Renovations and remodeling are increasing during the pandemic. More and more Americans found that staying at home because of quarantine protocols is the best time to make changes to their home. Those that don’t have experience in doing renovations hire others to do it for them. Various platforms such as Houzz report a staggering 58% annual increase last year when the pandemic first hit. Such an increase was never seen before by the company. CNBC claims that some of the renovations being done to people’s homes are utilities they don’t have access to right now. Many Americans build their own gyms, saunas, and swimming pools right inside their homes or in their backyards. However, none of these families are preparing their home once the pandemic is gone.
You can start preparing your home for the influx of visitors that will inevitably come to your home once everything returns to normal. One of the trending home designs before the pandemic hit (and still trending now) is an open floor design. This specific kind of home design is great if you’re expecting visitors. But why choose this design among other home designs in the market?
Why Open Floor Design?
Open floor design relies on a singular principle: no more separating walls for your social areas. That’s right; you’ll be removing those awkward partition walls to create more space for your home. There are many benefits to an open floor design. One of which is something you will experience directly right after your renovation. You’re going to feel more space in your house.
Partition walls tend to take a lot of space in our homes, especially in common areas, but once you remove that, you’ll have more space and better foot traffic in these areas. Additionally, you can easily change a particular purpose of a room. You can remodel and swap furniture out easily and whenever you feel like it. This ease-of-access will feel like a blessing once you’ve experienced it for the first time. However, there are a couple of things to consider before renovating an open floor design.
Configuring Your Home to the Design
Not every home is designed to have an open floor design. Some traditional homes might not be able to withstand such a renovation. Remember that you’ll have to remove partition walls that separate each standard room for an open floor design to work. However, some of these walls support the overall structure of your home, which means that by removing them, you can bring your house down right under you. So having a contractor to survey the area can stop this from happening.
Moreover, if you have a traditional home that does not have support beams, you’ll have to add that to your renovation cost. You can let the contractor do this for you, or you can do it yourself if you have the necessary skills for it. It will take you between $300 to $600 when you do this, though, so make sure you have the budget for it. Once you’ve gotten this out of the way, you can then start working on your open floor design.
Start by Removing Partition Walls
Partition walls are the worse enemy of an open floor design. Removing them can be easy, especially when they aren’t load-bearing walls. However, some partition walls are made of concrete and cement, making this task much harder than it should be.
If you have a contractor, they can do this job in under a day. But if you’re planning to do it yourself, it’ll get quite messy. You’re going to need a lot of strength and stamina if you’re going to do this in one day. If you’ve done your research and determine which walls you no longer need, this particular chore becomes mundane. All you have to do is smash away.
Depending on your home’s size, it might be wiser to let your contractor do all the work because they can also do the window installation part of this project. Additionally, a contractor is going to have professional experience in removing walls. They can also suggest which walls to remove and which walls must stay. Always consider your options because this kind of home design might look simple at first, but it can get complicated with all the things you’ll have to remove.
Installing Wall Windows
After you remove the partition walls, you’re technically done with this project. You’ll see that your home has more space. This part is primarily up to you, but it can really shed new light on your open home design.
Wall windows are a great compliment to open home design, especially if you have a beautiful garden. These windows can also reduce the artificial lighting you need for your home because sunshine can be your lighting during the mornings. They are also great if you have parties because you can see almost everyone in your home. They also give homes that modern look. So if you have the budget for it, ask your contractor to install wall windows to your home to perfect this project.
An open home design is a social design. Once you’ve implemented it, you’ll see the lifestyle changes it can bring to your family. You’ll be more active because of the open space, and you’ll feel more fresh air coming into your home. Additionally, you’d have your home prepared for guests and visitors once this pandemic is over. It’s a good look and a good feel for your wonderful home.
