A little too busy to write a new post this week, I decided to bring back a “classic” (from way back in January!).  I hope it encourages you and I wish you a great week!

I’ve been thinking a great deal about small spaces lately. That surprises me given that I’ve made most of my living by making houses larger!

Family of Four in 1000 sf?

It might have to do with the fact that my family has recently moved from a house of about 3000 sf to one of only 1000 sf. And we LOVE it!

Not that we couldn’t use a little more. I’m sure I’ll be putting my room addition building prowess to work on this place before long. But I won’t be tripling the size when I do. I’ll probably bump it to about 1400 sf or so, that’s it.

The other thing causing me to think this way is the whole state of the world today and the impact it has on remodeling and construction work in general. I wrote a short article recently on the economic trends of 2009; you can read it here.

I’ve had a ton of experience trying to squeeze space. Here are a few principles to follow:

Keep It Clean!

The small bathroom above is a great example. The smaller a space is, the less clutter it can handle without really messing with your mind!

My first suggestion is that you probably don’t need half of the stuff in any given space: get rid of it!

My second is to use built-in’s that cover up your stuff.

I see some storage solutions that do a great job of giving you a place to put something but a horrible job of hiding it.

Simple cabinetry can be used to work wonders in small spaces. This clean built-in combines the bed itself with the closet and storage.

Make it Bright!

Natural light makes a huge difference in the feel of a small room (or any size room for that matter). Get natural light from two sides when you can. One of the biggest things that make our small house work well is an abundance of light. It doesn’t hurt that we can see a few miles across the harbor!

Use Every Square Inch!

Storage is everywhere if you look for it. How about the space under the beds? Is it really well utilized? Even if you have those plastic storage bins made for sliding under there, they really don’t take full advantage of the space.

Consider having a custom bed made, or better yet, make one yourself! Don’t know how? Just email me and we’ll figure it out together! For now, until this blog is so huge I just can’t do it…I’m offering to help for free!

There are so many other places too! What about the huge volume your sofa takes up? Or the dining room table? Take one look at the inside of a yacht or a motorhome and you’ll see that good small space design does not waste space…ever!

I found this great photo showing the use of an attic space for a sleeping room. This isn’t possible on many newer homes due to the use of pre-engineered roof trusses. But if you live in a home that is conventionally framed (often in Northern Markets or older homes) and has a steep roof pitch, there may be a simple room addition right over your head!

If You Must Add-On!

Make it small! A room addition doesn’t have to involve months of work. There may be a perfect spot on your home for a simple little “bump-out”. Maybe you can even avoid footings and slabs altogether by doing a cantilever “bay window” type addition. Take a look at this cool job:

If you have a small space project you’re considering, or have done, I would love to hear about it!