When people start thinking about owning a home, several factors come into play. The two most important ones are budget and location. These two actually go together, because the better the location the more expensive the property becomes.
Because of this, a lot of young owners settle for condominium units, which turn out to be more economical and practical. However, this choice is not for everybody. Some cannot stand the fact that they have to live so close to another family. Others claim to need more space. Or they may require a garden.
Good news! The house that does fit your budget now can eventually become the ideal home for you. Such houses may be initially small but must be flexible and have the potential for expansion. At times, that is even better than owning a big house right away, with spaces that you do not really need. Whether you are about to build or buy one, expandability and flexibility must be up there among your considerations. It may not seem like your dream home right now, but it must be flexible enough to grow into just that in the future.
Aside from its expansion potential, it must also be flexible enough to accommodate your future needs that may not yet be evident. For instance, you can’t be too sure how many kids you’ll end up having, or if an in-law would eventually stay with you. It’s difficult to tell what other hobbies you’ll engage in or how many cars you’ll acquire. This is why your area must be flexible enough to accommodate the changes in your life.
When planning a home, it is not too expensive to make provisions for expansion. All you need is careful planning and extra structural reinforcements. Without these provisions in place, expansion is still feasible but may prove costlier later.
Most homeowners build upward specially if the land area is limited. In these cases, expansion space may be the attic area or above a roof deck. Some would go to the extreme of removing the roof in order to build an extra floor for more bedrooms, a family room, or storage. Now that garden space is a luxury, open decks can readily fill the need.
Other homeowners may opt to build downwards. Lower levels and basements serve a number of purposes. It may be used as a service area, a den, or storage space, among others. Majority shy away from sloping lots since they feel that it is expensive to build on. While this may be true, the advantages outweigh the extra cost attributed to it. Sloping lots have a great potential for expansion. The lower level of a sloping lot may have better ventilation and lighting than that of its flat counterpart. You can have more space on a sloping lot because most building regulations base their height restrictions as measured from the highest point of the land, thus allowing the owner an extra floor.
When you have squeezed out the space, the next dilemma could be how to ventilate it. Your architect would probably have many practical suggestions, and if all else fails, split type air-conditioning units will do the trick. Still, local building codes dictate that all rooms must be naturally ventilated, depending on certain height restrictions.
Sometimes, the rear patio or light well in townhouses or apartments is enclosed. This is not ideal since it compromises lighting and ventilation, aside from contradicting some building codes. However, it may be done out of necessity. But in situations like this, we can still maintain the same level of lighting and ventilation by putting clerestory windows, which are vertical openings above the ceiling, with either fixed or operable glass louvers. Never ever enclose an area without ventilation. Even though you gain space, your comfort suffers and the other areas loose efficiency.
The best approach in ensuring flexibility is to have an open plan. Avoid too many partitions and clutter. With an open plan, you can have more synergism of space. It is easier to choose and rearrange furniture in an open plan. Your house will look spacious and less busy. There are times when I am asked to renovate houses and I end up recommending knocking down walls to create more space. It also usually results to gaining cross ventilation and better lighting. There are also situations wherein I recommend tearing down perimeter walls to create terraces or bigger windows to maximize views to a garden.
But before tearing down anything, always consult the experts. When haphazardly done, this may weaken the structure or be too expensive to implement. There are even times when we recommend opening up suspended slabs or ceilings to gain ceiling heights for a more airy feel and create a cathedral ceiling effect. Sometimes, by seemingly sacrificing floor areas, you make spaces more efficient and functional. You’ll be surprised how high ceiling rooms give an illusion of great space even with a limited floor area.
So when analyzing layouts, whether existing or in plan, try to see first if there are partitions you can do without. You save on cost and gain space.
Avoid built in furniture. These often set limitations to what you can do. It’s better to have furniture that you can move around and easily rearrange. Tall furniture however must be properly anchored to a wall to avoid toppling in the event of earthquakes.
Avoid clutter and keep things simple. Keep unnecessary items in storage. These things may be useful later when you decide to change the look of your home.
Only you will know what works best for you. The experts can only give recommendations. You decide. Whether you are planning your home or are in search for one, the key points are flexibility and expansion.
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