Repurposing your unused space

No matter how perfect a home, a family’s changing situation often requires new uses of space. Working from home, having more children or having children leave home, acquiring new hobbies, taking in elderly parents all bring a new perspective to the use of the house’s footage. Sometimes moving to a bigger home is not a viable option. Location, yard size, school district, not to mention cost are some of the factors that cause the homeowner to re-evaluate the space available in his or her current home. Repurposing your unused space is a major answer to this problem and can increase the home’s usability as well as resale value.

Repurposing existing floor space is the cheapest way to fill needs for a home office, a craft room, a media room, an additional bedroom or a workout room as it is the most likely space to not involve much if any construction. A dining room can be repurposed into an extension of the kitchen, taking down the wall separating the two rooms, adding an island or peninsula for storage and eating space, and coordinating the flooring in the dining space to accommodate a smaller eat-in area for family meals. Many families rarely use living rooms, and they are easy targets for repurposing. With the addition of storage and appropriate furnishings, they can become a home office, a specialized entertainment area for poker nights, bridge parties and family game night, or a library.

Working from home is growing more and more popular, and spreading supplies, paperwork, and your computer on the dining table is not ideal. Take the furniture out of the guest bedroom, add a desk, shelving and cabinetry to accommodate office needs, install a Murphy bed for the occasional guest, a comfy chair for reading or for seating for office visitors, a lamp, and appropriate artwork and, voilà!, you now have great work space but can still accommodate the infrequent guest. Murphy beds are a good option for these rooms and now come in many styles which contribute to the room’s décor when closed. You can even get one with a built-in desk that folds under the bed when it’s opened.

Bonus rooms and flex rooms can be anything you want

Flex rooms are multi-purpose areas, usually smaller than bonus rooms, located in various parts of the home. Small rooms off the master bedroom can be reading areas, workout space, offices or nurseries.

An unfinished basement offers the largest amount of usable footage for repurposing. Here you can gain much needed additional living space which could include a family room, another bedroom and bath, a workout space, a home theater, even living accommodations for in-laws. The cost of the remodel varies with the amount of work that a homeowner needs to have a contractor do and the amount the homeowner can do himself. A full remodel that includes plumbing, electrical and HVAC work can run an average of $64,000 according to Remodel Magazine.

All kinds of nooks and crannies can be found in a home. Space under the stairs can be transformed into a work area with desk and storage, an extension of the kitchen with granite counter space, a prep sink, and wine storage, or a mudroom with storage for shoes, coats and book bags.

The kitchen is full of spaces that can be modified to optimize. An existing pantry may double its usage with appropriate shelving, slide-out drawers, containers, even door storage shelf units. Small areas next to an appliance are sometimes large enough to contain roll-out shelving that could hold spices, canned goods, or cookbooks. Many laundry areas designed for side-by-side machines now contain unused space due to the prevalence of stackable washers and dryers. Add shelving or cabinetry in the area usually designated for the dryer to gain pantry space or storage for appliances.

A closet can also become an office or homework space with wall-mounted shelves for supplies and a desk for a computer. Want a hide-away craft space? Fill the closet with cabinets or shelves designed to store craft supplies and add a drop-down desk for a work space. Is this a sewing room? Add shelving for fabric, a drop-down table for work space, and door storage units for sewing supplies. These options are great ideas for a room where you can close the doors and hide the mess.

In years past, the favorite room for a DIY project was to convert the garage into living space. Today’s transformations include customized cabinetry, wall organizers, equipment racks and slick floor treatments which can create the perfect man cave but also serve as a home gym or pool hall.