This year the dream of owning a house with a white picket fence out front is becoming more of a reality than a dream for many Long Islanders. And if you already own a home, giving it the long overdue TLC makeover it deserves may now be easier than ever before.
The housing market is gradually finding its footholds and right in tow of that, home renovations have also been on the rise. Smarter and more efficient ways to update your home have entered the market in the past few years. So we’ve compiled some of the best trends that will help make your home improvement economical, efficient and easy.
Upcycling Material
Gary Zaccaro, president of Ambassador Home Improvement in Massapequa, notes a shift in buyers becoming more energy and environmentally conscious in their home building and renovation plans. Upcycling—converting otherwise useless products or waste materials into better-quality products for better environmental value—fits this bill. Zaccaro is now using leftover window scraps to make vinyl siding, for example.
“People are smarter, energy conscious and economically correct, and are buying more natural products,” he says.
Fake Decking
“Fake decking is impervious to rot and warping,” says Dee Daly, a Prodesk Contractor sales associate at the Home Depot in Westbury. “It has composites in it, but is layered with a thick coat of vinyl to mimic exotic woods.”
Sure, fake decks cost more than a real one, but Daly explains that the quality will outlast the conventional wooden planks. The most popular brands? ArmorGuard, Trex and Veranda, he says.
Neutral and Natural Lights
Propelled by the ever-constant need to be green, more and more homeowners are designing and redesigning their homes to be outfitted with natural light, says Northport-based Hammer Magazine founder John Rigrod. Skylights have been on the rise in the market once again and homeowners are seeing the benefit of what natural light can do to a room, he explains. Neutral paint colors are always popular because they channel earth tones, as well as aid people with poor eyesight to see better, adds Rigrod.
Hardie Siding
While the fiber-cement blend of siding has been around for a long time, consumers are forgoing the traditional vinyl siding for Hardie siding, says Daly. The siding is bug, rot and mold resistant, and the only maintenance it requires is power-washing. Hardie siding has a higher price tag than vinyl, but comes in an array of colors and styles. Good Guys Contracting in Deer Park is also a Hardie siding “Preferred Remodeler.”
“You don’t have to do any maintenance, and that’s why people are buying [Hardie] more than vinyl,” adds Daly.
Less Is More
“People are asking for sleeker materials that are easy to clean and care for,” says Gina Bonura, kitchen and bath sales representative at Alure Home Improvements in East Meadow. “They are not looking for a lot of detail on cabinets and fixtures. Slab doors and smooth glass tile are replacing intricately detailed ‘furniture’-type doors and tumbled marble. Perhaps our busy lives are so cluttered that simplicity in the home is a breath of fresh air.”
3D Designing
Deer Park-based Basics Landscaping uses 3D computer design software programs VizTerra and PoolStudio by Structure Studios to help customers envision their finished project before a shovel is even put into the ground. When browsing for a contractor, landscaper or designer, ask if they have a 3D design program, suggests Basics’ designer and sale representative Farah Levy Parker.
“Sometimes people can’t envision what the plan is going to look like,” she says. “People can come in and look at their house with the design on the computer.”
