According to our architects and designers, house plan purchasers want to maximize usable space and prefer smaller, better-designed homes with high-end, green features, rather than homes with lavish amenities and too much extra space.

Based on the collection of house plans we sold this year and conversations with our consumers, we have put together a list of five home designs trends that we believe you can expect to see in the coming year – smaller homes, open floor plans, dual home offices, green details and outdoor living spaces.

1. Small is the new big. A shift toward “smaller, better-designed homes” has been occurring for quite some time and our designers continue to add new designs ranging from 1,400-2,800 square feet. What makes these smaller designs so effective is that have flexible living spaces so your home can adapt to your changing lifestyle and needs. Common flexible spaces include rooms that can be combined to create in-law suites, home offices (even his and hers), music/media rooms, craft or hobby rooms, dens that can become guest rooms and dining rooms that can become offices.

2. Open floor plans remain popular. Flexible and open floor plans where the kitchen opens up into the dining room and family room continues to be one of the most sought after features in a house plan. It is especially popular with homeowners who enjoy entertaining. The economy has also impacted this trend, since instead of going out for dinners all the time, homeowners are spending more time at home entertaining family and friends.

3. Dual home offices. Because of two-income families, there has been a rise in demand for extra office space. Many new home plans feature more than one flexible office space. In many cases there are several workstations (laundry room, master suite, kitchen area, great room) to accommodate the busy schedules of working parents.

4. Interest in green products. Interest in affordable, eco-friendly home details is increasing, especially as consumers continue to become savvy about green home building. Some of these new products include concrete counter tops, tankless water heaters, recycling bins built into kitchen cabinets, eco-friendly flooring, water-efficienty bath products and so much more. You””ll find many new home builders looking into alternative home insulation techniques to efficiently heat and cool their home.

5. Extending the indoors outside. There””s a big interest in making full use of ALL their living space, including outdoor areas. That means outdoor living enhancements such as fire pits, pools and patios and kitchens are allowing homebuyers to enjoy as much of their property as possible, for a much longer time.

Bottom line, house plan purchasers are looking for a functional space that is well-designed, efficient to build and maintain and that compliments their lifestyle. This is a big change from prior years when people believed “bigger was better.”