The second-floor laundry room, the walk-through pantry, even the half bath on the main floor – everyday items that we now see in today’s homes - all have been products of home design innovation through the years.

Improving the way people live through better home design is the goal of every homebuilder, and it’s not just tweaks to floorplans. It can be through the introduction of new materials, home automation features, or including former upgrade features as part of the standard builder package.

Home design changes with the homebuyers needs, market conditions, and lifestyle demands, and today builders are seeing demand soar for finished basement developments as among the top priority for buyers.

Secondary suites also in high demand, says Jayman BUILT COO, Dave Hooge. “Developing basement suites became a favoured choice, providing additional living space or rental income potential and of course acting as mortgage helpers.”

“Many of our homes sold last year had a basement development which can have various uses such as additional rental income, or more rooms for the family to grow into,” says Excel Homes Marketing Manager, Kristina Plank. “Our buyers have been looking for a home with more usable space, so we have improved upon some of our best-selling floorplans, as well as created new models that are all about maximizing space.”

Separate entrances to these secondary suites are also a popular add-on and some builders are even offering this as part of their standard package.
Here are what other home design innovations builders are offering in 2025.

Cedarglen Homes

Whether as a mortgage helper to bring in renters, as a feature to accommodate multi-generational living, or just as extra living space, the secondary suite development has become one of the most requested improvements in home design at Cedarglen Homes.

“Cedarglen Homes is excited to continue to offer high quality, legal secondary suites in all our communities across Calgary. These suites are available to add onto all our models including front-drive garage homes, laned homes and paired homes,” says Cedarglen Homes Content Marketing Specialist, Janelle Jalali.

“Reflecting on our sales from 2024, we saw many homebuyers adding legal secondary suites to their homes – whether to accommodate a live-in family member or to generate rental income,” she says.

“For those who did not add a full suite, many still chose to include a side entrance and to have the basement roughed-in to accommodate a secondary suite in the future.”

Jalali says Cedarglen Homes recognizes the desire for these types of additions and have pre-designed several floorplan options for homebuyers to choose from including side entrances, secondary suites and alternate basement development options. “These pre-designed options make it easy for homebuyers to personalize their new homes to suit their needs.”

Cedarglen Homes currently has seven secondary suites that are open to view in showhomes across the city. Jalali says these homes show a variety of different floorplans that homebuyers can choose from. They are found at 173 Mitchell Road NW in Glacier Ridge, 118 Rowley Way NW in Rockland Park, 191 Lucas Common NW in Livingston, 8 CreekView Common SW in CreekView, and 79 and 83 Ricardo Ranch Avenue SE in Logan Landing, and 158 Setonstone Green SE in Seton. Go to cedarglenhomes.ca for more information.

Excel Homes

Excel Homes has always underlined the need for constant improvements in home design to fit the evolving lifestyle needs. Marketing Manager Kristina Plank says paramount in all this is the need to make use of every inch of livable space.

“Excel Homes is excited to have quite a few new models that are all about maximizing square footage while still creating functional floorplans. We achieve this by making sure that our floorplans have an open concept layout, multi-functional rooms such as flex rooms and pantries and large windows that allow for plenty of natural sunlight, making any room feel more expansive.”

Excel’s floorplans maximize storage with tons of shelves and closets, as well as utilize every corner, nook and cranny to create more storage solutions, she adds.

New are zero lot line models that that not only maximize space utility inside, while also minimizing land costs by having the home extend right to the property line.

New is their Oxford ZLL (zero lot line) model that features four bedrooms, plus a bonus room and two flex rooms.
“The Oxford is spacious and thoughtfully designed at over 2,500 sq ft. On the main floor is a flex room that can be used as a home office or converted to a guest bedroom,” she says.

Upstairs, there is an impressive primary suite with a four-piece ensuite and large walk-in closet, separated from the additional 3 bedrooms. It still has room for a spacious bonus room in the middle.

It also has options for a fully developed 1- or 2-bedroom basement for additional rental income. “Larger families are buying this home as there is plenty of room for the whole family to grow into,” Plank says.

The Oxford is available for sale in the north communities of Homestead, Savanna, Livingston, Starling and Lewisburg, as well as Excel’s south communities of Creekstone, Silver Spruce, Mahogany, Rangeview and Seton Ridge. “We have two Oxford show homes under construction in our brand-new communities of Lewisburg and Starling that are expected to open this spring, and another alternate 3-bedroom layout Oxford that will be coming to Rangeview this fall,” Plank says.

“Another new model Excel is excited for is the Maverick which will also have four bedrooms standard. We have 2 Maverick show homes under construction in our brand-new communities of Starling and Seton Ridge that are expected to open in late spring.” Find out more at excelhomes.ca.

Jayman BUILT

Jayman BUILT isn’t resting on its laurels. After sweeping local, provincial and national housing awards last year, they are intent on following through with more design improvements to benefit their buyers.

“We are always excited when we launch our new specifications each year. For 2025, we are especially so,” says Jayman BUILT COO, Dave Hooge. “Jayman BUILT has offered 4 specification levels over the last number of years but this year we have replace our Ultra specification with our new ‘BESPOKE’ specification.”

He says BESPOKE, as the name suggests, allows for the ultimate in personalization, with Jayman’s most luxurious finishings, including Jenn Air and Fulgor Milano appliances and Hacker Kitchen, German-made cabinets.

Other inclusions are open-rise, mono-stringer stairs, camouflaged or hidden front entry closet doors and high-end lighting fixtures. All Jayman BUILT homes come with their consistent non-optional features, including 10 solar panels and smart home technology.

Popular among buyers right now are kitchen upgrades, Hooge says. “Popular choices included extending cabinets to the ceiling for additional storage, incorporating built-in ovens with separate cooktops for improved functionality, and installing under-cabinet lighting.

There are a couple of recently opened showhomes that visitors can see Jayman’s latest designs. The Bentley 24 (1,920 sq. ft., front-attached garage home) and Avery20 (1,731 sq. ft., laned home).

“We have Bentley showhomes in Mahogany, Legacy and Glacier Ridge – featuring a stunning full height fireplace in the great room, extending up to the second floor and all showhomes showcasing a third-floor development option with outdoor living space. The Avery 20 showhome in Belmont, Glacier Ridge and Mahogany is an efficient laned home with features normally not seen in a laned product. The Belmont showhome features a third-floor patio, that is a must-see.” Go to jayman.com for more information.