As much as homeowners desire an updated kitchen, they overwhelmingly reject the formal, enclosed dining room. Also on the list: wall-to-wall carpeting and wood features outside.
“Compartmentalizing rooms is not what people are looking for,” says Tim Ellis, president of T.W. Ellis Design/Build/Remodel in Forest Hills, Maryland, and the 2019 remodelers chair for the National Association of Home Builders. “The formal dining room and formal living room have gone by the wayside. And rather than carpet, homeowners will pick up a less expensive vinyl or even a laminate.”
Also on the reject pile: wood exterior features. Wood eventually starts to peel, and that leads to lots of maintenance issues and headaches for the homeowner.
“Everything on the outside, be it backyard or portico, it’s all low-maintenance composite or vinyl,” notes Ellis. “People want to go as low maintenance as possible.”
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