What is that strange, new sound you’re hearing…? It’s quiet! The beautiful silence of an empty nester. You have spent a lifetime being a great parent, helping your children flourish under your love and care. Now that they’ve left for college or recently moved out to start their own lives, the extra space in your home may seem overwhelming and vacant. Before you think about moving to downsize to a smaller living space, consider maximizing these empty spaces to create the home you’ve always dreamed of with creative home renovations! Architect & builder Michael Gould wants to help you remodel new beautiful spaces in your beloved home. Imagine happily aging in place in your home full of family memories…
A Health & Fitness Room
Do you want to get in the habit of working out more often? Tired of driving to the health club? Let’s create an indoor gym in the comfort of your own home! Turn the kids’ former playroom into a space for healthy activities. Remember that regular exercise can help prevent bone loss, especially weight-bearing exercises like weight training, walking, jogging, stair climbing, tennis and dancing. Now that the kids are gone and the house is yours to use as you please, get moving and take care of your health! “Many clients will convert a spare bedroom into exercise space, finally taking the treadmill and exercise bike out of the garage and locating them in a designated exercise room in the house”, according to Houzz. You could add a yoga corner, mounted television to watch your favorite workouts on YouTube, and durable hardwood floors. To make this a multi functional space, you can turn part of your gym into a meditation corner. When you renovate this space with your health in mind, the possibilities are endless!
A Book Lover’s Dream…
Is the living room getting a little too crowded for your Thursday night book club? It’s time for you to build a cozy dream library! Reading regularly is great for the mind and body. Taking time to calm your nerves can reduce high blood pressure and relieve anxiety. The mind also needs regular exercise ( just like the rest of our body) to stay healthy! “Slip back and forth between daydreams and dozing with a built-in daybed and bookshelves. Built-in units like these help maximize space in a small room, and selecting a double or queen-size mattress makes the space feel more like a legitimate bedroom than just a reading nook. This room even tucks a second mattress behind the headboard wall and continues the book theme overhead,” NH Home Magazine. Walls with shelving units built right into them can help organize & maximize the space. Make a pleasant reading nook by adding your most comfy chair and ottoman. This room can become multi-functional if themed as a meditation room and a library. Think of the countless books you can get lost in while lounging in a room designed for a book lover!
Let Those Creative Juices Flow!
Craft rooms are great for exploring new hobbies during your retirement! What about all of those paints and baskets of yarn collecting dust in the attic? It’s time to design a Craft Room that Pinterest dreams are made of! “This kind of hobby needs dedicated space. And as a bonus, this is your big chance to be totally creative with your decor—after all, a craft room should feel inspirational!” If you’re interested in a part-time side hustle, “Turning your attention to what brings you enjoyment and satisfaction can take a part-time hobby into a full-time business with sites like Etsy, where crafters and DIY-ers sell their creations and find inspiration for projects, ” The Spruce. Having a special space to be artistic and craft is a great way to escape the stresses of every day life. Bring in a desk or a painter’s easel to create your masterpieces! Organize the room with proper shelving units or a unique wall fixture. This room can be used for woodworking, painting, drawing, knitting, sculpting, and more by designing a layout that works specifically for the art projects you love.
Bring in Nature & Sunshine!
Maybe you already have an office in the back of the house from before you retired. Now it’s slowly becoming one big closet for storage space. Why not clear it out and bring in some sunshine with a brand new sunroom? Do you love plants “If the room has a lot of windows and receives a fair amount of natural light during the day, you might want to turn it into a garden room. Strategically place shelving so your favorite indoor plants can benefit from the sun — south-facing windows will receive the most light,” Good Housekeeping. Living in the Midwest, there are many cold, snowy days where we prefer to stay inside. The shorter days and lack of sunlight can cause emotional imbalance making you feel sluggish or unhappy. Are you missing soaking in the sunshine? With a sunroom, you’ll naturally enjoy more vitamin D and take pleasure in watching your beautiful plants grow. This space can be your very own special piece of sunshine, all year long. Architects look at sunrooms or screened-in porches as a perfect way to combine indoor and outdoor living in any climate. Create an inviting indoor/outdoor space is ideal for curling up on the couch with a good book, cup of tea and be warmed by the sunshine – without exposing yourself to the cold weather!
Pampering Your Fur Babies
Your pets are family too, why not create a special space just for them? If you have small dogs or cats, maybe you want to make the room a little cozier. Consider using interlocking rubber tiles on the floor so that it’s easy on all four feet – and easy to clean! Do your friends or family tend to avoid your house because they’re allergic to your four legged friend? Having a specified Pet Room will solve this issue by creating a safe place to put your furry friends when guests with allergies come for a visit. Maximize this space by turning it into a grooming den as well. Have counters at the perfect height for brushing and grooming. “Renovate the old flooring by putting in a tile or concrete floor with a drain in the center for easy cleaning. (Just make sure there is a slope in the direction of the drain so that water doesn’t pool.) You can even take this design a step further with a shower feature for bathing dogs. You’ll want to put tile all the way up to the ceiling, but think about the possibilities for easy cleaning!” Pet Place. Personalize your pet’s space by adding their crates, comfy, beds and family pictures on the wall. “Include storage shelves and cabinets for food, toys and other pet related items can keep everything your pet needs in a central location!”
A “Welcome Home” Room
It’s important to spend time with family even though you no longer live together. Visits during the holidays are a must when cousins and grandchildren live far away! The thing that makes a house most feel like home is when it feels warm and welcoming, with space for everyone. Your family will be grateful to visit home without the hassle of staying at a hotel. They now have the opportunities to create new family memories in a space specifically designed with them in mind. “Whether you prefer to invite large or small groups to your home, you now have the chance to rethink how you entertain”, Next Avenue. Turn that basement or spare bedroom into a private space for your family and friends to retreat. Install durable floors and carpeting that can handle heavy traffic for the happy grandchildren running around during playtime. Use stylish storage units to neatly organize family games and toys. Include a lounge area by adding large couches, big throws, pillows and sofa beds that can later bed turned down for overnight visitors. Consider adding an addition to include a bathroom as well. A perfect place for playtime and overnight guests! Extra space means everyone sleeps in their own beds and has the privacy of using their own bathrooms.