If you have outgrown your home, there may be ways to expand your living space without having to move. You may love your house and neighborhood and not want to move or you may not be in a financial position to be able to move.
Clear out clutter
One of the easiest and least expensive ways of getting more room in your home may be to clear out items you are no longer using. For the items that you keep think vertical. Install shelving to store items and free up floor space.
Make rooms multi-purpose
Do you have rooms that you are not using or not using full time? A bedroom can be used as both an office and a guest room. You may have a formal dining room that is only used for holidays. If you do, with the portability of laptop computers and printers it may be possible to use the unused dining room as a home office.
Think outside the box
Expand your living space to the outdoors. This may be more feasible in more mild climates where you can use the outdoor space for a longer period of time. There is a wide selection of outdoor furniture pieces available for this purpose. They even make televisions and other electronic devices that are weather resistant to be used outside. There are many ideas for outdoor living rooms, kitchens and other uses to expand your living area.
Add on
If you have the extra land area, it may be less expensive to add onto your house than to move to a larger home. Also by adding on, you can build the area the way you want instead of buying someone else’s ideas.
Renovate unused areas
You may have unused areas that can be finished so they can be used as living area. Consider if you could finish attic spaces, basement or attached garage for additional space. An attic could be made into an extra bedroom, office space or play area for the kids. If you have an attached garage, it could be finished and used as a playroom or TV room. When considering finishing your basement, it would be wise to think about the area you live in. Is it an area prone to flooding or other hazards that will damage the finishing?
As you can see from above with a little planning and some ideas, you could make better use of your living area.