The Kitchen is where families spend most of their time and make the most memories. That’s why many of the upgrades homeowners want are in this space. And since living through a pandemic, it has become even more important. The National Kitchen and Bath Association forecasts massive impact from the pandemic on our kitchens for years to come. They predict not just larger islands for food prep but also "landing counters" for groceries and food delivery. The NKBA survey also found homeowners wanted multifunctional kitchens, minimal clutter, and greater connection to other rooms and the outdoors.

Today’s open concept floor plans make the kitchen the main focal point of the home. A popular upgrade is using taller kitchen cabinets to achieve a more high-end look while also gaining additional storage and making the room more spacious.  Specialty drawers are also added to the mix because they make it so much easier to store and access awkward and oversized items like baking sheets, pots and pans.

Kitchen islands are where most of the living takes place. Upgrading to an oversized island (that can accommodate more people) or to a working island with a sink or stove is another popular upgrade among Belmonte home owners.  The extra counter space is perfect for kitchen prep and the extra seating makes it optimal for studying, paying bills or grabbing a bite to eat.   

Custom painted cabinetry is growing in popularity as well. Owners love being able to use color to make their kitchens unique.  Lindsey Belmonte, VP of Customer Relations at Belmonte Builders noted: “We’re seeing more homeowners opting for white cabinets as the primary color in the kitchen, then adding pops of navy blue, shades of green or gray to the island or lower cabinets.” Another benefit of custom-painted cabinets is that it’s easy to make seamless changes at a later  date (ex. adding height to existing cabinets or changing up a cabinet for a wine rack). 

Other popular kitchen upgrades not to be overlooked include stainless steel appliances, quiet, quality dishwashers; microwave drawers, which are easier to access; stand-alone hoods, as well as undermount lighting and electrical outlets.

The master bath is a hot spot for upgrades - some for aesthetics reasons and others for owners to enjoy a more spa-like experience. It’s much easier to make these upgrades during the building process than it is after market.  Investing in shower and/or tub tile surrounds with decorative accents and an upgraded floor tile gives new homebuyers a way to personalize this very private space. 

For the spa experience, new homeowners often choose to go with a larger shower filled with features like: fully-tiled surrounds, transom windows for natural light, bench seating, jetted shower heads, and frameless glass shower doors. 

Bathtubs are also making a comeback with soaker tubs replacing the old jetted tub.  While not as common, another notable upgrade in higher end homes is the addition of radiant heating in the floor to keep toes warm on cold winter days.

A finished basement complete with a media room, guest bedroom and full bath can add significant living space and is a popular choice for many new home buyers.  For people looking to downsize, the additional living space provides room for friends and family to visit comfortably even in a smaller footprint ranch home. 

At a minimum, most new homeowners choose to have the basement plumbed for a future bathroom, making it easier to add one if they choose to later.  And if they don’t, it’s still a positive selling feature for any future buyer.  

An extra foot or so of height in your basement can make the difference between the space feeling cramped and the space feeling open and usable. All Belmonte homes are built standard with 8 ft. ceilings in the basement, but it’s not uncommon for new homebuyers to want to upgrade to 9 ft. ceilings. 

Now that many employers  realize the benefit of a hybrid work environment, including time working at home and at the office, the popularity has skyrocketed for dedicated home offices and other flexible spaces to work or learn at home. 

A home office is no longer an afterthought; it’s now an essential room with many experts believing that the majority of the workforce in many key sectors will be working from home by the end of the decade. “One of the trends we’re seeing is the formal dining room going away, as well as fewer walls and hallways,” says Lust. That’s why the Concord was designed without a formal dining room which left room for a much more popular option—the study.  

For our Castleton plan, we substituted a study for the formal dining room and eliminated hallways in favor of traffic patterns to create room for a larger kitchen…and it instantly became our top-selling plan.”  

Another recent trend is a focus on outdoor spaces. A popular choice is the addition of a screened porch or sunroom along with a paver patio, incorporating entertainment space for relaxing outside. 

“Outdoor spaces have become even more important for our clients after enduring the lock down and limited access to their favorite restaurants. Pre-pandemic they might have chosen to add a deck and/or paver patio. Now, they want spaces that they can use year round to entertain like screened porches or all-season rooms, expanded decks with heaters, and fully functional outdoor spaces with cooking stations and outdoor fireplaces or fire pits," says Belmonte.

Belmonte pays close attention to customer trends and is always evolving its current home plan offerings. “It’s a collaborative effort between the customers, the trends they’re asking for and the existing plans that we might modify,” says Lust. Following that philosophy, this year the Belmonte design team introduced their newest plan, the Hampton. 

Taking inspiration from their top-selling ranch homes, the Hampton is designed with a triangular footprint for the main living area to create more space. The Hampton appeals to families who are looking for a flexible and spacious traditional master-up floor plan with a large, open living space.  This spacious floor plan is also easily expandable giving owners the option to bump the Great Room by 2 or 4 feet, and the size of the master suite above or the adjacent guest room.  

Another popular option for Hampton new home buyers is to add a 3rd bay to the garage. A spacious home with a flexible design, great street appeal, and plenty of room for the kids, it’s easy to see why the Hampton became Belmonte’s top-selling master-up floor plan in 2021.