The housing market is very hot right now. If your house is feeling a bit too small, then buying a bigger one might be out of reach due to the high prices. It’s a seller’s market.

You have two choices if your house feels a bit small and not a good fit for you and your family. You can make an addition to it, or you can find some ways to convert the space that you already have to maximize the living space. 

It can be very expensive and incredibly disruptive to build an addition. The best thing to do before committing to building out, or buying new is to reconfigure your house and see how it goes. If it doesn’t work out, then you’ve added value to your home.

In this article, I will give you a few ideas on how to add more space without building an addition. 

Finish the basement

The first place to look when you need to add space to your house is the basement. Generally, it has the same footprint as the rest of the house so floorspace will likely be generous. Since many people often have their heating system and laundry rooms down there, you can even block off a section and use that as extra space.

A finished basement can take on many different forms so it is possible to tailor it to suit your needs. Most often, it is used as an extra living room or TV room for the kids or for people to have some separate space. 

However, if you are happy with your living room situation as it is then it can easily be converted into another bedroom. In fact, it is also very common to set up an in-law apartment down there for when a parent needs to move in or even for an adult child to stay at home while saving money for their own house one day. 

The downside to a finished basement is that they can be rather dark since they are mostly underground. It’s important to paint it in bright colors and to try to get some natural light from whatever small windows are available. 

Convert the garage

The garage is the next logical space to convert, however, there are some potential complications. Before you can get started on the conversion, you will likely face some zoning issues that need to be sorted out first. To make it a habitable space there will have to be some permits pulled and certificates paid for.

Once you have that sorted out, then you can get to work on getting it livable. No matter how you plan to use the space, you have to get it insulated so it will be a comfortable temperature year-round. Then, figure out a heating system that can be as simple as a fireplace or even connect to the main heater from the house. 

Once you have that done, then you are free to use it as a spare bedroom or even set up as a man cave.