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Has lockdown made you re-evaluate how you and your family live in your home?
From cooking up a storm to entertaining family and friends, the kitchen is definitely the heart of any home. During lockdown you’ve realised that your kitchen and separate dining room aren’t working for your family, so frustration is starting to creep in…You want to escape to the bedroom sanctuary that you planned on creating from unused loft space but didn’t have the time to devote to the project, so you can now only dream of the new space that’s clutter free and relaxing to be in…
Now’s the time to start planning the changes to your home that you and your family deserve!
Here are a few tips on how to visualise your kitchen and dining room as one open plan family space. You’ll need a tape measure, some string and a garden!
Make a note of dimensions of the rooms you want to reconfigure
Sketch a rough floor plan of the space, try to ensure the scale is as accurate as possible using the measurements you have taken
On the plan, ‘remove’ the walls you want to take out
Happy with how it would look?
Now for the garden bit…
Recreate the perimeter of the ‘new room’ on your lawn using string
Now walk through it; where will the dining table and sofa fit, can we fit a kitchen island in?
This is the easiest way to visualise your new space rather than looking on a one-dimensional floor plan.
The same principles can be applied when planning a loft conversion. There are a few things you need to think about before you start dreaming of your new master bedroom suite up there though… As a general rule you need 2.4 meters ‘head height’ from the existing loft floor to the apex of the roof. This allows for installation of floor trusses, potential structural steels and insulation. A new staircase rising to the new second floor will take up space in your existing first floor, do you have the space? If the answers to those questions are yes, then converting your loft is a real possibility meaning you could create your bedroom sanctuary with stylish en-suite and bespoke storage!
The most important tip I can give is to always use professionals and obtain the necessary permissions to make any major changes to your home. If you find the right professionals for your project, it won’t only ensure that it is carried out in safe and timely manner, but will also ensure the project runs smoothly avoiding any unnecessary stress. So now’s the time to start planning. And remember, quite often reconfiguring the exiting space within your home is more cost effective and faster than building an extension. Our homes contain so much wasted space, but we don’t often notice as we live in them day in, day out, hence missing their full design and storage potential! Guest blog courtesy of Kate Bailey: Kate is a Yorkshire based property consultant with over 19 years’ experience creating bespoke interior solutions tailored to the needs of her clients; taking the stress and worry out of redesigning, renovating and remodelling homes. You can find out more about Kate’s business, and the experienced team of quality trades and architectural professionals she works with, right here www.katebaileyproperty.com Get in touch and Kate will be delighted to help you create a home you’ll love to live in for many years to come! Facebook / Twitter.