Modern Home Features That Have Redefined How We Live

If you take a look at a typical home design from one hundred years ago, there will be some recognizable features, but so much has changed from how we envision homes today. Our living spaces can say a lot about how we live and what’s important. There are regional aspects of this too, of course. Different regions of the country have varying design features or characteristics built into their home that speak directly to the area or part of the country they find themselves in.

Padilla Homes has been building custom luxury homes for more than thirty years, and in that time, we have seen the many changes that have overtaken homeowners and their preferences. We thought we’d take a look at some common modern features that permeate our beautiful homes today.

Let There Be Light! — More Windows, Big Windows, Skylights, & More

Since the late ’90s and the turn of the century, homeowners have been fond of the idea of natural light. Even going back further than that. As the typical home layout began to widen and create more open and shared spaces, the idea of having natural light spilling from one room to another and illuminating the whole house became the popular choice. People began installing large windows in their living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. Skylights are a popular choice, as they not only save energy but provide a flood of sunlight during daylight hours, which helps save energy and give the house a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Today, many homeowners choose to install large floor-to-ceiling windows or sliding glass doors that provide dramatic views of the outdoors— taking advantage of the natural landscape, mountain views, cityscapes and more.

Less is More — Minimalism in the New Millenium

So while our homes are often equipped with technology and new features, that doesn’t mean that today’s homeowners look for cluttered spaces or overwhelming structures. The 2000s brought with them a movement of minimalism that espoused the idea that less is often more. This means that there is one unifying design element and the rest is simple. Perhaps it means that the layout is open and simplified through open spaces. The modern homeowner wants a home that is functional and that maximizes space as much as possible. Home performance and function are some of today’s leading design concepts.

Keep It Bare — Simple and Shiny Floors of Hardwoods, Ceramic, and Porcelain

Going with the minimalist approach, the contemporary homeowner often opts for a bare and open floor made out of a nice material like hardwood, ceramic, or porcelain. There are plenty of new options in today’s market that add a little flare to the normal floor but many homeowners maintain these classic materials with a gorgeous finish are enough to accentuate the modern design and open floor layout.

Raise the Roof! — Using Unconventional Roofing Design and Materials

Literally, high ceilings are a thing. Homeowners like higher ceilings to feel a wider open space. Also, a luxury home in the 21st century is more likely to experiment with design and architectural ideas—often borrowing from a particular style or era. This goes for the roof as well. Instead of a traditional triangular-shaped roof with shingles, new luxury homes are opting for a more appealing and refreshing roof design. This might mean changing up the roofing materials as well. Slate tile roofing or clay roof tiles are popular choices.

Share the Love — Open Spaces and High Ceilings

Since postwar home design, the open floor plan has really been the go-to for most home designers. People today like the idea of sharing spaces. This is even a thing in offices and other workplaces. The idea is that these wide-open spaces create a much more natural and free-flowing environment. At the same time, high ceilings have become a modern favorite, as well as tall doors.

Aesthetically Pleasing & Functional — Kitchen and Bathroom Functionality

People spend a lot of time thinking about their dream kitchen and bathroom. When building a custom home, we know that this is many people’s favorite parts, as they come in with ideas of what this looks like. Over the decades, kitchen and bathroom designs have undergone quite a few makeovers and renovations. Today’s tying design concept is functionality and space. People don’t want a cramped kitchen with the washer and dryer right next to it. You might remember that set up from a lot of homes in the 60s and 70s.

Find the Right Fit With Custom Home Builders At Padilla Homes

There is no one way to build a home. The possibilities are truly endless. In fact, most homes will often be inspired by or possess qualities or elements of other eras. Whether you’re looking for a luxury or custom home, Padilla Homes can help you through finding the perfect design for you.

A Brief Glimpse At The Home Of The Future

If you’ve heard of our homes here at Padilla Homes, you’ll know that we aim to make the most efficient and advanced homes. Our homes merge style and technology to create a home that you and your bank account can be proud of. However, we’re always trying to find ways to improve our homes, so we constantly look ahead. In this article, we thought we’d share our glimpse ahead to the future of American homes.

Growth of the Home Office

Home offices in America are increasing in popularity as more Americans have a side or main job at home. Over 5% of American workers work from home, which translates to roughly 8 million people. With this number slated to increase in the future, it’s no wonder that home offices are becoming a fixture of the new American home.

Focus on Conservation

With most people painfully aware of the damage that humans are causing to the planet, home builders are beginning to adapt. In kitchens and bathrooms especially, there is a greater focus on energy-efficient and energy-conserving devices and appliances. Not only will this save the homeowner money, but it will also help save the planet as well.

