Building your dream home isn’t just about finding the right floor plan or a homesite in the perfect location.
Building your dream home is a major upgrade, so you’ll want to enhance your home lifestyle as well. Let’s take a look at some of the top features you can add to your new home to really step up your game.
New Home Features to Consider
Kitchen Upgrades
This is a room where you’ll likely spend a lot of time – as well as cooking meals, it’s also where the family tends to gather in the mornings before heading out to work or school, and the kitchen is usually the focal point whenever there’s a party so it’s worth going all-out on.
Consider some of the following upgrades to your kitchen…
A Larger, Multi-Functional Island
Larger kitchen islands are becoming more and more popular as kitchens are increasingly being built around them as a focal point, rather than simply being added into the existing space. As a result, islands are becoming more multi-purpose in their design with the inclusion of extra storage space, multiple appliances being built right into the counter and even some islands extending into the living room space as dining areas and self-serve bars. Many families love having breakfast at the island or working on their laptops while having a coffee.
Consider adding a larger and more functional island as an attractive central feature that people can gather around. The extra storage also means you can use less space for wall cabinets, making your kitchen look cleaner and more open.
Indoor/Outdoor Access
Consider designing your home around easy access to the outside from the kitchen. By adding a glass door to your kitchen and connecting it to an outside patio or common area, you’ll not only add convenience to your yard (giving easy access to food and drinks for barbecues and outdoor gatherings, for example), but the larger windows will make the kitchen space feel much brighter and bigger. This works very well if you combine it with a larger island mentioned above that connects the kitchen and living room – this allows the areas to flow into each other instead of being completely separated.
A Large Sink
This isn’t something most people think of immediately when they consider kitchen upgrades, but once you start using an oversized sink, it’s hard to go back! If you decide to go for this feature, it’s usually better to go for one giant sink instead of a two-sided one to get the full effect. Once you manage to fit an entire load of pots and pans that won’t go into the dishwasher into the sink all at once, you’ll be glad you made the switch.
While you’re considering a new sink, also look into having a touch activated faucet. That way you can wash your hands without having to get things dirty or worry about cleaning ingredients off the taps later on, just bump the faucet with your elbow and it turns on.
Soft-Closing Cabinets and Drawers
This seems like a relatively ‘small’ feature, but it’s one that brings a lot of quality-of-life improvement to your kitchen. As well as reducing damage and wear-and-tear to the cabinets and generally just making your kitchen more pleasant to use, you also don’t have to worry about disturbing anyone with a slamming cupboard door when you get a late-night snack!
A Built-In Water Filter
One more upgrade you can give your sink is the inclusion of a built-in water filter. Protect your family’s health by filtering out any harmful elements, and save yourself time and money by ditching the pitcher filter!
Upgrading Your New Home’s Bathroom
Whether you’re upgrading your own ensuite or one of the bathrooms your guests will use, you’ll have a lot of options for upgrades here that will really make an impression.
Antibacterial Tiles
While not a physical feature, this is definitely one worth considering. Antibacterial ceramic tiles are made with a special coating that breaks down germs, bacteria and other pollutants, ones that could eventually lead to mold and mildew. While you may not notice much difference at first, the amount of cleaning it will save you over time really adds up.
Upgraded Fixtures
As well as improving the overall aesthetic of your bathroom, high-end fixtures such as bathtubs, showers and toilets that are designed to use much less water are both friendlier for the environment and your bank account. With the improved sprayer technology of a modern fixture, using less water doesn’t even impact performance.
Smart Home Upgrades
When it comes to your new home build, you definitely want to think about adding some handy new technology into the mix, so here are a few of the latest-and-greatest Smart Home features to check out.
Intercoms
A built-in smart intercom system is a great way to get hold of someone from wherever you are without having to go searching and will come in handy. No more shouting up the stairs to get everyone together for supper! Just say “Alexa, drop in on the Kitchen” and you are connected.
A Smart Thermostat
There are a whole host of smart thermostats available that allow you to remotely control the temperature in your home via your phone, on a timer, or through voice commands if you have an Alexa or Google Assistant.
Some even have motion detectors so they’ll adjust the temperature for you as you enter the room, while others have the ability to learn your routine to automatically adjust temperatures throughout the day.
Smart Security
If home security is a priority for you, a Smart Home security system is definitely worth looking into. You have a lot of options here, so you can tailor your security system to your exact needs.
Some people opt for a camera by the door to see who’s arriving or to make sure their Amazon packages stay safe, whereas others go for a more complete approach that can even include alarms that will automatically notify a security company. Just be aware that there’s often a monthly fee for this service.
This doesn’t only include anti-theft security, incidentally – you can also get smart sensors that will detect and alert you of floods, fires and carbon monoxide leaks.
A Smart Lock/Keyless Entry System
Another aspect of your home security could include a smart lock that will allow you to enter your home with a code instead of a key. Not only does this provide day-to-day convenience (no more rummaging in a bag or jacket to dig your keys out), it also allows you to issue temporary unlock codes to cleaners, house-sitters or anyone else you might need to let in. This saves you from needing to get spare keys cut, and from worrying about where they are.
Some smart locks will even keep a log of which codes are used and when, so you can keep track of who’s coming and going if you’re away from home.
Controllable Lighting
Newer smart bulbs give you a lot more control over your home’s lighting. You can set them to turn on and off at certain times, dim them with your phone, or on certain models, you can even change the color of light that they emit.
This gives you a lot more control over the feel of your home; for example, you could set the lights to gradually dim throughout the evening so you don’t strain your eyes as you get closer to bedtime, or set them to a more yellowy, warmer color when it’s cold outside to make your new home feel cozier.
There’s also an added security feature to smart lighting – you can set your lights to turn on and off at certain times while you’re on vacation, for instance, so it’s not immediately obvious that your home is empty.
More New Home Features to Consider
There are a few other great upgrades you could consider around your home, including…
Built-In Gas Grill
For those who like to entertain outdoors, you can really step up your game with a built-in gas grill. Not only do they look impressive, but because they’re stationary you can connect them to a natural gas line. This means you’ll have cheaper gas in constant supply, so you’ll never be caught off-guard by an empty propane tank.
A Commercial Washer And Dryer
If you have a large, active family, you’ll naturally go through a lot of laundry. This in turn means your washer and dryer will get quite a workout. If this is the case, a commercial washer and dryer is a great investment. They will cost you a little more upfront, but you’ll save money in the long-term by not having to replace them as often. Commercial machines also tend to be higher-capacity, so you can get more done at once and save time.
Upgraded Windows
In a similar vein, investing a little more in your home’s windows now will save you money and add to the safety of your home. Hurricane-Resistant Glass isn’t just handy for the weather – tougher glass means more energy efficiency for your home and less likelihood you’ll need to replace them since they won’t shatter. Plus, greater peace of mind knowing no potential intruder will be able to get through them.
The Best New Home Features at Copper Builders
We’ve outlined just a few of the many options available to you for upgrading your brand-new dream home in Charlotte on the inside as well as the outside, and it’s well worth your time to do some further reading on other upgrades you could add.
Ask yourself what your priorities are (for example – security, high-tech modern automation, efficient use of space, having a great atmosphere for entertaining) and plan your upgrades accordingly. You’ve already planned out your dream home, and now it’s time to get everything inside set up just the way you like it. Want to learn more about the hottest new home features? Check out our post on the best home feature upgrades for 2021!
