When the children have flown the nest and the house feels empty, it’s common to contemplate downsizing. The house feels forlorn, there are rooms you never enter, you feel that you are paying bills for a property that’s too large. However, once you start looking you find that fewer rooms often means smaller rooms and the space feels cramped. So is there an alternative?
Remodel
If you like where you live you may not want to move. You may like the location and your home in general. Moving is expensive. Many home owners are now choosing to stay put but instead to remodel their existing property so that it better suits their lifestyle. Remodeling can involve extending but it can also involve simply reconfiguring the layout. The key is to sit down and really think about how you live your life and/ or how you want to live in the future – it can be an opportunity to “future proof” your home. Here are a few of the most popular choices for changes.
Home Entertainment
With a wealth of hi spec tech and the popularity of streaming services such as Netflix and BritBox it’s hardly surprising that transforming, say, what was formerly a playroom or teenage den, into a grown up space for enjoying entertainment at home is a common choice for repurposing a space. It could be simply having a room with a large TV and comfy seating or extend to the whole home cinema experience complete with cinema style chairs, surround sound and perhaps a dedicated bar.
Master Suite
Another change that you may consider if you want to transform how your existing property works for you after the children have left, is to create a master suite. I’m not talking here about a simple en suite, rather sacrificing a bedroom to allow for not only a generous sized bedroom but also a luxurious en suite plus a dressing room. The benefit of this option is that all your storage needs are accommodated in the dressing room so that the bedroom becomes a much more spacious and less cluttered room. Combine this with upgrading/ enlarging the en suite to create that boutique hotel experience.
Hobby Room
The point at which you may be considering downsizing often coincides with full or partial retirement. It’s a time when you have more time for your hobbies or even to take up new ones. You might want a library to enjoy reading and or listening to music. Some hobbies, such as sewing or crafting, benefit from having their own space where you can leave projects out thus avoiding the need to pack things away. This could involve repurposing an existing room in the house or adding an outdoor room.
Decor Makeover
It is undoubtedly true that our decorating style will change as the family grows up. When children are young decor is chosen for its practicality, wipedown paint for example. The colours we use are likely to be light and bright perhaps including primary colours. Once the children have grown up and left home it can be an opportunity to opt for a more sophisticated decorative scheme, even if only in certain rooms. There is certainly an increase in the popularity of jewel colours at the moment reflecting a mood of opulence. With less likelihood of damage, the empty nest can be a time to choose more expensive fittings and furnishings. So the changes do not necessarily have to be structural or involve reconfiguring the layout, they can simply involve a change of decorative style.
Outdoor Living
The outdoor space has never been more important. You might want to spend more time gardening or growing veg and be able to enjoy the view from indoors. You might want to make more of a space for entertaining. This could include building an outdoor barbeque or pizza oven or even an outdoor kitchen. If so this may involve improving the access between the indoors and outdoors.
So it’s time for you, what are you waiting for? If you need help call me on 07745 876182 or e mail me at judith@homestyle4u.com. I cover the Wirral, Cheshire and the North West