Baton Rouge builders peek into the homes of the future

The National Association of Home Builders’ International held its annual Builders’ Show in Las Vegas last week, and at least 10 builders from Baton Rouge traveled there to learn what they could about bringing their city’s homes into the technological future. Between about 460 exhibitions and 110,000 attendees, the future looked like it had plenty to offer.

As noted in an article published earlier this week by the Baton Rouge Business Report’s Daily Report, some of these innovations include deceptively simple and convenient changes, like moving the exhaust fan blower from the hood of kitchen stoves to the attic or the roof to reduce noise. Since many new home builders opt to include outdoor kitchens in their designs, this could be an especially useful upgrade.

“In all of our homes, we are installing outdoor kitchens—you can’t hardly sell a home right now without outdoor kitchens,” says Carol Smith, president of the Capital Region Home Builders Association and co-owner of Harvey Smith Construction with her brother. “With outdoor kitchens, we normally put a TV, and you can’t hear anything” with a loud exhaust fan.”

Other trends include LED lighting, heated toilet seats, new hinge doorstops that reduce damage to the doorframe, and a huge push toward wireless technology in a number of applications. One of these days, your kids might hop off the school bus and enter your house via smartphone.

To learn more about the newest trends in home design, check out Monday’s Daily Report article and subscribe for free twice-a-day updates on Baton Rouge’s most cutting-edge news in business and innovation.