Most American homeowners today are seeking larger homes and more outdoor living space, according to the American Institute of Architects’ new Home Design Trends Survey. A panel of more than 500 architect and design leaders helped to identify emerging trends in the housing marketplace during the first quarter of 2016, and as reported by Inman, here are some of the top projects they’re seeing clients request:

Expanding home sizes

Homes keep getting bigger by all standards—square footage, volume and lot size. The percentage of firms reporting increasing demand for lot size grew from 2 percent in 2015 to 6 percent this year, while volume and square footage have ticked upward since 2011. A recent analysis by LawnStarter revealed that the number of new single-family homes sold with four-plus bedrooms (53 percent) and three or more bathrooms (41 percent) reached an over-30-year high in 2015.

In-home accessibility and open-space layouts

In-home accessibility—including accommodations such as widened doorways and lowered countertops—remained at the top of homeowner’s layout wish list, followed by informal space and open space. However, all three of these residential elements experienced slight declines from 2015.

Outdoor living space

Today’s homeowners seem less concerned with high-maintenance landscaping and more interested in outdoor space they can actually use. With 69 percent of architects reporting increased outdoor living space activity (and blended indoor/outdoor living closely behind at 61 percent), these elements continue to be in highest demand. Developers are finding the most sought-after outdoor living features include kitchens and dining areas, porch space and outdoor gathering areas.

Vacation homes

Interest in the vacation home remodeling sector jumped from a score of 1 in 2015 to 8 in 2016, numbers that reflect the percent of respondents reporting an “improving” market sector minus those who reported the same sector as “weakening.”

For more information: www.lawnstarter.com