If like so many other families, you’ve been spending a lot of time at home lately, there’s a good chance that you’ve been taking a closer look at your home layout and wondering if it’s really working for you. Like rotating through the same few outfits every week, you start noticing that they’re dated and don’t fit the way you like anymore.
One of the most common complaints about homes is that there’s not enough space. Space for storage, space for yoga, space for relaxing, space for goofing off, space for work, space for gourmet cooking, space for family and friends! If you’re feeling the space (or light, or style) pinch, what you really need is help to design a room addition. In many cases, a whole home renovation is even more appropriate. Why not dream big? So, as you start your house addition planning adventure, we suggest the following 6 potential bump-outs, build-ups, and additions to give your family space for the good life.
1. Kitchen Addition Ideas
We start with the kitchen because it is such a nerve center of the home. Many of the homeowners we’ve worked with on kitchen updates have complained of not having enough storage space or enough natural light. For a kitchen expansion, consider how wonderful it would be to add more natural light and bump out the space to include a greenhouse room addition adjacent to the kitchen. Then you could stroll over and pick fresh herbs for your recipes, even in the dead of our Minnesota winters. In addition to smarter kitchen storage and roll-out pantry space, why not add a dining room bump out or a morning room off the kitchen that serves as extra, relaxed space for entertaining or getting your morning together. You probably already do a lot of work at the kitchen table anyway, so why not bump out and dedicate the space, all while adding more natural light and convenient features like a charging station or a hide-away laptop drawer? The main thing is to consider how you use your kitchen as opposed to how you want to use your kitchen. Set your goals and dream big.
2. Primary Bedroom Addition
Here at Black Dog Homes, we’ve had the pleasure of doing many second-story addition plans, like adding a balcony to a second-floor bedroom. It is so much fun to design these kinds of primary bedroom additions because they add elegance and joy for people. If you have a great view, this is a wonderful way to take advantage of it. Depending on the house layout, and whether or not you’re doing a whole-home renovation project, it’s possible to bump out both the lower floor area and the second-story primary bedroom space and gain elegant, airy space on both levels.
3. Sunroom Addition
During those winter months where you feel as though you are not getting the sunshine and vitamin D you need, consider a sunroom addition. With particularly long winters in Minneapolis, this is an incredibly popular home addition. Some families choose to install a fireplace so that during those winter months you can sit by the fire all cozy in the winter sun and read your favorite novel. And for the rest of the year you can still soak up the rays, and even have the sunroom open up to an inviting patio for summer barbecues and family hangouts. It’s the perfect addition to brighten up your home, pun intended!
4. Family Room Addition
Family rooms are such a great place to get together and relax, but only if the space works for the activities your family most enjoys. While your living room is the place you welcome company, the family room is the place for fun, relaxation, and endless laughter and connection. It’s a place where you usually need storage space to neatly stash things like books, board games, an entertainment center, cozy furniture, blankets, pillows, and other things your family likes to use. An expanded living room enables you to have all of those things your family loves, but keeps them organized and expands the space so there’s more room to have fun.
5. Garage Bump Out Ideas
Bumping out the garage is a great idea for so many reasons. Some people add a mudroom bump out with a combination laundry room addition that keeps the outside dirt and melted snow and ice from getting into the rest of the house. And whether you bump out or build up, adding an in-law suite is a great idea here too, especially if you want to keep your aging parents close, yet living independently. Or, you can even rent out the space to recoup the renovation costs.
6. Bump Out Bathroom Addition
A bathroom bumps out is great for families that never seem to have enough space for everyone who needs to get ready at the same time in the morning! Whether you expand your primary bedroom bath for a better spa experience or bump out one or more downstairs bathrooms to add a shower, extra sink, or even a laundry room in one of them. The families we’ve added bathrooms for have appreciated the additional functionality!
Whole-Home Renovation in the Twin Cities
At Black Dog Homes, we specialize in whole home renovations that really give you a chance to create the home you want from one end to the other. Imagine a cohesive, timeless home design that gives your family the space you need for living, the design elements that make you feel at home, and the features that will impress potential buyers enormously if you ever decide you want to sell. Check out our gallery of home additions we’ve done in the past. Then, get in touch with us today, and let’s start discussing your design ideas, your budget, and your vision for your home.
