A Solution to Adding Space in Your Home

Posted by Architect Your Home on 7th January 2022 -

Whether you’re wanting to maximise the value of your existing property, or just need the extra room for storage, adding space to your property is something that can be a life-enhancing improvement. Whether it’s another bedroom, a TV den, a home work-station, or just better storage that gets rid of some clutter, take dusty loft space, under-stair cupboards, and garage rooms and make the space that you already have, give you more.

Finding Space for another bedroom                                                                                                              

Converting garage and loft spaces are typically both fantastic ways to cost-effectively add space to your home. Of course, it will depend on the specifics of a particular house but usually integrated or attached garages are much simpler and cheaper to convert than loft spaces as they will offer more usable convertible space and will not need any structural alterations. The advantage that loft conversions have over garage conversions is usually one of location. In most houses, bedrooms and bathrooms are located upstairs and are often more convenient and appropriate if you decide you want to convert your loft into a bedroom. However, garages, by definition, tend to be on the ground floor, which is more suitable if the bedroom is needed for guests. Either way, in each case, it is important to bear in mind that adding suitable insulation is crucial, both to meet the requirements of the building regulations, but also to make the new room(s) habitable and comfortable in hot or cold weather.

Additional Spaces and storage
For storage purposes, it is important to consider each aspect of your home, and which spaces can be more effectively utilised. Places such as under-stair cupboards are a great way to achieve more space – think about a small desk space that may be in a cupboard as we did on this project, a seating area, or a set of drawers/ shelves to hide away your items. Alternatively, if you have a larger budget to provide additional space, then why not consider excavating, creating a very small basement, formed in concrete and tanked out to hide your clutter under trap doors – out of sight, out of mind.

Creating an illusion of space
If you’re restricted for space, creating an illusion of space and manipulating the perception of spaciousness is a key design skill when working with small and medium-sized properties. It seems that we all want more space and while adding an extension is often impractical or impossible, there are loads of things that you can do inside a home to maximise not only the use but the perception of space. Daylight is a wonderful magnifier of space, both in terms of how much daylight you bring into a room, and also how much day-lit space you can see. Pale wall colours and full-height windows, as used here, can make a huge difference. Part of the reason why this works is that the eye is taken out of the low space itself and designing the room to draw the eye along to a focal point outside the space, such as through a window, or in an adjoining room that is higher can enhance space tremendously.