There’s a meme making its way around social media: Raise your hand if you made it through the pandemic without having a baby, adopting a puppy, or buying an air fryer.
It’s funny and relatable, and yes, more than a few of us have managed to avoid all three.
Next Meme -- Raise your hand if you’ve made it through the pandemic without considering a home remodel. 🖐🏼
Hands down (pun intended!), not a single finger would be waving in the air. Whether we are trying to create more room to “office” at home or an outdoor space for safe entertaining, expanding to raise older kids, or adding on for an aging parent—most of us have looked around our homes and pictured, well, something else.
Not only does the pandemic have us scratching our heads about maximizing space, skyrocketing real estate prices have put the brakes on moves that may have been planned for years. Home values, on the other hand, have created the equity needed for accessible remodeling capital.
If you don’t know where to start or can’t afford a total overhaul, consider these three ways to think bigger in the space you have.
Skip the Line
With everyone in our families at home, all day, every day, the bathroom wait can start to feel longer than one at a Timbers game. But many historic or smaller homes only have one bathroom, which was fine when everyone was out most of the day. According to a recent Remodeling magazine report, bathroom additions have the highest return on investment of any single remodeling job in a home, an average of 86.4 percent. For immediate remodeling relief and money back when you do decide to sell, add a bathroom.
Build a Future
You might have 2.5 kids and a dog now, but what does your future household? An aging parent? A tenant for extra income? A vacation rental for fun and profit? If you are maximizing your living area for current use, consider converted into an accessory dwelling unit. An ADU is a home addition that is a fully functioning dwelling with a kitchen, entrance, bathroom, and living spaces. It can be a basement conversion, an apartment over the garage, or a “backyard tiny home.” Read about the anatomy of an ADU for some inspiration.
The Great(er) Outdoors
One of the easiest ways to maximize your space is to spend some quality time outside. But if you are met at the door with cracked pavement, faded patio furniture, and an overgrown veggie garden, you might find yourself walking right back inside. Since the pandemic, homeowners have realized how important it is to have a safe and beautiful space for socializing and play. There are as many ways to create an outdoor room as there are homeowners, and they all pay great dividends, even ones you can’t quantify—like happiness and well-being at home. We dive into ways to give your backyard a boost on our blog.
With Crystal Remodeling, the distinction is clear. Call or click today to start maximizing your home’s potential.