Often are homes feel too small, or they’re not working well for us for some reason or another. You don’t know what has to change but you know that something must change. Should you Renovate? Expand? Close in a porch and add-on a room? Maybe you should move to a larger apartment? Or is it possible to seriously declutter, get some custom-made furniture to maximize my space and stay where you are.
How do you know what’s the correct solution for you?
I have a client that called me in to discuss the possibility of closing in their porch and turning it into a playroom. The porch was not big enough to do the job of both creating adequate toy storage and providing adequate playing space and I thought it would be a waste of money. Instead we did a super job decluttering and organizing the toys, installed a smarter shelving systm and purchased the right containers. The toys worked better than it ever did before and she saved herself from the tremendous cost of adding on a room.
I have another client who just the opposite happened. She was trying to be a big tzadekes and was squooshing many many children into a teeny apartment in yerushalayim. She also had a problem getting rid of clutter so her apartment was absolutely overloaded. She hired me as the magician who would get everything organized enough to work. After trying to work with her, it was clear to me that no custom made furniture was going to help her, she wasn’t willing to part with anything and a renovation wasn’t a possibility. She absolutely had to move.
How do you go about figuring this out? If you are going to spend lots of money on new furniture or on a complete renovation and certainly on moving – you want to know that it’s the correct decision.
Here is my method to help clients to make this decision
First step before making a big decision like this is to aggressively declutter. The clothes, the toys, the kitchen, the papers, the junk…See if that makes a difference in how your home functions and see how much how much space it gives you.
The second step is to take a look at the furniture you own. Consider replacing your old closets for correctly designed ones, adding cabinetry where you need more storage and changing around the furniture in the room. Maybe your beds are too big and you could use some smaller ones, or maybe if your couches and dining room table were shaped differently the room would flow better. Often when furniture is correctly designed to fit the space- your problem is solved.
The third step is to focus on the technical issues with your apartment which need to be fixed. Is your kitchen rotting or uncomfortable to use? Are your bathroom tiles moldy beyond repair? Do you need to replace your pipes? Can you legally add on a room? If you answered yes to all of those questions then you should consider a renovation, however be aware that it may not be the complete solution without going through steps one and two first.
If you have aggressively decluttered well…and tried replacing or redesigning your furniture to make the rooms work.. and your home is still not working, then you can feel comfortable moving ahead with your renovation to expand , knowing that it’s the best solution for you.
Contact me to schedule an appointment to help you make this big decision. Whether its organizing or designing, from a small to a full-blown renovation my job is to create a home that works for you! Bezras Hashem . Call 053 310 7512 or email me yael@yelwiesner.com.
