If you feel like you don’t have as much space as you want when you’re dwelling in a house or apartment, you have options. However, if you don’t feel like you can build out, that limits what you can do. Practical reasons might exist for why you can’t just start knocking down walls and expanding your floor space.
In this article, we’ll talk about options for gaining additional space that you should consider. We’ll cover some different ways you can go if you live in either a house or an apartment.
You Can Install a Pergola
One thing you might consider is installing a pergola. You can do this if you live in a house where you don’t have the space or capacity to remove some walls and build out.
You can peruse some of the best pergola kits and select one that you can either construct yourself or that you can hire someone to set up for you. A pergola might cost as little as a few hundred dollars to install, or sometimes as much as multiple thousands if you buy a high-end one and get a company or individual with blue-collar skills to erect it for you.
The addition of a pergola to your backyard can be a nice solution if you want more space but can’t build out. You can read there, play video games, invite some friends over to enjoy cocktails, or maybe you will just set up a hammock and doze when the weather is nice.
Finish a Basement or Attic
You might also think about finishing a basement or attic if you have either one. Finishing a basement or attic often means installing new walls, updating the electrical system, adding carpet, etc.
If you do that, you are getting the most use out of your existing floor space, and you don’t need to knock out any walls. If you have this in mind, it’s helpful to bring in some contractors who can give you estimates of what the project will cost. If you have significant DIY skills, though, you can always tackle the job yourself.
Add Cabinets and Built-In Shelving
Maybe you feel like you need more space not so much because you want more room for entertaining or hanging out, but rather because you want some additional space for storing items or displaying them. If so, then it makes sense to either add cabinets or to install some built-in shelving.
It’s borderline miraculous how much more use you can get out of a space if you install cabinets or shelving. You might soon have a setup where you can store canned goods, bulk rice, cereal, dry dog food, etc. You can get it in bulk from a store like Sam’s or Costco and have it handy when you need to feed your pet or when you require supplies for that evening’s dinner.
Use the Space Under Your Stairs
If you can’t build out in a house, then using the space under your stairs might become an option. Many people don’t think about that space, but it’s frequently there and readily available.
While there’s probably not enough room to sit and converse with friends, you can always put your extra luggage there, or tower fans when they’re not in use. You might store your stationary there or stash your supply of wrapping paper for when you need to wrap some gifts. It’s another spot that most people have in their homes but that many of them neglect or forget about.
Install Outdoor Blinds on Your Balcony
Now, let’s pivot to talk about individuals and families who live in apartments. In these situations, you might not have the same options that someone who lives in a house does. However, you may still want some additional space that you can enjoy.
You probably don’t have an attic, basement, or spaces under stairs that you can utilize. You can probably still think about installing cabinets or adding shelves, though, if you want some excess storage space. Remember, though, that you should probably give your landlord a heads up before you do anything like that.
If you want more space where you can hang out, you have obvious limitations in an apartment. Maybe you have a balcony that you don’t use much, though, or ever.
That balcony can become an enclosed space if you’re a little creative. For instance, you might be able to enclose it by adding outdoor blinds. If you add thick, opaque blinds that you can pull down, it gives you a space that’s mostly enclosed. Setting up some comfortable furniture where people can sit completes the illusion.
The only issue with this solution is that if there’s some bad weather, a little of the moisture will probably be able to sneak through the cracks between the blinds. You can quickly learn to only invite friends or family members to spend time with you on the balcony if there’s pleasant weather.
You can also usually remove the blinds about as easily as you put them up. That way, if you ever decide to leave that apartment, you have not permanently altered it.
You Can Add Accordion Doors
If you want more space in an apartment, another thing you can do is add accordion doors to the largest room you have. While that doesn’t actually get you any more space, it creates that illusion because you are dividing one room into two.
If you are living with roommates, you can each have your own space that way. Accordion doors don’t cost very much, and you can typically remove them as easily as you might put them up, similar to blinds out on your balcony.
You will usually have more options with what you can do with your space if you own a house with a backyard. In an apartment, most of your solutions will involve creating the illusion of more space rather than actually giving yourself more.
That will probably incentivize moving into a house eventually.
