Although many houses are on the market, constructing your next home offers several advantages. You can create a permanent dwelling with a dedicated office, an in-law suite for extended family, a nursery to convert into a child's bedroom later and other amenities for your family's needs now and in the future.
When designing your forever home, discussing a storage floor plan with your builder is essential. Ensure that closets, built-in shelving and other storage areas are spacious enough to hold your family's possessions and have extra room left over for future items. To reduce the odds of running out of storage space, many homeowners account for at least 10% of the house's overall square footage.
This guide outlines why adding more storage is a good investment and how to determine whether your new home has enough.
Finalizing a storage floor plan may not be the most thrilling task on the new-build to-do list, but it should be a top priority. It's best to have built-in closets and cabinets that are larger than the ones in your previous home. This way, it's less likely storage areas will fill up quickly after you move in.
Thinking carefully about storage dimensions and placement can save you money in the future, too. You won't need to rent an offsite unit for bulky heirlooms, seasonal decorations and other infrequently used items. Your home will appear tidier when belongings are tucked away in dedicated storage areas until needed. Less mess can also create a calmer atmosphere for your family. According to studies, getting rid of and organizing clutter can help keep stress at bay.
If you do eventually sell your home, custom closets will make the property more enticing to serious buyers. This way, you will get solid offers quickly.
No two families are exactly alike, which means your household's storage needs are distinct. When asking yourself, "How much storage space do I need," consider your family's lifestyle and activities. If you like to host dinner parties, for example, built-in cabinetry in the dining room is a great place to store flatware and tablecloths. If you have multiple children, designate specific drawers, shelves and cabinets to hold their toys, arts and crafts materials and board games for family nights.
Generally speaking, there are a few key areas where having ample storage comes in handy.
The front and back entrances are where people put on and take off coats, shoes, hats and other outerwear. In the storage floor plan, place large closets near exterior exits. Put items your loved ones regularly need before they leave, like gym bags and sunscreen, on the top shelves. Enclosed cabinets with hooks create grab-and-go storage for coats, umbrellas, scarves and seasonal necessities so you don’t have to dig through the main coat closet. Keep shoes organized in large waterproof baskets on the floor.
If your plans include a mudroom, include wardrobe-style cabinets to hold coats, sporting equipment, gardening supplies, and other items you don't want to store in the garage. A unified locker system is an ideal choice for small items and shoe storage.
A walk-in pantry is like a large closet for non-perishables. In a walk-in pantry, you can quickly locate canned goods, baking supplies and other oft-misplaced items on wall-mounted shelves. When discussing dimensions with a builder, plan to make the pantry spacious enough to store at least a few months' worth of supplies.
A stationary island is a standout kitchen storage solution, too. The freestanding cabinets have built-in wine racks and large drawers to store toaster ovens, blenders, pots, pans and other bulky appliances and cookware. A kitchen island can include seating, so you can use it as a dining table for casual meals with the family.
A standard kitchen island is typically at least 4 feet long and 2 feet deep. Place the island in a part of the kitchen that allows for a few feet of clearance on each side. Your area’s building code might require specific measurements for this area.
Holiday decorations, camping gear, tools, bicycles and lawn equipment are stored in the garage. Unfortunately, this can leave little room to park the car. A ceiling storage system is an effective solution to the problem. Builders can install hanging shelving supported with steel beams and other durable materials.
Remember to create a dedicated storage room in your house for cleaning equipment. Hang dusters, brooms, and mops on wall-mounted hooks and place detergents, sponges and spray bottles in floating cabinets. This will leave plenty of floor space for vacuum cleaners, buckets and other cumbersome equipment.
About Schumacher Homes
Schumacher Homes, based in Canton, Ohio, is America’s largest custom homebuilder, with operations in 26 locations in 12 states across the country. The National Housing Quality award-winning company has built over 20,000 homes, customized to fit each family’s lifestyle, since its founding by Paul Schumacher in 1992. Schumacher Homes takes each customer’s inspiration and gives it a home. Each Schumacher Homes location includes a one-stop shopping design studio and model homes displaying the latest in architectural and product trends.