April 2022 – Featured in The Seattle Times – Trends come and go in the construction industry. But these days, according to local building pros, those trends are less about accent walls and open floor plans, and more about being green.

“The biggest trend right now in residential construction is sustainability,” says Anthony Maschmedt, owner of Dwell Development, a Seattle-based firm that focuses on sustainable residential building.

In the past, he says, most special requests from customers were for luxury items such as wine cellars and custom fireplaces.

“Now it has really shifted — people are worried about climate change, they’re worried about toxins in their home and [access to] fresh air,” Maschmedt says. “They want to live in a healthy, more sustainable, earth-friendly environment.”

He says these are areas in which Washington is leading the way. “We are at the forefront of creating energy codes that support [efforts to] fight climate change,” Maschmedt says.

Along with being better for the environment, incorporating the right green building elements into a home can also be good for the wallet. 

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