When it comes to home additions the sky’s the limit. Unless of course the garden is the limit. After all, what good does it do to add floor space to your Toronto home if you have to sacrifice your patio to do it? There are alternatives to the yard-devouring addition though. Through careful planning and a smart allocation of resources you can achieve the desired increase in functionality without having to give up your yard in the process.
Be Smart With Home Additions and Enjoy the Rewards
If your home is situated on a smallish lot but you need to expand the house nonetheless you need to think outside the box, literally.
- Identify the Need – The first step in a smart addition of limited scale is recognizing need. If you’re building out for a particular reason, what exactly is that reason? Are you in need of only 1 type of space or do you need different types of space? Do you need space on opposite sides of the house? Do you need more space in one location and less in another area?
- Redraw the Floorplan – If your plans originally called for a full-sized room to be added on to the back of the house but that would devour too much of your remaining lot, maybe it’s time to rethink your home’s floorplan. You might be able to gain some of the space you need by reimagining your home this way and then creating a smaller addition than you originally intended to provide the rest of the space you want.
- And By That We Mean… – People often have space in their house that is sitting unused. By knocking down walls, combining or reconfiguring rooms or replacing an existing stairway with a spiral staircase you may be able to activate unused space and minimize the amount of additional space you need to create. Also, don’t discount the value of building up. Just raising a ceiling and installing skylights can make any ordinary space feel much larger and more airy.
- The Bump – If your renovation plans call for a larger bathroom you don’t necessarily have to build a new one from scratch as an addition. Once you have your reimagined floor plan in place, you might only need to bump one wall of the bathroom a few feet out into the yard in order to add a shower enclosure and transform your ½ bath into a full bath.
- The Double Bump – If you want the master bedroom to have a grander feel to it in your new floorplan, you can take what you’ve learned with the bathroom and apply it to the bedroom. Bump one wall out a few feet and you can add that walk-in closet you’ve always wanted without having to build a whole new bedroom to get it. Inside your master bedroom will take on a new feel; outside, your home’s profile will change little.
Hence, by reorganizing the existing space and then strategically bumping the walls out just a bit in 2 different locations and perhaps raising the roof a bit here and there you can create a more spacious, more luxurious house while minimizing the size of any home additions.
Call Karen Homes Today for Further Help and Advice
Karen Homes has been creating smart, beautiful home additions for the people of Greater Toronto for more than 15 years. We’ve learned a lot in that time about maximizing value for our clients and can show you many ways to make the most of your property and the house you call home. Give us a call today on 416-661-6006 to discuss home additions or your renovation plans and let us help you unlock the long-hidden potential in your house.