One of the home building trends that you may be likely to notice is that small is now big. What exactly does this mean? Many homeowners are now deliberately moving away from homes with excessive space. This is now frequently a move toward homes that feature a smaller and much more streamlined design. For instance, at one time, many homeowners had a desire for a home office or a place where they could at least store their books. Thanks to our many digital devices, most of us no longer need a room with shelves to accommodate our books. Additionally, the devices used to conduct business and stay connected no longer required as much space. File cabinets are a thing of the past. As a result, homeowners are now finding much better use for the space in their home than the need for a home office. There is also often no longer a need for a place to accommodate massive music systems. With furniture styles also moving toward more minimalistic styles and televisions frequently built into spaces, there is simply less need for space than in the past. Not only do smaller homes accommodate modern lifestyle more easily, but they are also much less expensive to heat, cool, and maintain. Many home builders have also noticed that what once began as a small movement has now blossomed into a much larger trend when it comes to sustainable building. The process of building and even furnishing a home with environmentally friendly methods and materials is no longer a fad but now a standard. As a result of an increased demand for green building practices, homeowners and builders now have access to far more choices for equipment and materials than in the past. The good news is that these options are not only much easier on the environment but they are also usually much lighter on the budget.