Why homeowners should think twice before ordering an addition to their home

Bigger is better, right? Bigger phones, bigger cars, bigger homes . . . Well, it seems like that’s where society is headed anyway. But as realistic person can tell you, bigger isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Bigger phones don’t fit in your pocket and they take up more space in your purse, bigger cars mean lower gas mileage, and bigger homes mean more cleaning and upkeep and not necessarily the best economy of space.

This is the basis of the message home designers and architects Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer wanted to communicate recently when they explained that, “Good home remodeling is about function and design, not about size.”

Smaller houses have better space economy

It might seem counterintuitive to consider that a smaller home could have better style and function, but that is precisely what Robinson & Schwemmer set out to prove. For instance, they pointed out that an add-on renovation which expands the original footprint of your home can be prohibitively expensive and not necessarily grant you the space solution you’ve been looking for. If you don’t address the space problems you already have in the rest of the house, what you’ll likely end up with is a large storage unit attached to the side of your home.

“We have seen small homes with much better style and function than homes with double the square footage,” Robinson & Schwemmer went on. When you force yourself to live within your space and your means, you end up solving your own problems without the extra room. For instance, maybe all you really need is a good de-clutter or a furniture rearrangement, not a spare bedroom.

Most home renovators choose not to add-on

“Transforming the American Home,” a recent Houzz.com research survey, found that 76 percent of their 200,000 participants chose to remodel within the footprint of their existing home, rather than adding on. They seemed to realize already that bigger isn’t necessarily better.

Consult a pair of fresh eyes

One way to figure out whether you need the extra room or just a renovation of your existing space is by hiring a designer or contractor who can survey your home with fresh, experienced eyes. They’ll be able to tell you whether knocking down the wall separating your kitchen from your dining room would serve you better than adding several feet onto your existing space.

Robinson & Schwemmer said, “Some design solutions may involve moving walls, doors, windows, or even stairs. Such alterations may seem drastic to the homeowner, but one such change can be the key to all the other functions falling into place.” So if price is an object, think twice before ordering that new mudroom and evaluate whether you can’t make do with what you already have.

Interior Decorating and Remodeling News Brought to You by BaseBoardRadiatorCover.com
Source: deseretnews.com/article/865612870/Bigger-isn7t-always-better-in-home-remodeling.html?pg=all

Posted by millercarley on Wed, 10/15/2014 - 7:35pm