Bigger isn’t always better

Our last blog was about whether you should love or list your home, and how, in most cases we would advocate ‘loving it’. Once you’ve made the decision to love, the automatic assumption is that to gain the space you need you would need to extend the footprint of your home via an extension or a loft/basement conversion.

However, having had the opportunity to have a good nose around a few houses now (we do love our job!), we’ve noticed how underutilised the current space is in several homes. And there are quick and inexpensive fixes to these problems. Here are a few solutions that we’ve talked to our clients about in the last few weeks.

Dead space

Conservatories that are too cold to be used so are just used to store bikes and other bits and bobs. A converted basement that used to be a kitchen but is no longer being used. We’ve seen a few houses where the current footprint is big enough for the household but because rooms aren’t being used at all or just become dumping grounds for stuff people think they need to extend to move.

Having a clear purpose for each room or space in your home means that you’re less likely to fall into the trap of having areas that aren’t utilised. This means knowing which areas are for kids’/family time and which are grown-up spaces and making clear delineations between them.

Storage

This is something that most of us struggle with, especially if you live in an older home where storage solutions aren’t built into the fabric of the building. I love a good declutter so I’d always say it’s worth going through your stuff to see how much you really need. But even after filling a few bags for the charity shop we could all still do with more storage space. Here are some ideas of what you could do to create more storage:

• Building cupboards and shelves into alcove areas

• Having pin boards/post racks/magazine racks to store all those bits of paper that inevitably end up cluttering the sides in your kitchen or living room.

• Building bespoke pieces of furniture for unused fireplaces or other areas that aren’t being utilised

Doors and access points

Access to basements, lofts, boiler cupboards etc. can often be ill thought through for today’s modern lifestyle. Just moving a doorway can allow you more space to extend a kitchen space, have more storage or purely have more wall space for pictures and art. We’ve recently converted our basement and as part of the work we blocked up the old door to the basement from the kitchen and opened the space under the stairs to create an open stairway to the basement and allowing us to build a small pantry where the doorway used to be in the kitchen.

Admittedly, none of this is rocket science, but sometimes it’s hard to see the wood for the trees when it’s your own home.

If you are thinking about how to better utilise your space and need some help or inspiration, do get in touch with us here. And don't forget to follow us via Instagram, Facebook and our upcoming blogs.