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Wednesday, October 8, 2003 Uncover hideaways, hobby space or additional storage by creatively transforming your home's unused space By Mac McKinney,
President It’s started. You’ve lived in your home — the home you once thought so spacious you’d never be able to fill it — for several years now and are starting to feel claustrophobic owing to the copious amounts of “stuff” you’ve accumulated over the years. Maybe your kids leave their toys out, your teenager never hangs up his or her clothes, or there is nowhere to put your craft or garden supplies. To alleviate the clutter and make more room, consider spaces you previously overlooked for a play area or sewing room, such as under the stairs or up in the attic. Many homes have hidden, unused space that is perfect for a loft or a child’s hideaway. But you’ve got to think creatively. If you want to create a whimsical play nook for kids, check out the space under the stairs. This unique playroom doesn’t have to be as dark and dreaded as Harry Potter’s “Cupboard Under the Stairs.” Light colored walls and a Dutch door (a door divided horizontally so that the lower or upper part can be opened and shut separately) can make a huge difference, writes Wendy A. Jordan in “Kidspace Idea Book.” The Dutch door invites hours of imagination time, from playing ice cream shop to holding a puppet show. Kids also delight in spaces that are too small for adults, and under the stairs quickly becomes a “kids only” zone. If you don’t have usable space under the stairs, consider reinventing a closet. In her book, Jordan describes one fed-up father who built his teen’s bed into the closet, since he never hung up his clothes anyway. A simple platform design of birch plywood and 2 x 4s in an oversized closet enable a teen to sleep as if on a train berth, complete with display shelves and reading lights—all contained in the closet and off the floor. By raising the bed off the floor a few feet, you create storage space for wire baskets or a drum set, for example. If closet space is short and the furnace is located under the stairs, think vertical. You easily can place lofts, a growing trend in housing today, above closets or doors, writes Jordan. The New American Home 2004 (www.tnah.com), a display of new building techniques and innovate design, will showcase a distinctive loft design at the International Builders’ Show, hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), January 19-22 in Las Vegas. It features new architectural and design ideas that builders can take away and incorporate into the homes they build around the country, and promises to be one of the highlights of the IBS 2004. Jordan praises lofts as allowing for quick construction techniques and interior design options that appeal to the vast majority of buyers, because of their versatility and flexibility in permitting transformation from a play area to study nook to TV room as a child grows and your needs change. Lofts can be built almost anywhere—above closets or simply by putting a bed on stilts. The cheapest and easiest way to create a loft-like area is to pick the bed up off the floor. Jordan suggests placing a bed on top of bureaus or shelves and bolt them together for safety. This creates a play or study area underneath the bed that can be concealed with a curtain for privacy. And, don’t forget that dusty attic. Look past the boxes at the room’s proportions and ceiling height. Most attic ceilings are too low for practical adult purposes, but make a great children’s playroom or reading nook writes Jordan. And, attics typically have a knee wall—a short wall built to create useable space. Before you get started with building a hideaway for your child or yourself, be sure there is proper ventilation, lighting, heating and cooling systems and electricity. To bring natural light into dark space, such as a closet, determine if you can install a large window or skylight. If this is impossible, writes Jordan, paint the walls with a high-gloss pastel to reflect artificial light. It’s also a good idea to consult a remodeler who is a member of the Remodelors Council of the NAHB. Bringing in a professional will not only ensure your new space will have the proper ventilation and cooling system, which are essential in the attic, but may also spark new ideas for renovating your space. So, next time you feel the need for more elbowroom to spread out, stash your kids treasures or take up a new hobby, look around for unique unused spaces. If you creatively maximize every inch of space in your current home, you’ll give both yourself and your kids a special place to explore, play and relax. “Kidspace Idea Book” by Wendy A. Jordan is available from BuilderBooks.com, the publishing arm of the NAHB. (Mac McKinney, who is owner and president of McKinney Builders Inc., is president of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia, which serves a membership of approximately 550 builders and associate members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Meriwether, Heard, Pike, Upson, Lamar, Butts and Jasper counties.)
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