Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck With A Smaller Home!

This post is provided by Katherine Smith.

If the home within your price range has a lot less square footage than what you are used to, you will need to find ways to improvise. While you can always decide to downsize, you do not have to completely. Learn ways in which you can utilize every square foot of space and take advantage of using empty space to find a comfortable place to live. Here are just a few ways to get the most out of your overall budget with a smaller home.

Adding Cabinets

One way to take advantage of your smaller space is to create more room within a room. Built-in cabinetry is one way to do this. Take a look at your kitchen area. Do you still have a lot of room from the top of your cabinets to the ceiling? If so, you may want to see about having new cabinets installed. Cabinets today take advantage of every square inch of space. You can also customize cabinets to fit your needs. Some add-ons include:

*Drawer organizers
*Double cutlery dividers
*Lift up units for more counter space
*Drawers within drawers
*Canned good storage additions
*Walled spice racks
*Built-in appliances
*Drawer peg systems for better organizing
*Built-in layered pull out drawers to utilize corner cabinet space
*Cabinet pullout spaces

Do not let a small kitchen in a nice home, defer you from making a purchase offer. Ask the professionals at Berkshire Hathaway to help you find the exact Santa Monica Real Estate property that you are looking for. In addition, sit down with a kitchen or home designer to go over space and budget options that will help make your kitchen a more workable area and less cluttered.

Building Up

With many prime real estate locations, lot size can be a big issue. You may have found your dream home property, but still need more square footage in order to make the land work for you. In some cases, you may be able to build up. Depending on your overall budget, consider placing an addition onto your new home by utilizing attic space or adding on from an upstairs area. You will have to talk with your contractor to see if it is a possibility and also check with the city to see about ordinances and building code approval.

How Decor Can Make A Room Look Bigger

When you have a small space to work with and have utilized every square foot for a living area, try altering the appearance of a room. Here are a few suggestions:

*Pull furniture away from walls to give of an appearance of more space.
*Make your ceiling a darker color.
*Apply crown molding half way up the wall to separate two differently painted wall spaces.
*Place shelving units near the top of the ceiling.
*Use striped furniture or rugs to create an elongated look within a room.
*Utilize mirrors and glass to decorate rooms with smaller square footage.
*Use textured wallpaper on the ceiling for a more elevated appearance.
*Paint walls a very light color and follow up with light carpeting or flooring.

Stick to larger items for decorative pieces such as plants or vases. Avoid a lot of small furniture items and knickknacks that may overcrowd your small space.

Converting Garage And Outbuilding Space

Do you have an attached garage to your home? Consider using this space as an extra living area. Depending on the size, you could easy add another bedroom and bathroom to this particular section. If you have a large garden shed or sunroom, take advantage of these areas for workable living spaces. An outbuilding can be turned into a small den or home office if there is heat and electrical access. 

Making use of every small space in your home is important. Utilizing a few methods and tweaking your budget can turn your home into a comfortable living area that you will love!