People who live in clutter homes end up spending more money and wasting more time than people with more storage space.
But it’s hardly our fault. After all, our houses are only so big.
No matter how small your house is, there are several ways you can add more livable space and make room for your personal belongings.
We’ve put together a list of 10 home addition ideas that’ll give you house more storage space.
So make sure you keep reading below.
1. Add a Few Dormers to Your Attic
Adding a few dormers to your attic can benefit your home in a number of ways.
One of the most noticeable things they do is create extra space in your attic. If you have a lot of belongings and are running out of storage space, dormers are a good way to increase your square footage and make room for new boxes.
But dormers also increase the value of your home. They make your home look bigger from the outside, and they do wonders for your curb appeal.
On top of that, dormers let a lot of natural light into your attic. If you go into your attic often, this will help you see what you’re doing and find what you need. While you’re up there, you can also enjoy some beautiful views of the surrounding neighborhood.
2. Turn Your Porch into a Sunroom
Transforming your front porch into a sunroom is an easy way to add livable square footage to your home. The porch is already there, so all you have to do is enclose it and throw in some heating.
You can turn your sunroom into an extra living room for the family to gather. You can even turn it into a bedroom if you add curtains.
Make sure the walls are thick enough to provide enough insulation during winter. If you live in an area that sees a lot of snow, you’ll also want to ensure the walls are strong enough to support heavy snow weight.
3. Enclose Your Patio
Don’t like the idea of a sunroom sticking out the front of your house? You can enclose the back patio instead.
This can be another living space, some extra storage space, or a room for you to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. With the right amount of windows and screens, you can get the benefits of being outside without dealing with the dirt and the buds.
4. Turn the Garage into an Extra Living Space
Most garages don’t need a lot of work to become additional living space. As long as you’re not parking your cars in your garage, it can count as livable square footage.
You can use your garage in a number of different ways.
If you spend a lot of time working at home, you can turn it into a home office. It can become another bedroom. You can use it as a storage space. Throw in some couches and create a family room. You can even transform it into a playroom for the children.
While you’ll have to invest some money into this project, turning your garage into a livable space can give you an 80% return on your investment.
5. Create a Mudroom in Your Entryway
Putting a mudroom in your entryway allows you to keep the things that tend to pile up near the front door tidy and organized. This includes things like shoes, coats, umbrellas, purses, backpacks, etc.
Installing one doesn’t take a lot of work.
Consider adding some built-in cabinets, cubbies, or lockers. You can also include hooks for jackets and small drawers for easy-to-lose items.
A mudroom will both give you more space and add more visual appeal to your home.
6. Finish the Basement
Basements are often large spaces, and if you haven’t finished yours yet, you aren’t getting the most out of it. Finishing a basement can add a lot of livable square footage to your home without a whole lot of effort.
Once you add drywall, lights, flooring, and paint, you can turn this space into an art studio, a home theater, a guest bedroom, a mini apartment, etc.
7. Finish the Attic
Some houses don’t have much of an attic to speak of, but if you can move around in your attic, you can turn it into a livable space.
In order to do this, the ceiling in your attic must reach a height of 7 feet. But that doesn’t mean the entire ceiling must be 7 feet off the ground. A sloping ceiling that reaches 7 feet at the point counts too.
The other requirement is your attic must be connected to a stairway. Attic rooms can have a lot of potentials, so adding a staircase might be worth it.
Put a bed up there and turn it into a sort of loft bedroom. Make it a space for your kids to play or have sleepovers.
8. Consider Incorporating Bump-Outs
Bump-outs are a good way to expand certain areas without affecting the rooms around it.
Need a bigger bathroom? Add a bump-out to give you more space. You can do the same with your laundry room, kitchen, and bedrooms.
These bump-outs don’t have to be big. In fact, they can be as small as 2 feet. But bump-outs can’t be larger than 15 feet. So if you’re looking for a lot of extra space, this might not be the best option for you.
Building a bump-out doesn’t take any extra foundation work. That means you can add bump-outs quickly without spending a lot of money.
9. Construct a New Room over the Garage
If you have a bit more money to spend on your home, you can add an entirely new room over your garage. Because the garage already has a foundation, you just have to build up some walls and plop a roof on top.
It’s a good way to make your house bigger without messing up any of the other spaces.
10. Do Small Renovations
You can also renovate parts of your home to make it more spacious. These don’t have to be big renovations, but they might cost more money than some of the smaller projects on this list.
Some of the best places to renovate in your home are the bathrooms and the kitchen.
These are the two most important rooms in your home. They can add the most value and help you sell your house fast if the need arises.
If your home is one story, you can add an entire second floor. This is a large project, but if it interests you, spend some time researching and gathering more info about the idea.
Home Addition Ideas That’ll Help Uncramp Your Space
If you’re trying to add more livable space to your home, you should start with some of the items on this list. Many of these home addition ideas won’t only give you more room, they’ll also add more value to your property.
Have a few other projects you need to work on around the house?
Take a look at this guide to learn how to get better at fixing common things in your home.