More Personalized Spaces

As people look to maximize their space, custom homes will get more attention. There’s less of a desire for a large house, and more focus on building a home tailored to specific needs. At Padilla Homes, we specialize in creating a homemade just for you and your needs. Contact us today to get started on your dream home!

The Kitchen Trends Dominating Custom Home Building Today

The world of custom home building provides endless possibilities and a wide array of options. Here at Padilla Homes, our technology allows us to build anything you envision before it even goes into production. Dreaming wildly is par for the course. And so when building custom homes you might not be thinking of doing what is currently popular, but a lot of times people will base their unique ideas off of popular trends. We thought we’d take a look at some popular kitchen trends and how they are often applied today and brought to life by architects and designers.

The Trend of the Dark Cabinets

For many years, cabinets were often light colored or white. Today, the age of the dark cabinet is upon us. Many people today prefer their cabinets to be of a dark wood or painted a darker shade. It adds a very modern and sleek look, enhancing many of today’s silver appliances. There is also a kind of elegance that comes with the dark cabinets and a compliment to any marble, granite, or quartz counter tops or light-colored floor tiles.

A Smart Kitchen is a Happy Kitchen

We hear the word smart thrown around a lot. In fact, so many of the things we use today are embedded with smart technology and aim to make our lives easier and more convenient. Today, kitchens are equipped with smart features and not just on the appliances but on other aspects of the kitchen such as the faucets, lights, and fridge. Sensors that detect motion and turn on the faucet automatically may seem like a small detail but can add a layer of convenience previously thought impossible.

Simplicity and Minimalism

Simplicity does not mean a lack of functionality. In fact, many of today’s kitchen designs focus on high functionality but a simple and streamlined design. This might require organizing the space in a way that creates the feeling of wider and open spaces, makes use of cabinet space. Many of these designs will get rid of those high mini cabinets nobody can reach and design the space in a much more productive way for the typical homeowner. Simplicity and minimalism speak to the mind of the modern person who is used to having things at arm’s-length but is not wanting to over complicate the design.

Hardwood and Ceramic Tile Flooring

Flooring options are always a big one for people when designing a home. The kind of flooring you install can really change the atmosphere of a room and dictate the way that your house will feel upon entering. Hardwood floors will likely never go out of style, as they are simultaneously classical and elegant and can also look modern when the right design is applied. Ceramic tile flooring, however, is also very versatile and brings to the floor (no pun intended) a sleek and refined look. Thanks to technology, ceramic tile flooring now comes in a variety of styles, sizes, and designs which gives you much more control over the overall look.

The Kitchen Island

The kitchen island is yet another feature of the modern day kitchen that has not only not gone out of style but developed some new characteristics over the years. In many contemporary kitchen designs, the kitchen island will be the focal point of the kitchen and serve dual purpose. Today’s modern family is, after all, always on the run and eating breakfast or having coffee and conversation in the kitchen works when the space lends itself to this functional and convenient arrangement.

The Great Outdoors

At the same time, big large windows that floor the kitchen with natural light or lead out into a porch or back area have become increasingly popular as people aim to connect with nature in every way they can. Large windows or even sliding doors that open up into a view of trees or the backyard have become a way for people to indulge in mother nature’s beauty as they prepare the morning coffee or have the family meal in the evening.

Build Outside the Box with Our Expert Designers and Architects

Having some idea of what you want in your home is a great starting place for going the route of a custom build. From there, Padilla Homes can help you develop this vision into a highly functional, efficient, and beautiful design that translates into higher home performance and comfort.

Building With Padilla Homes: How Technology and Vision Merge

Not every custom builder is made equally. The name is often thrown around and used in slightly different ways. To us, custom homes mean an intimate dive into the depths of what is possible in home building today. This means a true exploration of the latest in design, building techniques, materials, architectural style, and yes, technology. So why are we different? Our process is unique and intimate; when working with Padilla Homes, you work with us directly, no middlemen, no revolving door or builders, you speak to our Vice President directly throughout the process.

How to Begin?

They don’t call it a dream home for no reason. Your dream home begins with just that, a dream. We know you have some ideas about what you envision. Perhaps you have thought about this for a long time and have a lingering image of a beautiful home on a hill with large French windows, two floors, and eight-foot doors. So what is the first step?

Come into our office and have a chat! Anytime you come into Padilla Homes you will be talking directly to our Vice President and head engineer Misael Navarrete. Preliminary talks will include the discussion about major features of the home like:

One floor or two floors
Square footage
Number of Bedrooms
Full bathrooms
Basic kitchen ideas
Garages

Then, what Happens?

