14 Must-Haves When Building a New Home in 2025

Updated on January 10, 2025: This story was originally published on December 16, 2021, and has been updated with new information pertinent to 2025 homebuying trends.

Today's homebuyers are looking for features that personalize their home and provide ease of living, while remaining attainable and not requiring a lot of work. This makes a new construction home an ideal option.

One of the best things about building a new construction home is personalizing it to make it uniquely yours. You probably have a list of features you know you want in your new home, from things that will add convenience to your busy lifestyle, to efficiency options that will save you money, and probably some interior design details you've had your eye on. Everyone has different needs but there’s one thing we can all agree on – building new lets you take advantage of modern design and technology and ensures your home is ready to live in, love in, and make memories in from the very first day you move in.

As you begin planning to build your dream home in 2025, here are 14 must-haves for your new construction home in Florida.

1. Open Floor Plan

Open floor plans have been popular for quite a while, and we don’t see that changing any time soon! Some of the benefits of having an open layout in your new construction home in Florida include:

• Easy movement throughout your living space;
• A sense of connectivity and ability to interact, whether people are in the kitchen, dining area, gathering room, or all of the above;
• A better ability to keep an eye on kids or pets while still doing tasks like cooking;
• An abundance of natural light throughout the living area, as it’s not blocked by walls.

2. Flex Rooms

Flexible use rooms gained popularity during 2020 with people spending more personal and work hours at home, and they continue to be popular thanks to, well, their flexibility! Life can change quickly and flex rooms simplify your life as they allow you to use your space as you need now, and change that use as your household size or needs change.

A flex room might be a den, loft, unused bedroom, or even an area blueprinted as a dining room – essentially, it’s any space that can be used for different purposes. For example, a flex room may be used as a home office, a home gym, or a playroom. If that no longer serves your needs, re-purpose your flex room as a homework room for kids, craft room, media room, game room, cocktail lounge... the possibilities are vast. You might even design it to suit a combination of uses such as a guest room and office. 

3. Laundry Room

A dedicated laundry room provides a place to take care of dirty clothes behind closed doors, keep the heat and noise of laundry machines outside of the main living area, and hang dry delicates in a private space - It's no wonder greater than 85% of homebuyers put this on their must-have list!

4. Kitchen Storage

Built-in storage is important throughout your home, and nowhere more so than in the kitchen! There are a couple of kitchen storage solutions you should have your eye on if you are building a new home in 2025:

• 36 or 42-inch soft-close upper kitchen cabinets. Taller upper cabinets provide extra storage and add to your kitchen’s overall aesthetic, and soft-close hinges prevent cabinets from slamming shut, protecting your peace and reducing the risk of injury to people and pets. It’s no wonder 36-inch soft-close cabinets are one of the most popular kitchen design options selected by Florida new homeowners. 
• A walk-in pantry. Whether for storing food items, kitchen appliances, or cookware and supplies, a walk-in pantry lets you easily organize and access items, and keeps clutter off the kitchen counters.
• A drawer stack in place of a base cabinet. While this doesn't actually add storage space, it maximizes space by providing better organization and access to daily kitchen necessities.

5. Quartz Kitchen Countertops

Your kitchen countertops are one of the most used surfaces in your home, which is why high-performance countertops that will endure life’s wear and tear are a must. Quartz countertops, also known as engineered stone countertops, combine natural quartz crystals with resins, polymers, and color pigments to create a low-maintenance, ultra-durable product, with a number of benefits:

• Quartz is a non-porous material, which means sealing is not required, and it is resistant to bacteria, mold, and mildew;
• Quartz is durable and resistant to stains, corrosion, heat, cracks, and chips;
• Quartz countertops are available in an abundance of colors, patterns, and designs, which are fade-resistant and will look beautiful for a lifetime.

5. Energy-Efficient Appliances 

Appliances are the workhorses in our homes, so it’s no surprise that state-of-the-art, ENERGY STAR® appliances are at the top of many homebuyers’ must-have lists.

Samsung is a top appliance brand among consumers which is why we include Samsung stainless steel appliances in our new construction homes in Florida. With ENERGY STAR® certifications, Wi-Fi smart features, and low-maintenance fingerprint-resistant finishes, attractive, energy-efficient appliances from Samsung are a must-have when you build your new home in 2025. 

