Revealing New Real Estate in Your Home

It’s started. You’ve lived in your home—the home you once thought so spacious you’d never be able to fill it—for several years now and are starting to feel claustrophobic owing to the copious amounts of “stuff” you’ve accumulated over the years. Maybe your kids leave their toys out, your teenager never hangs up his or her clothes, there is nowhere to put your craft or garden supplies and you still want a luxury master bath.

In order to alleviate the clutter and make more room, consider spaces you previously overlooked for a play area or sewing room, such as under the stairs or up in the attic.  Many homes have hidden, unused space that is perfect for a loft or a child’s hideaway. But, you’ve got to think creatively. 

If you want to create a whimsical play nook for kids, check out the space under the stairs.  This unique playroom doesn’t have to be as dark and dreaded as Harry Potter’s “Cupboard Under the Stairs.”  Light colored walls and a Dutch door (a door divided horizontally so that the lower or upper part can be opened and shut separately) can make a

huge difference. The Dutch door invites hours of imagination time, from playing ice cream shop to holding a puppet show.  Kids also delight in spaces that are too small for adults, and under the stairs quickly becomes a “Kids Only” zone. 

If you don’t have usable space under the stairs, consider reinventing a closet.  A simple platform design of birch plywood and 2 x 4s in an oversized closet can convert the closet to a bed, complete with display shelves and reading lights—all contained in the closet and off the floor.  By raising the bed off the floor a few feet, you create storage space for wire baskets or a drum set, for example.

Lofts are great utilizing quick construction techniques and interior design options that appeal to the vast majority of buyers, because of their versatility and flexibility in permitting transformation from a play area to study nook to TV room as a child grows and your needs change.

Lofts can be built almost anywhere—above closets or simply by putting a bed on stilts.  The cheapest and easiest way to create a loft-like area is to pick the bed up off the floor. Try placing a bed on top of bureaus or shelves and bolts them together for safety. This creates a play or study area underneath the bed that can be concealed with a curtain for privacy. 

And, don’t forget that dusty attic. Look past the boxes at the room’s proportions and ceiling height.  Most attic ceilings are too low for practical adult purposes, but by reducing the slope of one side of a gable to the roof, thereby raising the wall height, more height and square footage become a reality.  Our client wanted a luxury bathroom but did not have the square footage in the right area of the home.  We raised the wall height on one side of the attic to create enough space to add a walk-in shower, double vanities and a custom spa tub.  The Tub is situated in the confines of the existing attic space. Skylights and accents windows bring in natural light and brighten the space.  This new found room created a lavish spa retreat. 

Before you get started with building a hideaway for your child or yourself, be sure there is proper ventilation, lighting, heating and cooling systems and electricity.  To bring natural light into dark space, such as a closet, determine if you can install a large window or skylight.

So, next time you feel the need for more elbow room, stash your kids’ treasures, or take up a new hobby, look around for unique unused spaces.  If you creatively maximize every inch of space in your current home, you’ll give both yourself and your kids a special place to explore, play and relax.

Bobby Sanders owner of Sanders Design Build and is a Certified Graduate Remodelor™ (CGR) with an exclusive professional designation designed to emphasize business management skills as the key to a professional remodeling operation.

The CGR designation requires that graduates meet prescribed standards of business practice, possess a minimum of five years remodeling industry experience, have a proven track record of successful project management, complete a comprehensive education curriculum and pledge to uphold the program’s code of ethics.

For more remodeling information call Bobby at 806.457.8599.

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