A year out from the start of the pandemic, many home improvement projects will likely be focused on lessons learned from our time indoors. With home remodeling season upon us, NerdWallet rounded up five remodeling trends anticipated to be big this spring and summer. First, the rise in dedicated spaces. Open floor plans were highly requested prior to the pandemic, but greater use of the home showed many that dedicated spaces are necessary for changed lifestyles. NerdWallet says to expect less walls coming down and more transformed nooks. Second, home offices are now a must. One design-build firm owner says homeowners are not opting to add square footage for their home offices, though.
2. Making room for home offices
To add home offices to residences, “homeowners aren’t adding square footage,” says Doug King, owner of King Contracting, a design-build firm in St. Petersburg, Florida, and president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. “Rather, they’re taking out rarely used closets, like in the hallway, and moving interior walls to make space.”
The home office trend isn't going away anytime soon, he notes.
“Even when the pandemic is over,” King says, “there’ll be a lot of people still working from home.” He notes that because of this trend, use of home technology is also increasing as households install items such as ethernet cables for computer networks and Bluetooth speakers.
3. More outdoor living