What makes something truly innovative? Is it responding to a current trend, or creating a solution that becomes part of the housing industry lexicon and pervades every price point? Over its 25-year history, The New American Home has had both, though primarily design ideas, new materials, and product applications that have stood the test of time and are now firmly embedded in the mainstream. Here are just a few examples of The New American Home’s legacy of genuine innovation:
Design:
- Promoted the open floor plan concept of the kitchen-eating nook-family room arrangement, beginning with the first house in 1984.
- Evolved the master suite from a bedroom to a retreat, including separate his/her bathrooms and closets (1987), an office alcove (1988), a private home gym (1989), a sitting room and morning kitchen (1992), and a private office (1999).
- Placed a complete suite over the garage, beginning in 1985 and evolving through 2007.
- Introduced specific floor plans for non-traditional and emerging lifestyles, including empty-nesters (1987), multiple generations (1993), blended families (2000), and singles and second homes for active adults (both in 2003).
- Showcased solutions to educe the impact of the garage door on the street, including detached, set-back, alley-accessed, and side-loaded positioning, as well as the use of decorator doors (such as the carriage style shown in the 2001 house) and varying façade treatments above and around the doors to reduce their mass.
- Introduced and evolved the concept of “swing” or “flex” spaces within the floor plan, including basements, upper-floor lofts, and garage suites.
- Proliferated courtyard designs beyond Western markets, beginning in 1992 in Las Vegas and proving its widespread impact with the 1999 house in Dallas.
Products, Materials, and Applications
- Advanced framing (1984)
- Whole-house audio system (1987)
- Surround-sound audio for the television (1988)
- Synthetic stucco/EIFS (1989; added drainage membrane in 2000)
- Stainless steel appliances (1989)
- Modular, dry-stacked retaining wall blocks (1989)
- Dual-pane insulating windows (1989; added low-e coating in 1992 and argon gas fill in 1997)
- Wireless security system (1989)
- Synthetic solid surface countertops (1989)
- Cooktop with pop-up downdraft vent (1990)
- Built-in ironing center (1990)
- Insulated foundation waterproofing system (1990)
- Structured wiring system (1992)
- Solar-powered water heating (1992)
- Shower with multiple spray heads and steam option (1992)
- Remote-controlled skylights (1993)
- Cabinet-front (aka “built-in”) appliances (1993)
- Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) (1994)
- Structural and light-gauge steel framing (1994)
- Direct-vent gas fireplace (1994)
- Fiberglass entry door system (1997)
- Refrigerator drawers (1998)
- Point-of-use water heaters (1998)
- Precast concrete foundation walls (2001)
- Certified energy and resource efficiency (2001)
- Fiber-cement siding (2002)
- Soundproofing (2002)
- Residential elevator (2003)
- Expanded foam insulation (2003)
- Structural insulated panels (SIPs) (2004)
- Vanishing-edge pool (2005)
- Pasta faucet over cooking range (2005)
- Folding patio doors (2005)
- Motorized pest screens (2006)
- “Green” roof (2007)
- Underground water runoff collection cistern and irrigation system (2007)
