I’m old enough to remember picking up the phone only to hear a neighbor speaking on the line. The phone line was shared with the neighbors. You had to wait to use the phone when no one was on the line and of course others could listen in on your call. Compare that to today’s Smart Phones where the use of the phone has changed and expanded to not only making calls but texting and accessing the internet.

In a way that is what has been happening with home designs. The use of space has changed and in some cases is expanding to multiple uses. Primarily we see it with the Living Room and to a lesser degree with the Dining Room. The Living Room back at the time of party line telephones was considered a room that was typically only used when company came to visit. The idea was to have one room that was always clean and tidy for entertaining. Today casual entertaining in a room near or one that opens to the kitchen and dining that allows for everyone to be together and affords a larger area is more popular. We also see customers deleting the formal Dining Room and simply use a bar in the Kitchen and Dinette space that opens to a Family Room for the dining needs. During Holiday gatherings with a lot of people, that allows you to encroach on the Family Room area for the meal and then retreat back to the normal use of the rooms after the meal.

Not only has the use of space evolved but by eliminating the Living Room and Dining Room, home designs can be reduced in size and cost. With energy efficient home features including efficient heating, increased insulation, Low E windows with Argon Gas and Building Green standards today’s new homes are practical to own and operate.