Cheap Alternatives to Make Your House Feel More Spacious
Cheap Alternatives to Make Your House Feel More Spacious
If you’re low on funds (or simply hate sawdust), try these cheap alternatives to expensive renovations.
Written by Liz Bayardelle, PhD | See Comments | Updated 09/30/2019
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Cheap Alternatives to Make Your House Feel More Spacious
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Spaciousness is the key to comfort in a home.
That’s why so many families move house once they feel they’ve outgrown a property. However, you might not have to opt for that solution. Your current household might be larger than you imagine. If you have the funds, you can carry out a few renovation projects to make it feel open and welcoming again.
However, if you’re low on funds (or simply hate sawdust), you can also try these cheap alternatives to expensive renovations.
Expensive Choice: Extend Your House
If your house really feels to small, you can definitely fix that with an extension project.
A home can be transformed into a much bigger living area with an extension. A conservatory attached to your living room, for instance, could create a larger and more comfortable lounge area. If you think this is something you might be interested in, there’s nothing more fun than adding fresh rooms to your existing house.
Budget-Friendly Alternative: Convert Existing Space
Don’t feel like battling workmen through a lengthy or expensive construction progress?
You can also extend your home by converting existing space. So, you could turn your garage into a family games room, for example. You don’t necessarily have to extend your house by building an extension; you can convert space that you’re not using to the fullest of its potential.
The point is that you’ll be creating a brand new room in your home, and that’ll definitely make it feel bigger.
Expensive Option: Renovate the Kitchen
Another smart way to expand your home into a comfortable paradise is to renovate the kitchen.
Not everybody appreciates the importance of a good kitchen in their household, but you know it’s the heart of your home. If you want your abode to feel open and welcoming, then you need an open and welcoming kitchen. It’s not just a room for cooking and eating; it’s a room for gathering with your family and sharing some good experiences with one another.
Even if your kitchen is small, you could make it feel bigger by creating an open-plan room that connects to the lounge, for example. Or you could put up more shelves to create storage space and tidy up the room. Perhaps you could even get help from a home renovation contractor to make your kitchen look sleek and comfortable.
A well-designed kitchen can do so much for the overall look and feel of your household.
Budget-Friendly Alternative: Declutter
You could also make your home feel much bigger by decluttering.
Many people struggle with this. It’s hard to let go of things that you feel might be important to you in the future. Most homeowners are hoarders to some degree, but you’ll feel so much better once you start decluttering your belongings. The goal is to really let the available space in your home shine.
You might have forgotten how much potential room you actually have in your household. So, it’s time to remind yourself.
Assess your clutter on a regular basis. You could make some money from any possessions that are still valuable, or you could simply dispose of things that are broken. You might even have old clothes or furnishings that could go to charity shops. Put your clutter to good use; it might be worth something to somebody else out there. Once you get rid of things you no longer need, you’ll have a much larger and much more comfortable house.
This is especially true for countertops. This is mentioned as an alternative to renovating the kitchen, so I want to specifically mention how crazy the difference is when you take off 50% of the clutter that’s currently sitting on your kitchen countertop. Try getting rid of (or rehoming in a cabinet) everything but major appliances and you’ll be shocked at the difference it makes.
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About the Author
Liz Bayardelle, PhD
Founder | Contributor
Liz (or Dr. Mommy, as her toddler started calling her after learning what a PhD was) is the happily sleep-deprived mom of a toddler (and professional raccoon noise impersonator), a sparkle-clad kidnado, a teenage stepdaughter, 200 cumulative pounds of dog, and herd of dustbunnies (if daily vacuuming doesn't occur). During nights and naptimes, she uses her PhD in business psychology as an author, speaker, and consultant. She also serves as an executive and principal for three companies, two of which she co-founded with her very patient (and equally exhausted) husband.