Aubuchon Strong

By: By MATT BLUMENFELD, mblumenfeld@breezenewspapers.c

Residential construction may be slow, but new design trends and tastes emerge constantly no matter if building is red-hot or ice-cold. As it is across the country, those trends usually begin in the luxury market as individuals with unlimited budgets put personal touches on everything in a new home, especially its architecture.
Mike McKiddie, architectural designer for Aubuchon Homes, says that many in the luxury game are coming from overseas and bringing their sense of exterior style with them. With the dollar falling against several currencies, the increased purchasing power for foreigners wanting a home in sunny southwest Florida is enticing.

“Our European clients are typically trending towards Mediterranean designed exteriors,” he said. “It definitely seems like we’re getting a lot more Europeans these days and they are more particular about what they want in their homes.”

Others are searching for more of a throwback style as Georgian- style manors are becoming popular in the high-end homes. Georgian buildings are noticeable for their large ground floor windows, dual chimneys and hipped roofs to go along with a symmetrical and balanced layout in both the interior and exterior. The Olde Florida design is making a comeback, and while the Mediterranean look with its darker complexion has been a staple for some time, more “cottagey” homes with lighter colors and a modern design are beginning to crop up.

“That’s also popular, too, it just seems to depend on the customer,” said Jim Aubuchon, vice president of construction.

Inexpensive homes tend to follow the mold of their more luxurious counterparts as the “trickle down” effect takes hold. Kitchens with islands on the interior and copycat architectural design on a smaller scale are becoming the standard for modest homes just a handful of years after they were cutting edge in the luxury market.

“It’s very common these days for small homes to have walk in closets in the second and third bedrooms which you never would see before,” added Cape Coral Construction Industry Association director Patti Schnell.

Homebuilders are seeing that first hand as prospective buyers with some budget limitations are asking them to copy grandiose features from custom homes for their houses.

“People want an affordable luxury homes with interesting and high-end design elements,” said Aubuchon.

As the debate over global warming and the reality of higher energy costs taking hold across the country, “green” home design is something that builders need to be aware of, says Bob Knight, vice president of Paul Homes.

Many homeowners today use “Energy Star” appliances which are more efficient than their regular counterparts, but there is much more that an individual can do to save the Earth, and money, when designing a new home.

Window placement and window treatments on a house, insulation and xeriscaping can all play a role in cutting down the impact of a new home on the environment and how much a homeowner will have to pay for utilities. Leaving small carbon footprints and keeping more money in their wallets provides a dual appeal for all prospective homeowners.

“You’re having more people asking about green even if they’re not demanding that their house be certified as green,” said Knight. “It’s kind of new for a lot of us, but some of us were already doing it and didn’t know about it.”

Just building a house in areas of the Cape with city irrigation is more eco-friendly than in other parts of southwest Florida.

“Cape Coral, in a sense, is already moving forward and assisting in ‘green’ because they have irrigation graywater,” Knight said.

Some homeowners have gone so far as to put solar energy capturing cells on their roofs so that they can be far more energy independent.

That costs a pretty penny, and is tough to hide without some clever architectural design, but Knight has a heat recovery device attached to his air conditioning unit. When he turns up the A/C, he can shut down his hot water heater as the unit actually blasts hot air into his water tank. The best part, he says, is that the device pays for itself in a short amount of time.

“I think it’s a longterm trend as energy prices continues to go up,” aid Knight. “Over time I think it will be a standard thing.”