A home can have numerous limitations, but nothing is more frustrating than the lack of space. It will affect how comfortable your home is, how well-lit and, in the end, how the interior could be designed. There’s a solution to this problem, but it takes investing and quite a lot of professional and technical skills.
The solution is to make an add-on and expand your home. Have in mind that this needs to be done on the expense of some other part of your property – it usually means you’ll have less of a yard to use.
Be mindful of the scale
The first thing to consider when expanding a property is how the new part will affect the look and feel of the old. If the addition isn’t up to scale with the rest of the home, it won’t only be useless, it will also greatly diminish the property with which there was no problem before.
The goal should be for the addition not to overwhelm the existing structure but also not to cut too deep into the empty space of the yard and patio. It’s a matter of finding the balance.
Patio
The most common and the least expensive way of expanding a home is to turn your patio into a room of its own. It’s a relatively simple process and with modern modular construction, you won’t need that many tools beyond the tiling tools used to prepare floors for their new purpose.
The main issue that might come up with doing so is how to keep the patio (meaning your new room) well-lit. You’ll need to make sure that you have the windows strategically placed and that you have enough accent lights.
A bump out
A bump out is a good option if the right conditions are met. It needs to be done with the room that already has one large wall at the very edge of the home. This wall is then torn down and you make an expansion in the yard and enclose it.
In terms of design and aesthetic, the bump out needs to look and feel like it belongs to the room on which it’s been added. This is an especially popular option for bathrooms, where a small bump out is used to add a large tub.
A garage
Garages are often larger than they need to be since the ones that are made for one car could fit a car and a lot of additional tools and smaller items as well. If you don’t plan to use it as a garage, it could rather easily be turned into an additional room for your home.
Have in mind that a garage has its downsides in terms of windows and isolation, since it’s not made to be lived in, but these are things you can fix and it will pay off simply by having more space available.
An attic
Attics are often underused and they basically serve as a storage area instead of useful and livable spaces. This could be turned right around but you’ll need to be careful about the disadvantages of using an attic in this way. Firstly, at least a portion of it will be lost to the staircase and there are often problems with ventilation and humidity.
There’s nothing you could do about the stairs, but with the proper materials and possibly by adding a window, you could turn the attic into a bright and colorful new room.
A garage
Garages are often larger than they need to be since the ones that are made for one car could fit a car and a lot of additional tools and smaller items as well. If you don’t plan to use it as a garage, it could rather easily be turned into an additional room for your home.
Have in mind that a garage has its downsides in terms of windows and isolation, since it’s not made to be lived in, but these are things you can fix and it will pay off simply by having more space available.
An attic
Attics are often underused and they basically serve as a storage area instead of useful and livable spaces. This could be turned right around but you’ll need to be careful about the disadvantages of using an attic in this way. Firstly, at least a portion of it will be lost to the staircase and there are often problems with ventilation and humidity.
There’s nothing you could do about the stairs, but with the proper materials and possibly by adding a window, you could turn the attic into a bright and colorful new room.
Adding a new room to your home is often a complicated project, but it will greatly increase its value and your comfort. The key is to choose the best way to incorporate this room into your home.