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Small Home Extension Ideas: Tips to Max Out Your Living Space

As we spend more time at home during the pandemic, we’re thinking about our spaces differently so we can make the most of them. Reinvention can help you extend your functional square footage and ensure your home keeps up with your evolving needs. Here are some inspiring ideas to try:

 

Reconnect with friends

 

We’ve all missed having the opportunity to enjoy hanging out with large groups of friends and hosting them over at our place. But smaller gatherings with close-knit friends and family may be a safer way to get back to normal. Inside, you can add a couple of bar stools to a corner in your kitchen where guests can sit and chat while you prepare a meal.

 

If you don’t have tons of space to safely entertain indoors, there are a few ways to make your outdoors work instead. As the temperature dips, it’s time to get creative to keep getting some fresh air. You can continue to enjoy your backyard with an outdoor firepit or heating lamp. Install a covering or awning on top of your patio and spread out some Muskoka chairs with snug blankets to stay warm while having great conversations.

 

You can also try converting your shed or garage into a hosting-friendly space. Keep temperatures up with a portable heater, use some comfortable family room-style furniture, and decorate with indoor touches like some wall art, plants and throw pillows. Some twinkly string lights can also make the space feel bright and inviting. Or create man cave with a well-loved couch, foosball table and big-screen TV to host sports nights.

 

Meanwhile, a screened-in porch can make the perfect sunroom for catching up with friends when you add a comfy armchair and fuzzy blanket. To help make your garage, patio, shed or covered porch feel cozy and inviting, lay down some subfloor panels from DRICORE. They insulate against cold, hard concrete to create a warmer and softer environment.

 

Reimagine your closets

 

Who says a closet can serve only one purpose? There are many creative ways to use these small spaces throughout your home. If you have a walk-in closet in your bedroom, consider turning it into a snug nursery with a basinet and a couple of chests of drawers for your clothes and the baby’s things. If you have a traditional sliding-door closet in the kids’ room, try pulling off the doors and using the resulting nook for a dedicated playspace or at-home learning spot.

 

Feeling really pressed for work-from-home space? A walk-in or sliding door closet can be made over into a minimalist home office. Simply add a sleek desk and install some shelving on top to store office supplies and files. If you’re planning on keeping your closets for storage, then invest in quality organizers that let you pack and sort items more efficiently. This way, you can fit more things in closets and free up usable space in other areas.

 

Reclaim your basement

 

A chilly, damp basement is uninviting and doesn’t encourage you or your family to spend time there. But what if you could turn it into a warm and comforting space? DRICORE subfloors can also come to your aid here by helping to protect against moisture, mold and mildew so you have peace of mind knowing your basement is a safe space. Plus, they help promote healthy indoor air quality and softens your floors against the hard concrete for your kids to play on.

 

Once you have this essential step down, you can transform your basement into a valuable area of your home, like a gym or playroom. And because subfloors provide cushioning and warmth, you can feel comfortable walking around in your bare feet while doing yoga or letting the kids have fun on the floor. Feeling handy? The tongue and groove design makes installation of the subfloors fast and easy, so you can complete it in a couple of hours as a do-it-yourself project.

 

Use these creative ways to make your home work better for you and your family in the coming months. By changing things up and exploring underused spaces, you’ll find hunkering down much more pleasant.

Skip Bedell (TV Host and Professional Contractor)

“You never want to put your finished floors on top of wet, damp, and cold concrete. DRICORE® Subfloors gives you a layer of protection to help with moisture and cold coming from concrete.”

Skip Bedell

Steve Maxwell (Professional Contractor)

“Nobody wants a musty smell in the house and that’s why I go with DRICORE® Subfloors.”

Steve Maxwell

Bryan Baeumler (HGTV Host and Professional Contractor)

“In my mind, you cannot finish a basement without putting down DRICORE®. Every house I’ve ever built has DRICORE® in the basement, it’s the only way to do it.”

Bryan Baeumler
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