Remodeling your Atlanta home is about much more than simply improving its appearance. Aesthetics are important, but they’re not the only things to consider when you’re renovating. You want your home to be comfortable and convenient. That may mean making some changes to the physical layout so that your home reflects your lifestyle. Let’s look at a few practical remodeling ideas for your Atlanta home.
Your kitchen is one of the most used rooms in your home. You prepare meals there. Kids sometimes do homework or school projects there. It’s where many of us eat casual meals. And it’s where we gather for informal entertaining. In fact, it’s hard to keep people out of the kitchen!
If you live in an older Atlanta home, there’s a good chance your kitchen wasn’t designed with today’s lifestyles in mind. So what are some practical tips for creating a kitchen that meets all your demands—and still looks great?
First of all, consider how you’ll use your kitchen. If you love to cook and experiment with recipes, the layout of your kitchen is critical. Keeping the “kitchen triangle” in mind as you design allows you to easily move back in forth in straight lines between your stove, refrigerator, and sink. If you’re cooking involves a lot of large pots and pans, you may want to have a deep sink for those items along with a smaller sink for washing vegetables and other food items.
If your kitchen is more of a gathering place, you may want to look at installing a kitchen island. Add a few stools and it can be a great place for breakfast or snacks. It's a nice feature for casual entertaining. You can serve appetizers and have a place for guests to put their drinks. Plus, the island can provide more space for food prep when you need it.
A very practical idea that’s gained a lot of popularity is installing pullout drawers for lower cabinets (instead of standard shelving). It makes it so much easier to access items at the back of the cabinet. Related to that, add a pullout trash drawer. It's convenient and it keeps trash out of sight so your kitchen looks neater.
Click here to see some of the practical kitchen designs we’ve created for homeowners in the Atlanta area.
If the main living areas of your home feel like they’re lost in the 1990s (or even the 1890s), it may be time for an overhaul. Older homes often break up spaces into smaller rooms, too small to be very functional. If you need to talk to someone in the kitchen, you’ll have to walk in there instead of calling out. Homes built in the last 20 to 30 years made the living areas larger and more open. Unfortunately, they didn’t use the space very efficiently. In the 2020s, square footage is at a premium. Your living room might double as an entertaining space, home office, and homework room for the kids. With the right layout, you can enjoy the room you need for each task, without compromising on the flow.
Your bathroom is another room that gets daily use. Once again, think about how you will use the space. Dual sinks can make getting ready for your day (or for the evening) a lot easier. When it comes to bathroom cabinetry, you’ll want to balance looks and function. Pedestal sinks can be very elegant, but you may have to give up storage space below the sinks. One practical way to make the most use of space in a smaller bathroom is to build in storage space (using the space between studs to recess storage).
Showers are a major consideration for any bathroom remodel. Practical step-in showers are easy to access and their sleek lines look great. Their lipless entries are also a practical consideration for homeowners who plan to mature in their own homes because they eliminate a tripping hazard.
Click here for examples of some of the great bathroom remodels we’ve worked on recently.
A room addition is one of the best ways to increase your home’s square footage and usable space. On the one hand, it’s not impossible to renovate an older home to meet the needs of modern life. On the other hand, trying to create a 400-square-foot master suite in a 1,200-square-foot house may be too tricky to pull off.
The good news is that a room addition can be just the right size for your expectations. It’s tailored to your home’s existing construction. Some homeowners just want to bump out the rear by a few feet to expand the size of the bedroom or kitchen. Others are thinking about a second story addition that will make the home perfect now and in the future.
A mudroom may not seem very sexy at first glance. It’s probably not a room that you show off to your guests. And yet, it can be one of the most practical rooms in your home. It keeps clutter and dirt out of the rest of your home. It’s not unusual for homeowners to combine a mudroom and the laundry room. One thing that can make this space more practical is to build in storage.
If you have children, you can build cubbies for their gear. You can also add cabinets for cleaning supplies, or even a second pantry for larger food items to keep your kitchen uncluttered.
If you want great ideas, check out 6 Practical Mudroom Ideas for Your Atlanta Remodel.
If you don’t use your basement on a regular basis, there’s probably a good reason. Basements can add hundreds of practical square footage to your home, but only if it’s set up in a way that you can actually take advantage of it. Consider how a basement remodel could transform your home:
Convert the basement to an expansive master bedroom suite.
Remodel basement rooms into formal bedrooms for teens or guests.
Add a full bathroom with a soaking tub or curbless, walk-in shower.
Install a basement kitchen to minimize trips upstairs during movie night.
With a little creativity, you can make your basement just as functional as the rest of your home.
Atlanta’s long summers and mild winters give you almost a whole year’s worth of outdoor living options. While you think about your indoor space, consider investing in your outdoor space as well. If you’re tired of mowing a big lawn you never use, it’s time to re-imagine it.
Putting in a new deck gives you the extra square footage for entertaining, dining or hanging out with the family. Add high-end features like an outdoor kitchen for the ideal extension of your home. If you can spare the land, an accessory dwelling unit might provide the perfect transition for indoor and outdoor living, right in your backyard.