3 Recession Home Remodeling Trends Likely to Stick Around

A soft economy prompted some homeowners to take a new look at their
existing footprint. Even as housing-market conditions turn a
little brighter, many homeowners
still opt to stay put and update their current quarters
instead of selling at lower prices.

The numbers prove it. Remodeling industry sentiment, as
tracked by the National Association of Home Builders'
Remodeling Market
Index (RMI), hit a five-year high in the fourth quarter.

[See the
5 Best (and Worst) Home Remodeling Projects.]

In many cases, these decisions are fiscally motivated and
reflective of the times, but the following remodeling trends
may be here to stay:

Suite spot of the market. Builders and
remodelers are finding more demand for in-law apartments
(typically called mother-in-law suites whether mom is the sole
resident or not) as part of new additions or basement
makeovers. The first waves of baby boomers have reached their
golden years and families are
getting creative with longer-term care solutions. For some
families, this is ultimately a lower-cost option than
assisted-living or nursing home care.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, 62
percent of builders surveyed were working on a
home modification related to aging in 2010. About 1 in 5
builders added an entry-level bedroom. AARP is working with
builders on a designation for Certified Aging in Place
Specialists, who are trained in designing and modifying
buildings for the elderly. About 3,000 builders, contractors,
remodelers and architects have been certified.

[See
Will This Home Renovation Pay Off?]

There's another shift among the generations in some households.
A soft job market has occasionally landed grown children (and
their families) back at mom and dad's place, too. Lengthy stays
often lead to a call to a contractor. Given demographic trends,
these remodels have resale potential and are no longer seen as
a design burden and deal-breaker for prospective buyers.
Remember to follow municipal building codes.

Backyard haven. Booming economic times led to
luxury outdoor living--pricy natural stone hardscapes, gourmet
grilling kitchens, and major electrical upgrades. The recession
may have dinged this corner of the remodeling industry, but the
concept survives. In fact,
investing in outdoor living spaces (and installing
additional windows and doors for better inside-to-outside flow)
has been a major part of even budget-minded upgrades within
existing home footprints. Consumers may be scaling back their
wish list, but they're not cutting back on outdoor entertaining
and family time. After all, if families are traveling less,
they're playing more at home.

[In Pictures:
The Home of the Future.]

Smarter kitchens. Smarter doesn't mean the
kitchen does the cooking for you, but it can mean you're in and
out of there in less time. The peak of the construction surge
featured token real estate words like "granite," "high-end
appliances," pre-packaged cabinet "suites," and more. It's not
that people now want low-quality kitchens, they're just moving
toward more customization. Some are putting more money in
pantries and utility rooms that keep the "guts" of the
operation undercover. They're giving up dedicated food-prep
square footage in favor of larger eating and family room areas.
They're opting for open shelving and islands that do a lot of
the heavy lifting, with loads of storage. Kitchens are and will
continue to look less like a work area and more like an
extension of the living area.

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