Extra space

Although it's nice to be able to spend more time with our families during quarantine, sometimes we need a little more space. We asked our followers which extra space in their homes would be most useful to them. Options included a lower level rec room, bonus room above the garage, and a covered porch. We wish we could choose all of them! 

Ultimately, the covered patio (Option C), was the favorite pick! 

Garage layout

The garage is a space in our homes that provides a lot of necessary storage space. However, many people often don't take full advantage of it. There are several different ways that the garage can be tailored to a specific set of needs. The winner of this poll, Option B, has an extra deep 3rd stall. This is a great way for people looking to add storage space, such as for boats and other vehicles. 

The layout can also affect the overall appearance of the exterior of the home. Option A and B can camouflage the look of the garages by rotating the doors to the side of the house. Some prefer this so that the entire exterior has a more cohesive, polished look. 

front door windows

Our followers overwhelmingly voted for C, the front door with both sidelights and the transom windows! This is a great option that not only looks aesthetically pleasing, but lets in tons of natural light. As one person pointed out in the comments of our poll, you can even install frosted glass for added privacy. 

fireplace location

This was a tight race! The amount of votes for each choice were nearly equal, and there are benefits to each configuration style. If you value more window space, it might be a good idea to place the fireplace on an interior wall. If you want to have more wall space, you could put the fireplace on the exterior wall. A compromise between the two could be to put it in the corner! In the end, the exterior wall fireplace, Option C, was the champ.

main bath layout

At Cypress, we have many different main bathroom layouts to choose from. There are many ways to separate the plumbing fixtures to create privacy. One option is to separate the toilet and shower off to the end of the room, as configured in A. You can also give them their own separate space off of the center of the room, pictured in B. Our winner, Option C, conceals the sinks, toilet, and shower in their own individual spaces. 

Plumbing fixture

Plumbing fixtures, along with the hardware on the cabinetry, put the finishing touches on the kitchen. They don't necessarily have to match each other, though! Whether it's nickel, bronze, stainless, black, gold, etc., many of these options are timeless and work well with other elements in the space. Our black and oil rubbed bronze finished faucets were the close winners of this poll!

Cabinet configuration

A small detail that needs to be chosen for the kitchen is the height and style of the kitchen cabinets. They can go all the way to the ceiling, or you can leave some space above. They can be closed off and solid, or they can have glass window panes. It all comes down to personal preference and how you plan on decorating the space. The favorite choice from this poll was Option C, with the glass upper cabinets.  

smart home feature

Did you know that Cypress installs a smart doorbell, thermostat, and refrigerator into every new spec home? It's true! This technology is subtle, but can make a big impact on the way you interact with your home. It came down to a close race between the video doorbell and smart thermostat, but the Nest Thermostat was deemed the champion. 

Nest Doorbell allows you to view your front porch through its camera and interact with whoever is on your porch. This smart refrigerator has a screen that lets you see into your fridge without even needing to open the door. Nest Thermostat helps to optimize your heating and cooling system and control it even while away from your home.

Not only do we include these features, but all of our homes have LED lighting throughout the entire house. LED lights are much more eco-friendly and energy efficient compared to incandescent bulbs, and they last for YEARS. 

Island coloR

Choosing your kitchen island color has a large impact on defining the overall theme of the room. It's important to choose a color that complements the outer cabinets to balance out the space. There are so many paint colors and stains to choose from, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to make that perfect choice. If you'd like to see more cabinet color combinations, visit our kitchen photos page. 

The winner of this poll is C, the blue painted island.