Forget for a minute everything you have heard about buying, renovating and decorating your home with resale in mind. Doesn’t it look as if that has been dominating the conversation for a long time now? During the boom times, it had been about turning properties for a gain, and shortly after the housing market crash, there was a lot of fear around being able to sell houses at all. But today more people appear to be looking at houses as long-term commitments once again, and there’s something really refreshing about that.
As soon as you begin looking at your home as a place to settle into and make your own, rather than as a style package meant to appeal to the widest market, the possibilities for creative expression and personalization are endless. And if you have no plans to sell your home over the next five decades or so, why not do what you could to make it a perfect match? You may never want to go again! Here are eight ways to tailor your home to match your life.
Skyring Architects
1. Do the supreme remodeling no-no: remove a bedroom. Could removing a bedroom open your living room in a way that makes more sense for the family? You’s stopping. There are so many houses out there with dinky little bedrooms tacked to the first-floor program solely for the sake of having an excess bedroom on paper — buck the trend and also knock down that wall, and then enjoy the extra room and light.
The Turett Collaborative
2. Bring more joy to your life with something completely wild … like a giant indoor slide. What does your heart desire? Is there something that you always dreamed of owning as a child? Now you have a home of your own, you have an opportunity to make those dreams come true. Bring on that slide, firefighter pole, loft or rock climbing wall.
3. Serve your pets. One of the first things said on every sell-your-house-type show is to get rid of all signs of pets. However, unless you are selling your home right now, who cares if your house’s next owners don’t like cats (or dogs or ferrets)? Assembling in cat ramps, pet doors and dog runs may make life with furry friends easier and more entertaining.
Watch ers’ homegrown pet projects
Chronicle Books
4. Make bold decorating choices, even on finishes and fixtures. Don’t restrict yourself to builder-beige paint, stainless appliances, white cabinets and granite countertops; tap into what you love rather. Floral background and candy-apple-red cabinets? If you like them, why not?
Ana Williamson Architect
5. Tailor match your outdoor area to your requirements. Rather than supposing that prospective owners should have that large green lawn, think about what you want to live with today. How about wraparound decks and easy-care plantings? A Zen rock garden? A formal parterre? The right lawn and garden may bring a great deal of joy, so follow your heart.
D/O
6. Alter rooms. Never utilize that formal dining area? Take it over for a homeschooling classroom, an art studio, a library or a workplace. Rethink your distances based on what you need and you may find you can function within the current footprint of your house in new, creative ways.
8 Ways to Rethink the Dining Room
Macaluso Designs, Inc..
7. Dismantle a specialty room if it’s “good for resale.” As you rethink your own space, think about giving any specialty rooms the boot if they don’t match your life. Media rooms and wine cellars might seem good on paper (and also make some people very happy), but getting rid of them might be the best thing that you do in your home.
Jeni Lee
8. Remodel to match your own life and passions. Take a cue from this household of professional circus performers who increased the ceilings inside their living area to have more room for juggling, and also make the changes that matter to you.
Inform us : What will you change about your home if you didn’t need to think about selling?
More: Creating a “forever”-home connection