You buy a home that you love. Then, over the years, things change, and your home is no longer as well suited to your needs. Maybe you’re starting a family, your parents or in-laws are moving in, or you’re working from home for the foreseeable future.
But outgrowing your home doesn’t mean you need to move out of a house and neighborhood you love! Instead, a home remodel or addition could be the perfect solution.
In this post, we’ll take a look at common remodels for different life events and some of the features you might want to consider.
Working from home
A lot more of us are working from home these days. Whether you’re repurposing your guest room, carving out space in a large closet, or adding on an extra room to your home, having a designated work space helps separate work from home life and keeps you focused.
Here are a few tips for creating a great workspace in your home:
Choose a good location
Ideally, your office would be distraction-free, private, and have a window to let in some natural light. If you have children in your home, you might want to consider a space where you can close your door during meetings. And if you have spaces in your home you don’t use very often, like a guest room or a formal dining room, consider repurposing those spaces into a great workspace for yourself. A refinished basement can also be a perfect place to make space for a home office!
Make sure you create a comfortable space that meets your needs
Is your desk big enough to accommodate your work style? Do you have storage options? How many monitors work best for you? Is your desk chair comfortable and supportive? Do you have proper lighting?
These are all good questions to ask when creating your work from home office space.
Before you set up your space, plan for electrical outlets, wifi, etc.
The last thing you want is a bundle of cords cluttering up your floorspace, or to get set up only to realize you can’t connect to the internet! Make a checklist of the items you know you’ll need for your workspace before you begin — this way, you’ll know what to prepare and save yourself time and frustration down the road.
Make it your own!
Especially if you’re working with limited space, it’s a good idea to keep clutter and decorations to a minimum. Instead, add little elements of decor and color that fit with your personal style and help breathe a little life into your new space. Not only will this help you stay more focused, but you’ll enjoy working there more, too.
When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask the experts! Contact us today to learn how our team can help!
Starting or growing your family
Whether you’re preparing for your first child or welcoming another into your family, there are a few common rooms to remodel that can improve the functionality of your home.
Kitchen
The kitchen is the most popular room in a house to remodel, and remodeling it with children in mind can be especially useful down the line. You and your family are likely to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so making sure the space is set up with durable, long-lasting materials and designed to meet your needs is key.
Here are a few common components of a kitchen remodel with kids in mind:
- Knocking out dividing walls between kitchen and dining room: Especially if you have a newborn, being able to see them in their high chair in the dining room while you are in the kitchen is always helpful.
- Setting up booth seating or an island for convenient seating options: Not only are booths extra fun for kids, so are stools! Create a fun place for your kids to hang out and gather where you eat.
- Considering solid surface or granite countertops for children: We know the permanent markers are going to come out eventually, right? Solid surface countertops are a great option for children because they are non-porous, durable, and easy to clean. Plus, they come in a wide variety of colors and styles. Granite countertops, when properly sealed, are also very easy to clean and heat and stain resistant.
Kids bedroom
Whether you are simply preparing another bedroom in your home for your new child, or adding on a bedroom, here are some things to consider:
- Create a kid friendly space. That means thinking from a little kid’s perspective and choosing furniture, decorations, and play items relevant to their age and (importantly!) height.
- Add cubbies or other storage space so your kid(s) can learn to put their toys away.
- Plan for the future — if you’re working with a small bedroom, consider a loft bed when your child is old enough. Or if you know you’ll need to have one bedroom work for two kids, make sure you have enough space for a bunk bed.
Entryway or mudroom
Despite how common our rainy seasons here in the Pacifc Northwest, many Portland area homes were built without an entryway or mudroom to take off wet, dirty shoes, or hang up coats and bags. Instead, they usually open up right into the living room.
This of course can (and does!) work fine for many Portland area residents, but the addition of children can be an added challenge to keeping your front door area clean. Simply adjusting your space to create an entryway, repurposing a laundry room with a backdoor, or moving forward with a small addition can help solve this problem.
Whatever you decide, here are a few key features to make your entryway/mudroom as useful as possible:
- Coat rack or closet — ideally with hooks or a rack at a height where your kid(s) can hang their own coat
- Shoe storage
- Seating area to take off or put on shoes
- Designated place to store keys or hang your purse
- Pro tip: carve out a space to store your reusable grocery bags so they are always within reach as you head out the door
Adding an in-law suite or aging-in-place home additions
There are many reasons we might invite our parents to live with us as they head into their golden years, but not all homes are up for the task. Luckily, there are some easy things you can add or create in your home for a functional and private in-law suite.
But first, what is an in-law suite? In general, it’s a private living space within a home. It often features a bedroom and a bathroom with its own private door, but can feature a kitchenette and much more!
Here are a few things to consider when planning a remodel for an in-law suite:
- The bedroom and bathroom of an in-law suite would ideally be located on the first floor — if not, planning for a chair lift or elevator is a good idea.
- Consider updating or adding accessibility features like widening the doorways, updating the bathroom to a zero-transition shower, or installing easy to reach storage in the bedroom and bathroom.
- Make sure both you and your parents have private space — you probably haven’t lived together in awhile and this will help make the transition as easy as possible!
Mosaik Design can help your home become the perfect fit
If you love your home but are experiencing growing pains, Mosaik Design can help! We are your one-stop shop for all your design-build needs, and look forward to working with you to turn your dream into a reality.
Contact us today to learn more about our home renovation and addition services!