Whatever the reason, if you feel the need to make your home bigger, it is necessary to plan and carry it out well, and of course, enjoy the job while it is being done. Well planned and well executed additions, extensions and remodeling have been known to increase the value of houses, as a building society survey points out.
The important factors in extensions and remodeling are to ensure that the modifications use existing space wisely and efficiently. This can be done by evaluating the current space availability in the existing home and making adjustments and renovations to create extra space in an easy way.
Getting started
A look at the building plan and looking at the rooms and spaces in the home will help you evaluate what is useful and what isn't.
Most often, people tend to build homes with extra spaces or a small room here or there for later use; these come in very handy at times like this. However, allocated spaces like guest room which is hardly put to use one or two times a year is wasted space. Utilizing these spaces is called 'repurposing' and existing homes can be redesigned or remodeled by getting more value in use of such techniques.
By making a list of the existing rooms and spaces and comparing it with a 'wish-list' of rooms and spaces you wished you had can throw up a lot of ideas for remodeling.
Useful suggestions
Building experts have some useful suggestions that can be tried out in addition to some ideas and tips you may already have in mind.
• Just suppose you have recently started working from home and looking to create your 'own corner' to place a desk or table with your working tools. These could be a desktop or PC or a table with drawing board and tools, whatever it is that is required for work. If there is an additional or spare bedroom that is hardly ever used except when the occasional guest drops by, that space would ideally serve as a work area. The trick is in remodeling it in such a manner that you get your work area and the occasional guest is also not robbed of a good night's rest.
• You suddenly realize that the kitchen is a large enough area, roomy and well-ventilated. By including a dining area into the kitchen space, the existing dining area can be converted into a family room with an extra rug and cushions thrown in and a larger TV placed to make family evenings fun and enjoyable.
• The kids are growing up fast and need extra space for their studies - a spacious study table, reading lamp or a cabinet to store books and accessories. A staircase landing, which is large enough, or the cabinet under the staircase that holds cartons with 'stuff not used' will serve very well as a study area that is their own.
• A formal living room that is barely used can be converted into an additional bedroom with bath attached by adding a wall or fixed screen that affords more privacy.
• An underutilized bathtub in the master bedroom can be removed so that the bathroom can be made compact to put in an extra closet or dressing area; or even a storage area to store utilities.
• An unused pantry that is used more as a storeroom for cartons and unpacked stuff can be cleaned out to become an extension to the kitchen; a bench or table with extra chairs can create extra dining space or it can be a wash / laundry room.
The possibilities are endless. Your home is your private space and by coming up with useful ideas that can be executed simply and effectively, you can enhance the value and also gain immense satisfaction.
