Sometimes adding rooms can create a smaller home while having fewer rooms can translate into more space in your home. 

We have observed a trend of families designing multiple specialty rooms into their homes.  These rooms were usually dedicated to just one activity.  Some of the more common ones included; theaters, wine cellars, craft rooms, exercise rooms, etc… 

Specialized Rooms

I would first like to define what we mean by specialty rooms and multipurpose rooms.

Movie theaters (media rooms) are some of the most common specialty rooms.  They can single layer or multi tiered.  Often the only activity that can occur is watching movies/tv or playing video games.

Wine cellars have become increasing popular with cabinets, refrigeration, iron gates and they may be sunken down to simulate the effects of walking into a cellar.

Many families like to have designated craft rooms with cabinets, sinks and tables.

Exercise rooms with mirrored walls and rubber floors are often about the size of a bedroom.

An exterior element that we see many families request is the balcony.  Balconies are great architectural elements, however, sometimes their location is more a factor of how it looks on the outside than how it is utilized from the inside.

Hidden Costs

Often homeowners forget to account for the hidden costs of these spaces.  By adding rooms, you not only have the actual costs of construction but you have costs associated with ownership.  These costs include the mortgage debt, insurance, property taxes, utilities, cleaning and upkeep.

An extra 1,000 sqft of space could add $10,000 or more to your ownership costs each year (excluding the house payment).

The Motivation & New Priorities

Often the motivator for including these rooms is not so much a “need” as it is a “want”.  Homeowners like the idea of having a room similar to what they have viewed in model homes or their friend’s homes.  For families who have the wherewithal, it was a comfortable decision and they were willing to pay for these new spaces. 

However as more and more families begin to seek out reduced home sizes; we are seeing a greater struggle on how to balance the “wants” of all of these rooms and their “needs” in a home.  This often results in families having to take away footage from the rooms that are used on daily basis so they could accommodate these new spaces.  (kitchens, family room, bathrooms, etc…)

The answer is you may not have to omit anything.  Instead consider allowing rooms/spaces to serve more than one purpose.  By designing rooms to accommodate more than one activity/task families can maximize their housing dollars while still adding new versatility to their homes.

Space Utilization

Here are some of the most recent trends in multi use spaces;

The combination of media and game rooms into one larger space allows for watching movies while participating in activities with the family. 

Craft rooms are incorporated into utility rooms.

Studies are being designed to accommodate two work stations. 

Many families are forgoing the formal dining and choosing to oversize their nook area.

Sitting areas in foyers or over-sized studies/libraries are taking the place of formal living rooms in many homes.

Butler’s pantries can incorporate a wine station in lieu of a dedicated wine cellar area.

These are samples of how combining rooms can maximize a house’s space utilization while still preserving the functionality of your home.

Builders Have Feedback

Builders are able to offer feedback from families who have built homes with a variety of spaces and rooms.  This feedback can give guidance on how spaces drawn on the plans may or may not perform as desired when they are actually built.

Lifestyles are fairly consistent.  Our experiences and feedback from our families indicates that building a new room won’t change the way most people live in their new homes.

Please give thought to how you live now when designing a house, as that is probably very similar to how you will use your new home.

Thank You

I hope this has given you insight to how creativity in design can help maximize the utilization of your new custom home.  By finding ways to make rooms serve multiple purposes you may be able to create a “bigger” house and still spend less money.

If you have a question on how we can help you build a custom home, please feel free to email your questions to our offices.  Garabedian Properties is a full service building firm serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.  We offer new luxury homes, premium remodels, green building/remodeling, home care services, storm/roof repairs and commercial building contracting.

Please feel free to leave your comments, drop us an email at mike@garabedianproperties.com or call our office at 817-748-2669. I also encourage you to visit http://www.garabedianproperties.com to see movies on our homes, hundreds of pictures and information on how we can be of service to your family or clients.  Or become a Facebook Fan.

If your family is not quite ready for us at this time, we will be at your service when you are in need or wish to request our assistance.  If you know someone we can help, we welcome and honor your referrals.