Although the shift appears to be a downsize, much of the focus is to improve the home’s functionality and create a home with a focus on family which may have an unseen, positive effect in years to come.

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