I love living in the countryside. We grew up living in a town and just after Craig and I got married we moved out into the countryside. We moved house 12 months ago and when we were looking for our new house we really struggled to find something perfect. For us, like so many others, the location of our new house was more important than the actual house itself. This can mean that you end up with a house that is either in need of renovation or is too small.
We had to do a lot of renovation to our house as it was very dated. We had to rip the old bathroom out, have given two further rooms a makeover as well as decorating throughout. Although it is a little inconvenient, messy and costly, renovating can be nice as it allows you to put your own stamp on your new home and also have things just the way you like them. What if the house you are looking at is too small though? Should you just forget it and walk away or is there an alternative? I have compiled a list of five ways to increase the size of your home.
1 Have an extension
Maybe the obvious choice, instantly transform your property and have all the extra space you need. Having an extension though is not only the most expensive solution, it is also the most costly. You will need extensive planning, architects and surveyors, and that’s before you get to the actual builders. You also need to think of the inconvenience, could you live in a building site or would you need to move out while the work is taking place?
2 Conservatory
This is a great way to add an additional family room or maybe a home office to your home. It is much less expensive than an extension and also much quicker to have built. Modern conservatories have energy efficient glass and a thermal roof meaning that you can enjoy them all year round.
If you have an existing conservatory, you could give it a new lease of life by having a new roof fitted.
3 Loft conversion
Less expensive than an extension and obviously having additional space or rooms in your home means that they can be more useful than a conservatory. Use your new space as an office, bedroom, extra bathroom or study. A loft conversion does not usually need planning permission and can be completed in a much smaller timescale than a full extension.
4 Garage conversion
The amount of people that use the garage to store their car in is minimal. Usually, the garage is just a dumping ground for things that we don’t want to throw away, but don’t really need either. Why not have your garage converted into a useful space?
5 Garden buildings
If you are lucky enough to have a large garden, why not use some of the space to have a garden building installed? You can use this additional space for a whole multitude of uses, from a home office to a spare room for the occasional guest.
So maybe that little house that you were looking at that you thought was too small for you and your family, might just be the best thing for you with a few alterations?
*This is a collaborative post*
I would love to convert the roof space into a bedroom but with it being a newer house the beams are lower than older houses