Family life. It’s hectic at the best of times. Trying to make sure that everyone is out of the house and ready for school / work / college / clubs and hobbies is often a work of precision timing, and let’s be honest, chill out time doesn’t exist if you’re a big, loud, raucous family. And then throw in a home which has become too small for you? You’ve basically got a recipe for disaster, or at the very least a lot of bickering and arguments.
So what can you do to improve your family living situation if you’ve outgrown your home? Well, a comparison of family life and a loft conversion before and after the build can show you exactly what can be achieved when extending into your attic!
Bathrooms
Before: Many a family home pre-loft conversion will often only have the one family bathroom and maybe a downstairs WC if you’re lucky. For many young families this works fine, but as the children get older, specifically when they hit their teenage years, one bathroom isn’t practical. Trying to get everyone out of the house on time when there’s only one bathroom can make for a very stressful morning!
After: Something that we always advise including within new loft conversions is a bathroom. This could be an ensuite to a master bedroom, or perhaps create two smaller bedrooms in the loft for your teenagers, with a Jack and Jill bathroom in between. Relieving the bathroom pressure makes for a much less stressful morning!
Study Space
Before: Everyone trying to use the same space to work or study can really create a stressful atmosphere. As great as it is for children and teenagers to have their parents on hand if they need help with their homework, it can become stressful if you have different styles of working, for example if one member likes to listen to music whilst studying, and others prefer peace and quiet. Similarly, if you need space to spread out your work, and only have the dining room table or kitchen island to do so, there’s not much room for everyone else to manoeuvre.
After: Loft conversions can relieve study space in two ways:
1. Use your loft conversion to create a home office. This way, if you work from home either full time or regularly, you’ll have a sanctuary to retreat to, ensuring productivity is kept high and you’re free of the distractions of family life.
2. Loft conversions created as teenage bedrooms or hangouts can easily help to relieve the pressure on the rest of the home in terms of study space. Make sure that your children know that they can come to you for homework help, but give them a retreat for quiet study in their new loft conversion bedroom, too. Include an area dedicated to a desk space and / or a worktop within your child’s or teenager’s bedroom in your loft. You could even include a craft space, or a hobby area if space allows.
Relaxation
Before: If you only have one reception room, then you’ll know the battle of the TV remote! If you have young children, then you’ll be permanently watching cartoons, whereas parents of older children will often be subject to music channels or gaming. Similarly, many families lack the space to carry out quiet hobbies in peace, such as reading or crafting, when they only have one common area.
After: Loft conversions give you the gift of space! Whether this means creating a master bedroom suite complete with reading nook, a craft or hobby room where you can enjoy time spent doing those things you love, or a family cinema room in the loft, something we’ve discovered from our many years’ experience of creating loft conversions is that when you do spend time together as a family, it becomes a much better quality experience!
No matter what your needs are as a family, a loft conversion can meet them and more. Get in contact with Bespoke Lofts and see how we can streamline your family life with a new loft conversion.