If you’ve ever attended the annual Saratoga Showcase of Homes you’ve probably seen some of the gorgeous work Belmonte Builders has come to be known for. This family-owned business has been a prominent presence in the home building and construction industry for over three decades, and we recently got the chance to chat with them about how they’re keeping up with customer needs and current trends.
Comfortable, Clean & Open: Belmonte Knows What Home Owners Want Today
As the popularity of Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and subsequent Netflix series have shown us: less is more. Today we want fewer objects cluttering up our environment. We want room to spread out with our family. And especially these days, when most of us are spending more time at home, we want the space we need to live, work, play, and breathe.
“One of the trends we’re seeing is a preference for more open space, with fewer walls and hallways – especially for those looking to downsize,” Mike Lust, Director of Sales and Marketing for Belmonte, told us.
As we’ll see with Belmonte’s current home plan offerings, you don’t have to compromise on an open, spacious home, even if you are looking to scale down or go for a one-story house. Keep reading to see a breakdown of Belmonte’s most popular current plans you can use as a jumping off point to narrow down what you’re looking for.
The Weston: Choose From One or Two Stories
Ranch | 2 Beds | 2 Baths | 2,139-sq-ft
Master Down | 4 Beds | 3 Baths | 2,973-sq-ft
“Rather than have more floor plans, we want to offer plans that are more flexible,” Lust told us, and he started with The Weston, Belmonte’s best-selling and most popular plan. The Weston can be built as a Ranch or modified to be a master down (master bedroom on the first floor) by adding what they refer to as a “pop top” (the addition of a second floor). The second floor adds more living space with a flexible loft along with two bedrooms that share a full bathroom.
Lust explained that the Weston floor plan is unique from a design perspective because it’s built entirely within the roofline of the original plan. This means the first floor layout and the elevation are the same whether it’s built as a ranch or as a two-story home.
As we’ll see with the other plans, there is a trend towards dropping the infrequently used formal dining room to add a study (especially important now that so many people are working from home) and to increase the size of the great room and kitchen areas.
Check out The Weston floor plan diagram >>
The Castleton: Goodbye Dining Room, Hello Study
Ranch | 3 Beds | 2 Baths | 2,139-sq-ft
The Castleton was one of the first plans to undergo a redesign after Belmonte decided to adjust for current trends. They were able to improve this one “without touching the footprint,” and after they did, it became one of their top-selling floor plans within six months of the redesign.
“By substituting a study for the formal dining room and eliminating hallways in favor of traffic patterns, we were able to create room for a larger kitchen and dining area,” Lust said.
See The Castleton floor plan diagram >>
The Concord: Small but Spacious
Ranch | 3 Beds | 2 Baths | Study | 1,704-sq-ft
The Concord, introduced last year, is ideal for empty nesters or those looking for something smaller and yet, still roomy. “This isn’t your typical ranch home,” Lust said. “It’s a small home but it feels larger because the design is more open.”
A finished open staircase that leads to the basement makes the entry foyer feel more inviting, like a traditional two-story home. As with the Castleton, the dining room has been opens to the kitchen and dining area. The Concord floor plan has the flexibility to be built as a 3 bedroom or 2 bedroom ranch with a study.
View The Concord floor plan diagram >>
In Development: The Stafford, Popular Traditional Floor Plan Getting a Redesign & New Name
Master-Up | 4 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 2,498-sq-ft
Belmonte is now turning their design attention to their popular Stafford traditional floor plan with the master suite on the second floor. By tweaking the plan to remove unused space in the front entryway and dropping an unnecessary hallway, they are able to move square footage to the more frequently used living areas.
The additional square footage makes room to redesign the great room, kitchen, and dining area in the more appealing and spacious triangular format (as opposed to them being in line with each other). The new and improved Stafford floor plan will be ready by the end of the year and will have a new name: The Hampton.
What Would You Do With the Space?
Although Belmonte is focusing on the current open concept design trend, they also understand that there’s a need for a space to retreat to. A study could be used for working from home, doing yoga, or it could be converted into a library, or a playroom. Belmonte’s flexible floor plans allow for so many possibilities to work with, whether it’s with the study, flexible lofts, basement, or by playing around with other rooms to mold the space into what works for you.
If you’re in the market for a new home take the time to check out the open concept floor plans available from Belmonte Builders and let yourself imagine loving the space you live in.
