Often times it's possible to rearrange spaces within an existing home and make it function so much better than before. By rearranging a floor plan, moving elements like stairs, and even moving spaces like bedrooms and living spaces, it's possible to create a plan that functions better for today's living. Here are some tips to consider:

Consider Less Conventional Options

By letting go of preconceived ideas of how rooms should be arranged, you may be able to arrive at a better solution. That may mean that the master bedroom needs to go where the living room is located. Or moving the kitchen may solve many design problems. While the project is still early in the design phase it's easy to test these ideas, so do this early on in the process to arrive at the best solution for your project.

Move the Stairs and Get Rid of the Fireplaces

It seems more often than not that stairs and fireplaces are in the wrong location. Stairs in older homes are often too tight and dangerous to navigate. By moving the stair, many times it can be designed to better connect different floor levels and also be a more comfortable design to make the stair safer to use.

Old masonry fireplaces are often located where it would be much better to have large windows or french doors to the outside. Or sometimes they are just much more massive than they need to be, taking up valuable interior space. With the advent of modern prefabricated metal fireplaces, it's possible to demolish an old masonry fireplace, and install (possibly in a new location) with a smaller and more efficient fireplace unit.

Get Rid of Hallways

Look at turning hallways into part of the space of the adjacent rooms. This isn't always possible, but hallways generally don't make a house feel larger or more expansive. Hallways generally are perceived as wasted space. By connecting spaces to each other without halls, you'll end up with a space that feels bigger and flows better.

Consider Green Materials

New finishes make up a large portion of a whole house remodel. Consider green materials such as low VOC paints, sustainably harvested wood floors, natural carpets, and other materials that do not off-gas. Use the remodel as an opportunity to incorporate as many green and sustainable materials as possible. This will result in a better interior living environment with less chemicals being off-gassing, and it is better overall for the environment.

Make Over the Exterior

While the interior of many homes needs a major overhaul, often the exterior does too. Consider new paint colors, replacing windows, doors, the roof, and siding. When adding new doors and windows, don't necessarily be constrained by existing openings. It can be easy to lower sill heights or even add french doors where a window was once located. Also consider adding architectural features such as dormers or an interesting entry canopy.

A whole house remodel is an exciting project to undertake because the result is often a new, fresh design that doesn't have any resemblance to the old design. By making bold design moves, rearranging spaces, and upgrading and renewing materials, an old house can be given new purpose and extend its useful life many years.

About the Author

Nazim Nice is a Seattle Residential Architect at Motionspace Architecture + Design PLLC and has over 11 years of experience designing residential architectural projects. He is also the founder of Lumen ID, a company that produces custom engraved architectural products including custom engraved switch labels. Learn more about the Seattle Architecture Firm

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