Chicago Loft - photo credit by Lavender & Lilies
Finding a home in the perfect location at the right price can be difficult. It seems that most urban areas offer very small homes or homes that are extremely expensive.
Picture this; you find a terrific urban neighborhood that offers walking or biking to local shops and restaurants and the school district is distinguished, unfortunately the only house you can afford is under 1,000 square feet and you know that size just won’t accommodate your family’s needs. An alternative to a smaller abode might just be to raise the roof, literally, by adding a loft. Creativity is a plus in this scenario, you can A.) convert your attic into a room, B.) add a loft to a volume ceiling (higher than just a vaulted ceiling), or C.) raise the roof and build up.
Take the attic for instance; most families don’t use the entire portion of the attic for storage. With the help of a contractor, you can convert a portion of your attic into another room. Apparently, rafter attics are the easiest to convert without raising the roof, truss-built attics require more work to convert and may require an architect. A contractor will make sure your walls and floor will support the weight of an addition. Within your plan, a contractor will also make sure fire exits are available and take into consideration windows, sky lights, and air flow. Resource for attic conversions.
Can’t covert the attic? What about a vaulted-volume ceiling? If your ceiling is high enough, you can build a loft room or just a sleeping loft to add a little extra space. Sleeping lofts are quite popular in cities like New York where space is limited. Narrow ladders can be tucked away during the day and brought out when it’s time for bed. Resource for loft conversions.
West Hollywood Cottage - photo credit Sunset.com
Sunset.com recently showcased a small cottage in West Hollywood. Originally only 600-square feet without much land to work with, the couple built up and doubled the square footage. Adding plenty of windows, using bright white walls and geometric designs and colors gives the illusion there’s more room than what’s actually there.
Would you consider a smaller home in a better, or more prestigious, neighborhood? Would you add on?