For the first time in five years, homeowner interest in larger homes increased over the past 12 months, according to data from the American Institute of Architects’ Home Design Trends Survey.
The Home Design Trends Survey for the second quarter of 2021—focusing on home and property design—also found a sharp rise in demand for accessory dwelling and rental units. Other trends to emerge from the pandemic include a robust uptick in demand for finishing spaces like basements, attics and garages.
While outdoor living space has been popular in recent years, demand dramatically increased since last year. The popularity of outbuildings like sheds, barns and pool houses also expanded precipitously.
“Since households are doing more at home, they have been looking for more space during the pandemic. This has included focusing more activities outdoors, and adding other buildings to their property,” says Kermit Baker, AIA chief economist. “The overall strength of the residential market has driven project backlogs at residential architecture firms to pre-pandemic levels.”
Findings of the report also revealed residential architecture firm business conditions for the second quarter of 2021, which included:
- All custom residential sectors reported unprecedented growth, with home improvement reporting the strongest gains.
- Project billings were 68.4 (any score above 50 indicates growth in firm billings.)
The AIA Home Design Trends Survey is conducted quarterly with a panel of more than 500 architecture firms that concentrate their practice in the residential sector.
