5 Ways To Add Extra Space To Your Home

Do you often find yourself dreaming of moving to a bigger home so that you finally have space you so desperately need? But then you continue to put up with the limited space you currently have because you love your home, or simply can’t afford to upsize at the moment. Whatever the reason, you actually don’t have to move house to gain more space! There are plenty of ways you can make your current home bigger – and that doesn’t necessarily have to mean building an extension.

Before you do anything else, have a major tidy up and clear out. You will be surprised how much extra space you create just by getting rid of the things you have been hoarding and don’t really need anymore. Sort these into three piles (Related – Cost of an Extra Room).

• Straight in the bin,
• Take to the charity, and
• Sell on eBay or Craigslist

There is no point trying to make space in your home around items you don’t need.

Now you have done that it is time to make even more space:

1. Storage

During your clear out make a note of anything that you do want to keep but don’t necessarily need in the house right now. Perhaps you’ve had your first child and, while they don’t need all their toys anymore, you want to keep them for when the time comes to have your second.

You need somewhere to put such items where they aren’t taking up space but you can retrieve them as soon as you require them. Storage will enable you to remove a huge amount from your home in one go, returning it to you whenever you are ready.

2. Multi-tasking Furniture

Use the money you made from selling your unwanted items and invest it in some multi-tasking furniture. Think Ottoman beds that open up to reveal space that could be used for clean bedding, towels and so on or a coffee table with built-in shelving for books and magazines.

These don’t take up any extra space, as you need this furniture, but they provide you with the space to store items in a place that could have otherwise been unusable.

3. Utilize Unused Space

There are plenty of spaces around the home that can provide effective storage, but perhaps you don’t realize it. Think hooks on the back of cupboard doors, shelving in that awkward space under the stairs, turning a bay window into a window seat that opens to reveal space.

Don’t let any space go to waste, there is always a way to turn it into a storage solution, however awkward it may first appear.

4. A Conservatory

Why don’t you add a conservatory to your home? It not only provides you with an extra room but a place to enjoy your garden even when the weather doesn’t allow you to be outside. Unlike some extensions you don’t need planning permission and it can deliver 108% return on your investment when the time does come to sell.

5. A Loft or Garage Conversion

What do you use your loft and garage for? Probably for not much more than storing the junk you don’t know what else to do with. Well, clear it all out and turn it into something useful – you then have a whole new room without the need for weeks of building work that could become a bedroom, playroom, office – whatever you wish. Plus, again, adding value to your home ready for when the time does come to move on.

Readers, share your stories and tell us what you know about creating extra space in your home