safety feature for your home. Motion-sensor lights, for example, turn on automatically whenever there is movement outside your house.

Exterior materials

At Henning Estates, the mix of natural stone with cedar shake or board and baton siding continue to be popular materials for home exteriors. Combining exterior materials ensures every home is unique with a look all its own, VanLue said. “We specifically use LP SmartSide for its durability and strength.

“We’re seeing a trend toward stone and brick, and for more expensive homes, stone and brick can be mixed together for a luxury look with low maintenance. We’ve also had some buyers request all-brick homes or homes designed mostly with brick and accented with natural stone. Brick and natural stone typically require less maintenance than painted surfaces, which is an appealing feature for our homebuyers.”

Homes at Henning Estates are designed with natural stone rather than cultured or man-made products. It’s more fitting with the natural surroundings and gives the homes and the community more of an upscale look and feel, especially when enhanced with soft exterior uplighting to really showcase the architectural elements of the homes’ exterior.

Heritage Harbor Ottawa Resort is a vacation community with homes and cottages that reflect a unique, coastal style. Home exteriors feature a smart siding composite and trek decking that require no maintenance except power washing. Both of these composite materials take on the weathered look of aging that people like, said Tammy Barry, director of sales and marketing.

“People who live in a vacation community don’t want to spend their time on home maintenance, so no- or low-maintenance exterior materials are an important feature for our residents.”

The community offers metal roofs, reminiscent of an old cottage, which are more expensive and well insulated so homeowners don’t hear noise when it rains. And it rarely needs to be replaced. A variety of colors are available to create different looks that people want.

“For front doors, we see a lot of steel or aluminum doors that residents paint to make them look like wood,” Barry said.

Universal design

From zero threshold walkways to near no-step entrances, universal design is gaining in popularity, and it’s not just for the elderly.

At Newport Cove, a year-round resort style community in Antioch, the Limehouse is a charming cottage with 1,992 square feet, two bedrooms, two baths, a den, patio and two-car garage. The home features a more contemporary look with an urban flair and a lot of architectural details.

Tucked into the landscape and front porch design is an unobtrusive bricked ramp. The front door is 42 inches wide, and there is no “step up” at the door. Also making the ranch home accessible is an interior elevator that stops on the first floor, garage and finished lower level.

“This design showcases a universal design, but quietly,” said Susanne Tauke, president of New American Homes, developer of the community. “My sister is a professor of architecture in New York, and she worked with me on the design. It won an award from the National Homebuilders Association for best of 50-plus housing.

With universal design, people can age in place gracefully and live comfortably and safely in their homes for as long as possible.