Need More Space? Open Up the Floor Plan!
Once you’ve made the decision to remodel your home, that’s often the only thing you can think about. I’ve been known to be quite obsessive about a project from time to time whether it’s a client project or a personal home improvement project. You’ve probably Googled a thousand times and your computer automatically boots up to a Google search when you walk into the room. Okay, probably not quite that bad, but at least you know that I understand where you’re coming from!
Remodeling is so exciting because it basically transforms your existing home into something completely new. Today’s blog post is obviously going to be about remodeling your home. But I’m not only going to talk about the basics; you already know that moving things around is going to change your space. I’m going to give you a few ideas you may not know are an option.
Non-Supporting Walls
Some of the walls inside your home are actual supporting structures that help support the weight of your roof. Don’t go tearing down walls without a consultation with an architect or a licensed contractor. You don’t want to have the roof come crashing in unexpectedly. You can renovate supporting walls, but you must keep supports in place. Discuss options with your contractor.
Removing non-supporting walls really opens up a home! You can, for example, remove the non-supporting wall between two bedrooms to create a large bedroom suite. Consider building a bathroom and large walk-in closet to turn two smaller bedrooms into a large master suite.
Boxy Kitchen and Dining Room
The two rooms that should flow well together are often separate box-shaped entities. Find out if the wall separating them is a supporting wall. Remove it to open the space if it is not. You can still remove it if it is a supporting wall, but care must be taken to maintain the structural integrity of the ceiling. Again, ask a contractor or an architect to be on the safe side. Open up the area between the kitchen and adjacent rooms by removing non-supporting walls or adding very large open windows, without the glass of course, and open the area from room to room.
More Space
These last two aren’t exactly ways to open up the floor plan, but they are great ways to add more space to your home without building an addition. The attic and basement are often overlooked.
Attic: Most houses have an attic, but some are completely unused. They’re large empty areas that may be used for storage, but most don’t even have actual flooring. They’re just structural 2x4s that support the ceiling below them, and a thick layer of insulation on top. Depending on your roof pitch and the amount of existing space up there, your attic could become a wonderful new area of your home.
Basement: Unfinished basements are often thought of as extra storage. Some homeowners even use a finished basement as climate controlled storage space instead of functional living space. That’s fine if you don’t need the space. But if you’re constantly looking for ways to expand the functional living space in your home, consider the basement!
What Do You Think?
Are you considering remodeling the interior of your home? What are your current plans? I would love to hear from you! Please comment in the comments section and let us know what your future home plans are.