Because we have built hundreds of homes of all shapes, sizes, and styles, we might have something similar to what you are describing. So we can pull up some of our previous floor plans and show you what they look like and even see them in 3D models. From here, we continue our conversations about your vision. We will look at plans from the Padilla database to give you ideas or to use as a foundation. With our many designs, we can use one of our existing floor plans to use as a springboard for a totally new design if necessary.

Once we have a basic floor plan chosen out, we can tweak it or develop it to better fit your needs or your particular parameters. Once we are in the design stage, we go back and forth in order to achieve the changes that you want. You have a total of three full revisions on your plan that you can change and alter.

Using Technology To Aid the Design Process

Unlike any other custom home builder in the area, we offer the full use of sophisticated 3D models so that you can experiment with your vision in full-fledged form. Alterations and customizations are made easier through our software and help you save money and time in the building of your home. Perhaps you imagined a foyer and three bedrooms but changed your mind once you saw it through the model and changed it to a new design.

An In-House Interior Designer To Help the Final Details

Padilla Homes also has an in-house interior designer that you work with one-on-one when looking to design the decorative details of the home. Our experienced designers know and work with various materials and can advise you as to what might be a good fit. Some of the things you’ll discuss with our designers include:

Flooring options
Cabinet material
Kitchen and bathroom counters
Bathroom design
Appliances
Light fixtures
Colors
Carpeting

Work Your Vision With Padilla Homes

Custom homes in El Paso have now reached another level. Our one-on-one process with professional engineers, interior designers, and foreman, your dream home can be built in 5-6 months. We build outside the box, constructing the areas most elegant and beautiful designs.

What’s The Deal With Home Performance? Here’s Why It Matters

No industry is free from the influence of the rapidly changing technologies emerging at every turn. From every angle, technology is affecting the way we live and, in fact, how we interact with the world around us. The housing industry has not been spared and seen its fair share of innovation and growth thanks to automation and artificial intelligence. Advancements in automation and artificial intelligence have crept into our homes little by little. Today, the idea of home performance dominates the market because it is a new philosophy in approaching home building and custom builds.

Measuring Home Performance

The concept of home performance has risen to the top list of priorities for many 21st century homeowners. Today, printing out a map seems antiquated when all you have to do is type it into Google Maps and press Go. No one would want to go back to the days of stopping at gas stations and asking for directions. As smart technology improves, people feel the same way about their home. So how do we measure home performance and what does the term refer to?

Home performance is a philosophy that is contingent upon the idea that a home should be safe, healthy, comfortable, durable, and efficient. These five pillars are what drives a lot of smart home technology and many of the features that are all the rage when it comes to modern home amenities. Most of the features include some aspect that is made to save you money, time, and hassle.

Home performance is related to convenience. There is no universal metric for the convenience of course, so one way to look at home performance is in terms of energy savings. And this is precisely the heart of smart home technology, as most of these features are a way to save energy.

Designing With Technology

Custom home builders face several challenges when it comes to building a new home. People tend to have really great ideas about what they want their house to look like, but arriving at a functional floor plan that fits the vision can get difficult when dealing with sketches or paper models. We work a little differently.

Padilla Homes uses computer software that can accurately replicate the floor plan and give a 3D representation of what it might look like. So if you’re envisioning a two-story home with four bedrooms, a loft, a patio, large walk-in closets, an upstairs office or library, we can recreate it in three dimensions and show you what it might look like in real time. The creation of blueprints through technology allows for a quick and efficient way to draft out your home without wasting time, resources, or risking human error.

Smart HVAC

Every new home needs a heating and cooling system and this plays a central role in how big your utility bills are at the end of the month. Smart thermostats can save people about 10% on heating and 15% on cooling a month or up to $145 every year according to some data. Thermostats equipped with smart technology will adapt to your lifestyle; they will learn when you are home and when you are out. New HVAC systems will also ensure a better air quality than older systems and guarantee a healthier environment for you and your family.

Smart Security Systems

Another way that people make use of smart home technology is through the protective systems they install in their homes. As part of our Smart package, you can choose to install a security system that is fully integrated and connected with your smartphone for easy access. So, you can keep an eye on who goes by your front doors, deliveries, or suspicious activity on your property.

Sprinkler Systems & More

The possibilities of smart technologies can really go beyond your HVAC system and into other aspects of your home. For example, installing a smart sprinkler system allows you control over your watering, but it can show you when rain is forecasted and adjust accordingly. You can also have your sound systems integrated with your phone to control music or volume throughout rooms in the house.

Build Smart, Build With Integrity at Padilla Homes

Padilla Homes is a locally owned and operated custom home builder that has been working in the region’s housing industry for over thirty years. We have built hundreds of homes of different styles, sizes, and floorplans. Today, there is no limit to what we can do with technology. Whatever your vision entails, we can build it.