You can really transform your home without having to spend a fortune on an addition. If you don’t really need to move because the location is fine and you have kids in local schools, for example,then you might just simply want to move for larger rooms, bigger yard or a walk-in closet that you’ve always dreamt of. But with the actual cost of moving home rising and rising, it might be a good idea to transform your home that you already have.
If you need to move because of a work relocation, for instance, then there isn’t really a choice in the matter. But if you’re yearning to move just for a change of scenery, then it is a good idea to make the changes with the home that you already have. You can transform your home and add value without an addition. So what changes can be made? Here are some ideas for you.
Create an Extra Bathroom
With a growing family, then the chance to have an extra bathroom in the home can be much needed. But you don’t need to change the home structurally or plan an addition to have one. Using some existing space and transforming it is more straightforward. It will more than likely cut out some space from a bedroom or some hallway space, for example. But it will make the home much more practical, functional, and most of all, more sell able. So if you do need to sell up a few years down the line, an extra bathroom will always increase the value that you can ask for.
Does it Work?
Would that work in transforming your home, though? Think about where you currently have water pipes running. As that might help you to decide where it would go. It would most likely need to be on the same side as where you already have a bathroom or where the kitchen is, for instance. So that might give you an idea of how it might work. Then look at the space available. It might not work for a whole bathroom to be there. But a sink and a shower, a wet room, or even just a sink and a toilet will make a difference in a busy household. So if it is going to be part of a bedroom and you don’t want to take up too much bedroom space, a shower room might just be the best choice. You still get to call it an en-suite, though. So winning all around.
Create an Open Plan Space
Open plan living spaces can make all the difference to how a home looks. But if you don’t already have an open plan space, then there are some options for you. First of all, you might think about opening doorways that are already there. It could be that you just decide to use a floor mounted door stop in order to keep the doors open. Then the rooms will flow like an open plan space, without having to knock through any walls.
Second, of all, you might want to take out some of the doors. Then it helps to stop any of those barriers between rooms. The third and most drastic thing, that you could do could be to knock through the door spaces. You’d obviously need to check for any doorways that might be structurally important. But if they aren’t then you could think about opening up the spaces and creating an open space, or something like an archway to open the rooms up.
Making the flow of a home work better will change how you feel in the home. It will also change the functionality of the home, and hopefully, increase how much you want to be there all together. So it can certainly be something that you’ll want to think about if you’re looking to change the design of your home.
Create a Master Suite
This has already been touched slightly upon with the creation of a new bathroom. But if you are able to create a new bathroom in the master bedroom, then you are well on the way to creating a master suite. You can have the bedroom of your dreams quite easily if this is the case. All without having to move.
First off, you need to think carefully about the design of the rooms that you are going to use. How much space is there? If it is a square room already, you will be making it more of an awkward shape by boxing off certain corners of the room. If you already have a room with a corridor or some different shapes in it, then it can be a little easier to make an overall bedroom with a shape that will work for you. So calling on an interior design team to help you is smart.
Think it Out
Think about how much space you want to compromise with. If you want an all-singing-all-dancing bathroom, then you will have to sacrifice slightly when it comes to the size of the actual bedroom part. But as you’ll only have the bed to put in it, it might not be the worst decision in the world. On a similar note, if you want a large walk in closet, with space to have a dresser, as well as hang clothing, then it could be worth sacrificing some bedroom space for. As the walk in closet will become a bedroom within a bedroom. So a lot of things to think about. Some people might prefer just to hang their clothes and have a larger sleeping space. It is completely up to you. Making the master into a suite is so desirable, though. So why not look into it?
Change a Spare Bedroom
If you are lucky enough to have a spare bedroom, then it could be time to change the purpose of it. Though it might be nice to have the space for guests, having a room taken up mostly by a bed that hardly gets used, isn’t the wisest of ideas. What you transform your home into is completely about your lifestyle, though.
So it is wise to sit down and think about what you would use it for. Would the room be better served as a study or office, or would a craft or exercise room work better? Spare rooms can be all different shapes and sizes, so will all be suitable for different things. The lucky thing is, is that as the changes are only confined to the one room, the changes that you make won’t impact the rest of the house. So the changes that occur are only limited by imagination.
Main Furnishings
If you are creating the room for a specific purpose. It is a good idea to think about the main piece of furniture that will be in the room. If you’re going to make it an office, then the desk and desk chair will be the main things in the room, then you can work around them. If you are going to make the room a workout room, then the main thing might be an exercise or spin bike. Once you have those pieces set in place, then you can choose where, or what, everything else in the room will be.
If you are making the spare room a place for the kids or teens, then it might be a good idea to make it so that that sound stays in. Wooden floors would be the worst. Think thick carpet and heavy curtains as the best ways to insulate the sound and stop it spreading throughout the house.
Go For Mood Lighting
Lighting can completely change the look and feel of a room. It can transform your home from dark and dreary to light and bright, or make it seem more cozy if it is dimly lit. So rethinking the lighting in your home can make a big difference to the overall feel of it. Living rooms and bedrooms are the best places to start with. You might want them to be brightly lit during the daytime, but have the option of changing the lighting of an evening. That is where mood lighting comes in. The easiest way to create set the mood in a room is to go for a dimmer switch. That can make a big difference to the lighting as you can set is just as you want it.
One of the other ways is to use lighting at different levels. You’ll have a main light in the room, but are there wall lights or floor lamps, as well as a coffee table or bedside lamps, for example? When they are all on it will make the room super bright. But when they are all dimmed, or only some on at a time, it will create a very different look. So certainly consider mood lighting if you want to transform your home.
Have you got any plans to make changes to your home this year? It would be fun to hear about any upcoming projects in the comments.
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