With nearly 50 years experience building luxury home communities, Toll Brothers premier home builders pride their business on creating a wide range of home types in the best locations across the nation. From traditional luxury residences, active adult and active living communities and resort-style communities to refined urban residences, luxury rentals and premier student living, Toll Brothers continue to standout from other home builders with premium building products and unique personalization options including Infratech heaters.
We were interested in speaking with their team further to get the Toll Brothers’ viewpoint on outdoor living trends and their use of Infratech heaters in outdoor living spaces. After a recent lifestyle advertising photoshoot for Infratech at one of the Toll Brothers’ California homes in the Hidden Canyon development, we spoke with Senior Project Manager Josh Welty to to get the inside perspective.
What trends have you noticed overall in outdoor living?
We have seen increased demand for larger covered outdoor living spaces that mimic the size and functions of the kitchens and great rooms designed inside the home. We have also seen a great deal of interest in bringing the flooring and finishes from the indoor spaces out to create a more seamless transition.
What outdoor features do your customers look for most when choosing a luxury home?
Covered spaces large enough to furnish and entertain.
How did you design your Hidden Canyon homes to accommodate seasonal transitions?
Although our climate is mild, we utilized Infratech heaters and fireplaces to provide comfortable outdoor spaces year round.
What are your favorite things about the Hidden Canyon development?
My favorite component of the development is the exceptional collaboration between the design teams as evidenced by the seamless transitions from indoor spaces to outdoor spaces. Expansive door systems, materials finishes, and common points of interest throughout the homes demonstrate the high level of attention to detail and creativity that was poured into the development by the landscape architects, architects, and interior designers.
How does designing homes for Southern California differ from colder climates?
Colder climates do not typically utilize a luxury outdoor living space. They add larger square footage into the interior of the home, especially in the Great Room. It is a standard in other parts of the country with rain or colder weather to have a front porch so that guests can be covered when ringing the doorbell.
[Also] we can use stacked stone and stucco on the exteriors in California unlike in colder climates that are affected by a great deal of rain and snow. Colder climates use vinyl siding or lapped Hardie siding and asphalt architectural shingles for the rooftops due to the rain and freeze and thaw cycles. Also, we do not build basements in California.
How important is smart home integration to your customers?
It is growing in popularity. We offer extensive smart home options supplied by Control4 [and] these options have seen significant interest at Hidden Canyon.
What do you like most about using Infratech heaters in your developments?
The option is straightforward to install and offers a more cost effective way to warm our outdoor spaces when compared to fireplace options we offer. It is another way to get our buyers to envision the spaces they will enjoy in their new home.
