Even in a custom home, there’s no such thing as too much storage space. As you think about your floor plan and the layout of your custom home, consider how you can save space to really maximize your custom home’s square footage. Not only can you gain extra living space, but you can gain extra storage space by being creative with some unused areas and some outside-of-the-box designs.
Put the wasted space under the stairs to use.
Extra closet space under stairs is great, but no matter how deep you make the closet, it’s still not the most efficient use of the space. Instead of wasting the space, here are a few options to make it into some of the most useable space in your custom home:
Leave the space completely exposed.
Rather than closing off the area under the stairs with a wall, consider leaving the space open. Not only will this create a more dramatic look, but depending on where your staircase is located, it will create a more open floor plan.
Put in a powder room.
Under the stairs is the perfect place for a small powder room. If you’re going to lose space, you might as well make what space you do have as functional as possible. You can always add closets to other areas of your home. Your guests will appreciate the powder room and the size of the space will help keep the room from becoming cluttered.
Install pull out drawers.
Instead of a closet, have your custom home builder install deep drawers under the stairs. These drawers can go down in height as the space under the stairs gets smaller, so you can make the best use of the space and not lose as much square footage.
Build a multipurpose mudroom bench.
Mudrooms are a huge trend in custom home building right now and for good reason. These catch-all rooms are perfect for storing sports equipment, folding laundry, washing the dog off, and storing coats and backpacks. Let’s face it, the best way to get more space in any home is to eliminate the clutter. A built-in multipurpose bench in the mudroom will give the entire family a place to hang coats, store their shoes, and drop off their bags.
Go vertical with your storage solutions.
While most storage solutions and options go horizontal, you can save even more space by going vertical. Stacking storage options on top of each other takes up less floor space and you can theoretically go as high as the ceiling. For built-in cabinets, consider having your custom home builder build them all the way to the ceiling. This will maximize storage space and give you the solutions you need.
Under-the-counter appliances.
One of the absolute best ways to save space in the kitchen is by having your appliances mounted or stored under the counters. Let’s face it, there’s no such thing as too much counter space. But, keeping appliances like a microwave on top of the counter just eats away at the valuable space and having it hanging above the stove doesn’t always match the flow of the room. However, mounting it under the counter will help keep it out sight and in a perfectly handy location for when it you need it. You can also tuck away other counter appliances like a toaster or blender in open shelving under the counter, so accessing them in the morning is always easy.
When you’re ready to get started on your custom home, the builders at Hamilton Homes are ready to help! We’d love to hear all of the ideas you have for your custom home and how we can help you get started. Contact us today to set up a consultation.
