As your family begins to grow, even a larger living space can start feeling too small and crowded, and that is exactly the time when you should start thinking about expanding your home. But apart from a shelter and comfortable living space, larger families might also have some more unique needs, including functional and practical features that will cater to everyone’s evolving needs. To that end, whether you are building or buying a new home, here are some essential home features that will help you find the ideal home for growing family needs:
An open-floor kitchen plan
Open-floor plans are incredibly popular among modern homebuyers, as they make a house feel airier and more spacious while improving the flow between rooms. When it comes to large families, however, an open-floor plan might even make your family home more comfortable for daily living, by giving all family members enough space for cooking, eating, and performing chores.
While it might be beneficial to have a couple of closed-off rooms to keep energetic kids at bay, an open kitchen that is connected to the dining and the living area is an essential aspect you should look for in a home. Apart from giving you enough room for daily activities, such an open plan will also allow you to keep a closer eye on your children throughout the day.
Multiple bedrooms and bathrooms
While it’s essential for every family home to have a master bedroom, as well as enough bedrooms for each child to ideally have their own room, families rarely think about the importance of bathrooms. However, morning rushes and busy days are much easier when a home has one master bathroom and at least one additional bathroom for the rest of the family, as it provides everyone with their own private space, and makes settling into your new home that much easier.
But when looking at the number of bedrooms, you might want to consider your future as well. In case you’re planning to expand your family, or you simply know you’ll be having guests over frequently, having an additional bedroom or guest room could be quite beneficial.
A spacious backyard or garden
Having a larger space for outdoor activities is among the most important aspects of any family home. It gives your children the opportunity to spend more time playing and exercising outside, provides more room for pets, and allows for family projects and gatherings.
What’s more, a spacious outdoor area could be quite a smart and beneficial investment as well. For instance, Australian families that plan on reselling their home in the future often hire an experienced building designer from Sydney to help build extensions and expand their homes according to their needs. Such a professional could design, plan, and manage various building projects, and even acquire necessary approvals, thus allowing you to effortlessly include new features in your family home, while also increasing its value and appeal.
Plenty of additional storage space
If there’s one thing large families are constantly lacking, it’s enough storage space. Whether it’s old clothes and toys you might be saving for the next child, current clothes and equipment of every family member, or simply the everyday clutter that tends to accumulate among big families, you’ll always need some additional space for storing all of your necessary items.
For that reason, it’s important to keep storage in mind when searching for a family home. Aspects such as large rooms that allow for shelving and wardrobes, garages and sheds for storing larger equipment, or even attics and basements for additional storage opportunities could all be beneficial for a large family.
Play and entertainment areas
Another area every family home could benefit from is a dedicated entertainment room. This could either be a play area where your children can play with toys, play video games, and even entertain their friends, or it could be something the entire family can enjoy, such as a home cinema for family bonding over movie nights and popcorn.
No matter how you decide to design this space, an entertainment den is always a great addition to any family home. It helps to keep the kids safely occupied while you’re focused on finishing daily tasks, while also allowing you to keep your home more comfortable this summer by providing you with new free-time activities.
In summary
Bigger families often have more unique needs that should be taken into consideration when building or buying a home. Hopefully, the home features listed above will have allowed you to get a clearer idea of the essential aspects that will work best for your large family.
By Mike Johnston