4 Ways to Make Upsizing Easier as The Family Grows
New additions to the family can mean those house alterations you’ve been dreaming of can quickly become a necessity. If you find yourself needing to upsize with a little more urgency than expected, stress can kick in. The thought of uprooting the kids and moving for months to even a year can be daunting. If you’re considering a home reno that can keep you and the kids sticking to as normal of a routine as possible, we’re here to help.
Try to keep important rooms in action
When prioritising sections for your house that you’ll need throughout a home reno, it’s a smart idea to put the kitchen at the top of the list. For starters, a kitchen is a communal area in most homes that allows families to congregate and spend valuable time together. Not only that, having limited food options with hungry kids can soon turn into a nightmare. If it’s the kitchen you’re wanting to do up, make sure you take the time to set up a new, temporary kitchen that has as much of the things you’ll need as possible to maintain normalcy throughout this time.
The same goes if you’re doing up a bathroom in a house with only a single bathroom. Bathrooms are an absolute necessity and can be hard to replace. You’ll probably need to keep the room in action throughout your renovation, so try to organise the alterations in a way that they are staggered, so that if for instance your bath needs re-plumbing, there will still be a shower able to be used while the bath is out of action. Thinking about the whole project’s process right from the get-go gives you the time to consider these things.
Extend living spaces outwards
If your family is in the process of growing, then you’ll be sure to notice a difference when it comes to communal living spaces. What were once comfortable lounges can fast become crowded, cluttered spaces as more people occupy them. For many family homes, extending communal living areas on the ground floor outwards is a relatively straightforward alteration to consider.
While extending your interior does result in the loss of some outdoor space, the benefits of this alteration are that it doesn’t compromise a huge chunk of your home in order to be carried out, and it can be a good opportunity to increase indoor-outdoor flow through turning exterior walls into French doors or glass openings.
Consider additional floor alterations
If you don’t have a lot of outdoor space to spare, and your family is growing to the point where a renovation may call for entire additional bedrooms or spaces, it can be a good idea to consider house additions that go upwards. There’s no doubt that this is one of the more disruptive alterations to carry out, but there are still ways that many families can still live in their homes stress-free during the whole process.
A good way to go about this is to think about your floor plan and where you may consider building upwards from. Consider whether there is a section of your home available to designate as a ‘renovation bubble’ where you and your family can reside temporarily. This is something you can raise with your architect for some guidance.
Once it’s complete, an additional floor alteration is an excellent way to make your home feel instantly more spacious, and you also may have the opportunity to capitalise on some stunning views from up higher.
Take outdoor areas into account
If you’re looking to make your home more spacious, maybe limiting yourself to the interior is holding you back. Renovating the outdoor space on your property to make it more usable for family activities and entertaining can be an undisruptive way to elevate family spaces at home. Consider covered outdoor spaces that flow seamlessly indoors. These can be used almost year-round, and you’ll find having the option for the kids to play outside will make home life much less chaotic in the long term.
Quality Home Alterations with Gubb Design
If you’re looking to discuss your options around home alterations or other house design planning options, the team at Gubb Design can help. Get in touch with us today and see the opportunities you can discover.
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