Page 32 2025 Spring Home and Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS April 2025 Do you long for a home with more living space but you do not want to move or even “add-on” to your present home? There may be another option for you. Evaluating the space you already have may point out unused, underused or inappropriately used spaces already under your roof. These “dead” or inefficient spaces may be ripe for “repurposing.” When you have unused or dead spaces in your home, there are many ways to repurpose these spaces. This Old House says, “maximizing your home’s potential doesn’t always mean building an addition. Repurposing existing areas can greatly expand your living area without changing the home’s footprint. Underused spaces like attics, basements, garages, or outbuildings can become functional rooms with significant benefits.” In each repurposing effort you will need to consider the following: Floor space, Head room, Insulation, Ingress/Egress, strength of flooring, Heating/Cooling/Ventilation, Electricity and (possibly) Plumbing. In the article, “18 Creative Ideas to Repurpose Unused Spaces in Your Home,” This Old House shares examples of ways several different families have converted unused spaces. Getting out of your home? Create your place in an underused squeezed s p a c e Among ideas in the article are converting an attic to a master suite thus expanding the usefulness of the space by efficiently using it in a new way. Instead of a main suite, some attics are converted into a children’s bedroom suite for a cozy area that is great for sleepovers. Some attics may not work well for a bedroom but can be turned into office space. If you do not have an attic, but have room over the garage, it can be turned into an extra bedroom and bathroom. A porch can be closed in, becoming a living room area and blending the outside of the home with the inside. The basement can be changed into “a state-ofthe-art media and game room” with space for a big screen television plus a pool table or other game. Basements can also work well as family rooms with separate areas for various activities. An unused garage can become a recreational room. The Spruce says, “When you convert a garage to living space, you add square footage to your home without using up more of your property. Continued --
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