What Kelowna homeowners are actually renovating right now
Renovation trends come and go, and honestly a lot of them are just magazine bait that nobody in the Okanagan is actually doing. But every year, there are a handful of shifts in how people want their homes to work that genuinely hold up, and 2025 has been an interesting one. Energy costs are up, the rental market is what it is, and people are spending more time at home than they did a decade ago. All of that is showing up in the kinds of home renovations Kelowna homeowners have been asking us about.
Here’s what’s actually moving right now, based on the projects landing on our desk.
Renovation trends for 2025
Energy-efficient and sustainable upgrades
This one has shifted from “nice idea” to “genuinely worth the money” as BC Hydro rates keep climbing. We’re seeing more homeowners ask about heat pumps (especially ducted systems that replace both the furnace and the AC), better insulation during reno walls-off moments, and window upgrades to triple-pane where the existing windows are original to the house. Bamboo flooring and reclaimed wood come up sometimes for finish choices, and low-VOC paint is pretty much standard at this point.
The thing to know about these upgrades is that the payback math works best when you bundle them into an existing renovation rather than doing them as standalone projects. If the walls are already open for a kitchen reno, that’s the time to upgrade the insulation.
Smart home integration that actually gets used
We’ve built plenty of homes with full smart home integration over the years, and the honest take is that most of it is useful for about six months and then half of it stops getting used. What actually holds up long-term is the basics, we’re talking smart thermostats, security, automated lighting in high-traffic areas, and app-controlled irrigation. The more ambitious stuff (voice-controlled everything, smart glass, AI cooking) tends to be a fun in the moment and just a matter of maintenance two years in.
If you’re planning a smart home setup in a new build or a major renovation, keep it simple and spec the wiring for future upgrades. That way you can add things later without tearing walls open.
Open-concept that still gives you options
The full open-concept floor plan has dominated for about 15 years, and it’s starting to get rethought. People still want the flow between kitchen, living, and dining, but they also want the option to close something off if, say, the kids are watching a movie and someone else is working. What’s showing up more often now is pocket doors, half walls, and flexible partitions that let the main floor open up for entertaining and close down for regular life.
The home office that doubles as a guest room is another version of this same idea. The best use of space is often when the same ones can be used in different ways.
Wellness-focused spaces
“Wellness” used to be code for “gym in the basement,” but it’s broadened a lot. We’re seeing requests for saunas (especially infrared, which fits smaller footprints), meditation or quiet rooms, better natural light through bigger windows and skylights, and air filtration systems that do more than the builder-grade box on the furnace.
If you’re renovating anyway, think about what rooms make you feel better to be in and what rooms drain you. That’s usually the start of a wellness conversation, not whether you need a meditation corner.
Kitchen and bath upgrades people are actually doing
Over in kitchen renos, the shift we’re seeing is away from all-white, minimalist everything and toward warmer tones and mixed materials. Quartzite and soapstone are coming up more often in place of quartz, though quartz is still the go-to for most budgets because the price and durability are hard to beat. Hidden and integrated appliances (panelled fridges, drawer microwaves tucked into islands) are landing on a lot of wishlists.
In bathrooms, heated floors have basically become standard in primary ensuites, rainfall showerheads are everywhere, and smart toilets with bidet functions have gone from “luxury” to “necessity.” Curbless showers are also getting more popular, partly for aesthetics and partly because they’re easier to age into.
Aging-in-place features built in early
This used to be something people added when they needed it, which usually meant a rushed retrofit after a fall or a health scare. More homeowners are now building these features in during a planned renovation while they’re still in their 50s and 60s, which is a lot smarter. Curbless showers, wider doorways (36 inches instead of the old 30), better lighting, and main-floor primary bedrooms are all showing up in renovation scopes more often.
The bonus is that most of these features also help resale value, since they make the home work for a broader range of buyers down the line.
Bolder colours and real texture
White-everything fatigue is real, and we’re seeing a lot more warmth come back into Kelowna homes. Earthy tones like terracotta, deep green, and muted blues are showing up on cabinetry, feature walls, and trim. Textured finishes like limewash and Venetian plaster are having a moment for accent walls, and mixed metals (black taps with brass handles, for example) are no longer taboo.
The general direction is toward homes that feel like a person actually lives there, not a showroom floor.
Garage and basement conversions
This one’s big in Kelowna specifically, because the math works. Converting a garage or basement into a legal rental unit or in-law suite gives you either rental income or space for aging parents or adult kids who can’t afford their own place yet (which, in this market, is most of them). Basement conversions into home theatres, gyms, and guest suites are also common for homeowners who aren’t planning to rent but want more usable square footage.
Better windows and insulation
Not glamorous, but probably the upgrade with the biggest real-world impact on how a home feels year-round. Better windows cut down on the cold spots in winter and the hot spots in summer, and better insulation does the same thing from a different angle. If you’re doing any kind of major renovation that opens up walls, the marginal cost of upgrading insulation at the same time is tiny compared to the benefit over 20 years of owning the home.
Outdoor living that gets used more than two months a year
Okanagan summers are short enough that outdoor spaces have to live up to their potential during the months they’re usable. We’re seeing more thoughtful outdoor setups with covered pergolas that extend the season into spring and fall, built-in heaters or fire features for shoulder-season evenings, outdoor kitchens that are actually functional (not just a grill on a patio), and landscaping that uses drought-resistant plants because summer water restrictions aren’t going anywhere.
Plunge pools are also showing up more often than full pools, because the cost and maintenance are a fraction of what a full pool costs.
What it means if you’re planning a Kelowna renovation
The thread running through most of these trends is that homeowners are getting more practical about what they actually want out of a renovation. Less “what’s going to impress my friends” and more “what’s going to make this house work better for the next ten years”, which is a great shift.
If you’re thinking about a renovation and trying to figure out which of these things are worth it for your lifestyle or situation, the answer almost always depends on how long you’re staying, what your budget looks like, and what’s actually not sitting right with you about the house right now. Have a look at our recent projects gallery if you want to see how some of this shows up in real renovations.
Thinking about renovating this year?
If any of this is getting you thinking about what your own place could look like, give us a shout. We’re happy to walk through what’s realistic in your home, what the budget needs to be to pull it off properly, and where we’d push back on ideas that sound great but don’t actually hold up. Call ARG Contracting or request a free estimate whenever you’re ready.