6. Kitchen Seating

The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, which explains why so many things buyers want are in the kitchen - And, it also explains why having seating space in the kitchen is so important! Separate dining rooms are out of vogue; today's home buyers prefer table space in the kitchen, or built-in seating such as a breakfast bar or island with room for chairs and gathering.

7. Outdoor Living Space

Whether you’re a Florida native or relocating to the Sunshine State, there’s one thing all Floridians can relate to – we love enjoying Florida’s year-round warmth! Having outdoor living space at your home allows you to extend your daily activities outdoors and enjoy entertaining and relaxing in the fresh air.

When shopping for your new construction home in Florida, look for a home plan with a front porch, a rear lanai (which is a covered patio, for those relocating to Florida and not familiar with local terms), or both! Many of our Florida home buyers choose to add a screen enclosure to their lanai, to help keep out bugs and rain.

8. Vinyl Plank Flooring

Flooring takes a large amount of abuse from shoes, pets, and children, and your new home must have flooring that is durable and low-maintenance. Luxury vinyl plank flooring meets these goals, plus it's affordable and one of the most attractive flooring options on the market. 

Luxury vinyl plank is installed as individual planks and looks nearly identical to hardwood flooring, but it is a fraction of the cost and outperforms real wood on many levels. This flooring is water-resistant or water-proof, it absorbs shocks, it's easy to clean, and won’t crack or chip like real hardwood.

If you are building a new construction home in Florida in 2025, luxury vinyl plank flooring is a must-have in your kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room; many homebuyers extend it throughout the living area thanks to its durability and enduring style.

9. Bathroom Wall Tile

Many apartments, older homes, and even some new construction homes come with a not-so-attractive plastic shower insert. When you build your new home in Florida in 2025, don’t settle for cheap and boring! Selecting ceramic wall tile for your shower and bathtub surrounds not only adds style and resale value, but longevity. Ceramic tiles are durable, moisture resistant, and easy to clean – all improvements over a plastic insert - and we have a variety of tile colors, sizes, and options to suit your style.

10. Black Fixtures and Accessories

Providing a bold look, black plumbing fixtures, bathroom accessories, cabinet hardware, and light fixtures are in style in 2025! Black is adaptable to many styles and instantly adds a unique visual interest to your home.

11. Lighting and Ceiling Fans

Lighting adds illumination, design, and safety benefits to your home. When building your new home in 2025, you most likely will want to have:

• Flush-mounted LED ceiling lights in the gathering room - pair with a dimmer switch so you can provide just the right light, no matter what the mood or activity.
• Ceiling fans, which not only add a source of light but help keep you cool through the “wind chill” effect. Make sure your homebuilder puts fans on a double-switch, meaning separate switches power the light and the fan.
• Exterior lighting - More than 80% of homebuyers have this on their must-have list because it adds safety benefits as well as curb appeal.

12. Landscaping 

Speaking of curb appeal, landscaping is a key component to take your home from basic to blooming with beauty! When you build with Highland Homes, your yard comes fully sodded (with a grass-type allowable by local building codes), is landscaped with low-maintenance Florida native plants, and includes a multi-zone irrigation system to make it easy to maintain.

13. Oversized Garage for Storage

Let’s face it – we use our garages to store more than just our cars. Whether storing yard equipment, motorcycles, four-wheelers, tools, or holiday decorations, the “more” can take up a lot of space in your garage… sometimes more space than you have! 

If your garage houses more than your cars, an oversized garage should be on your must-have list. Highland Homes offers plans with 1, 2, and 3-car garages, and the option on most homes to extend your garage depth by 2 or 4 feet. We can’t think of anyone who’s ever told us they regretted incorporating more storage space into their new home! 

14. Energy-Efficient Windows

High-performance, energy-efficient windows reduce energy loss in your home and therefore lower your utility bills, making them our final must-have for your 2025 new construction home in Florida. 

Low-E, or low-emissivity, windows are our window of choice because they minimize the infrared and UV light that comes into your home without reducing the amount of visible light. Low-E windows reduce energy loss by as much as 30-50% and can save an average of $250 per year compared to traditional windows!

Build Your Dream Home in Florida

Ready to accomplish your new home dreams in 2025? These 14 must-have features are just the beginning of the impressive options you can choose when you build your new construction home in Florida with Highland Homes. Visit our online Inspiration Gallery to add to your dream home must-have list, and call or email us to connect with a Florida New Home Specialist and find your dream home today!