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By building new homes with materials that don’t require as much ongoing maintenance, builders increase each structure’s quality while reducing the hassle factor. It’s a trend for new homes in 2022 that’s giving time back to people, whether they’re experienced homebuyers who are downsizing or young families purchasing their first homes.

After all, in the past couple of years, the increased time spent around the home demands designs and construction that don’t require a relative increase in the amount of cleaning and repairs.

Everything that surrounds the living space falls under the category of the building envelope. A builder’s chief concern when planning and constructing the building envelope is that the future homeowner’s air quality and temperature control are clean and easily regulated.

Low-Emissive (Low-E), double-, triple- or quadruple-paned windows minimize the movement of air both in and out of the home. Additionally, highly efficient insulation plus better engineered roofing round out the list of improved materials for the building envelope.

When the building envelope is more secure, home HVAC systems — from the furnace and whole-house fan to the air conditioning and the filters for each component — don’t endure as much wear and tear while regulating temperature. As a result, they may not require much more than regular, scheduled maintenance for several years.

Durable materials steal the show

Lower-maintenance building materials used in today’s new construction not only include more Earth-friendly options, but help homeowners spend less time on preventive maintenance and upkeep.

Counter surfaces such as quartz or quartzite products, for instance, are made from readily available natural materials or recycled materials. With low absorbency, they’re stain resistant, easy to wipe clean and don’t require regular sealant applications to stay looking new.

The same goes for new options in luxury flooring other than hardwood, such as luxury vinyl tile, bamboo, composite wood materials or porcelain tile. Makers of these products use sustainable, self-regenerating or abundantly available materials.

Although quartz and luxury vinyl tile may be more expensive than hardwood or granite, they give back time and money to homeowners in their durability and easy cleaning. Savings start adding up on day one, given how long they last.

Also contributing to the better air quality in new homes are builders’ use of low- or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint. And these eco-friendly paints also come in a variety of easy-to-clean finishes, such as eggshell and satin, which wipe clean more easily than flat paint.

Thick coats of semigloss finishes on doors, windows, molding and staircases come clean with wiping and may also resist damage.

Low-fuss yards help the planet

More than ever before, outdoor living is a key component of home life and entertainment. Another edition of this weekly column will feature even more of the latest innovations in outdoor living spaces.

For now, a few basics when it comes to decisions around low-maintenance yards and more. To start, consider limited use of grass and, where possible, choose hardy, more drought-tolerant grass.

The new-construction home may come with a front lawn and an in-ground irrigation system. But spend a couple of months during the construction process deciding how much lawn you actually want — and need.

Also consider gravel, river rock or any of the many mulch varieties around the perimeter of the house instead of foliage that will require a good amount of watering. The irrigation system then can be used for drip lines to water potted annuals or seasonal, drought-tolerant plants native to California.

Some buyers opt to forgo the wood on features such as staircase railings, balustrades and newel posts. Stainless steel round-bar style balustrades, for instance, provide a chic look. A feather duster is more than sufficient for cleaning them and removes the wear from wiping painted or stained wood.

These balustrades can blend well with traditional or contemporary furnishings, as can a variety of baseboard molding styles including some of the sleekest looking — the 5-inch flat baseboards. Forgo the quarter round between the floor and baseboard if you can; it’s just another layer that can get scuffed or has to be dusted.

Finally, does a new home in the Bay Area come with or need a fireplace? For starters, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces are not permitted in new construction in the Bay Area. And many California cities and counties are aiming to prohibit even gas fireplaces.

If your home must have a gas fireplace, keep it flush with the walls to allow flexible furniture arrangements. Better still, move the warming units to the patio by way of a propane gas fire pit, thereby extending the year-round living space of both the inside and the outside.

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