So this house on Briarwood, aka “The Creative Craftsman,” was in need of more than just some cosmetic updates. It needed a little tlc, as well as some imagination when it came to functionality and flow. The rewarding part on this one was the small tweaks we made in the layout, which resulted in more functional, and valuable, spaces. Before we started, the house was officially 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and stuck in it’s glory days. All renovated, the house is being marketed for $279,000 with 4 official bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (one being the on-site master suite with now 2 sinks!), 2 great living spaces, and a fresh look!
As the old saying in real estate goes - it’s all about the kitchen and baths, which is what we focused on addressing. This home had a decent footprint in terms of space, it just wasn’t utilized very well. The kitchen was extremely small, the “laundry room” was essentially a closet located on the stairs, the master bathroom featured the sink in the bedroom with a small shower/toilet room, and the basement was chopped in to several rooms (none of which were technical bedrooms), and a small, dingy half bath.
BEFORE PHOTOS
To fix the layout, we were just a few tweaks, and wall moving away from a functional, modern layout. The 2 bathrooms on the main level back up to each other, and allowed for a pretty simple change to best accommodate the space. I never like to make a master bedroom smaller, however in this case it was the sacrifice we had to make in order to gain what we wanted to gain. By shrinking the master bedroom by 8 inches in width, and re arranging the footprint of the 2 bathrooms, we were able to create a larger hall bath, and a larger master bath. The master bath was the real winner since we were able to go from 1 sink located in the bedroom, to a double vanity correctly located in the bathroom with a walk-in tile shower.
As for the kitchen and laundry issues, we were able to make the kitchen bigger by opening it up, and shifting the existing patio door and window further down in the to the dining room. This allowed us to extend the kitchen with more cabinets and countertops. This made the floor plan feel more open. With the laundry, we were able to keep it in the facility of its old location, but simply reposition them in a new space by creating a walk in pantry with the laundry. By doing this, we got the “laundry closet” off of the stairs, and were able to better utilize the space for the pantry, laundry, and a locker off of the garage.
With the basement there was a good amount of space, just not well utilized. We moved some walls around and added an egress window to create a large basement bedroom. By doing this we were also able to expand upon the existing half bath and make a full bathroom that could be accessed through a hallway (instead of having to go through the bedroom to get to it). We added some recessed lights, an electric fireplace, and fresh surfaces to create a much more inviting and usable space.
Making a layout work for you, and your needs is what it is all about. When we take on these projects, we always go to the drawing table to try and make a house layout as functional, and practical as possible. With that said, I will leave you with a few tips that we always consider when tackling layout changes.
RE PURPOSE SPACES.
This is one of the most common practices we use. Spaces like formal living rooms are great, if you have an abundance of space and use them. If you don’t use it, like most, re purpose the space in to something you will use. The formal living room is something we often do away with in order to gain more useful spaces - office, pantry, enlarge a master suite - whatever suits your needs and adds to the functionality of your home! With this project, we re-purposed a couple of spaces. The laundry was in an awkward spot at the top of the stairs, which we moved and used the space for a small locker (right at the entrance of the garage). Also, in the basement there was essentially 2 rec room spaces. We decided to enlarge the basement bedroom and closet, add a hall closet, and create a nook off the large rec room that could be used for a kids play space, an office space or a reading area.
2. ENLARGE SPACES BY REMOVING A WALL, OR CREATING AN OPENING.
There are many times that spaces can be dramatically transformed by removing some of, or all of a wall. You don’t necessarily have to go straight to tearing down walls, as expenses can add up quickly, however when the opportunity is there (like it was on this project) to open up spaces like the kitchen, you take it! It did not take much creativity to see how to enlarge the kitchen on this one, the only repercussion we had to deal with was window and door placements in the new space. With this house, we also wanted to relocate the vanity for the master bath. To us, the 2 bathrooms on the main floor were less than ideal by way of layout and functionality. Because the bathrooms backed up to each other, we were able to create much larger, more functional bathrooms by simply shifting the dividing wall a bit.
3. ADD AN EGRESS WINDOW IN THE BASEMENT.
Often times basement spaces go unused, and my opinion is because a lot of time that space lacks lighting and comfort. One way to make the basement more functional, more inviting, and more valuable is by adding an egress window. Depending on your budget, an egress window can be smaller to simply get a window in a bedroom space and make it official (like we did on this one), or it can be a large window well in a basement living space to bring it lots of natural light. Brighten up your basement space, and you will surely find yourself using the space more!
4. ADD ON
One of the more rewarding approaches to a layout change is to add on. We were able to address the layout issues of this house by moving things around, however sometimes there is simply a need for more space. The great thing about adding on is you have less confines and restrictions to your design and functionality of the space.
5. RIGHT-SIZE SPACES
One thing I have learned over the years is you really don’t need as much space (square footage) as you think. It has been proven to me over the years that a bedroom doesn’t have to be 15’x15’ to have situate multiple furniture pieces, or the dining room can still feel accommodating with a smaller table. It is all about functionality and comfort, and spaces can function even when they have a smaller footprint.
Long and short - be creative and confident when it comes to your home. Don’t be afraid to do things that are not “normal” by way of industry standards. Your house is your canvas, and it is the setting to your story - Create It!
If we can help with ideas, design, marketing, or constructing of your home - don’t hesitate to reach out!
AFTER PHOTOS
