Are you outgrowing your house? Feel like you need to move? There might be a way to upgrade your home without moving. It’s what I’ve done over the last 22 years since I’ve been in my house. Here’s how.
When I purchased this house with my (now ex) husband 22 years ago, we had plans to have children eventually one day so a 3 bedroom home was going to be more than enough space. In the 4 years before our children were born, there was a spare room I used with a single bed for visitors, our desktop computer (it was the early 2000’s so desktop computers were still relatively a new thing) and a second bedroom set up for visitors.
How our home started out
In the 4 years before our children were born, there was a spare room I used with a single bed for visitors, our desktop computer (it was the early 2000’s so desktop computers were still relatively a new thing) and a second bedroom set up for visitors.
I thought there was more than enough space for our clothes in the built in cupboard in our bedroom and there was a freestanding wardrobe in the third bedroom and plenty of cupboard space in our relatively small kitchen. No real pantry as such but I certainly could make do (and just quietly, love my small kitchen – there’s less to clean and it functions perfectly).
My ex always though there wasn’t enough storage but not having a lot of clutter, back then, I found it quite easy to fit everything in that we owned.
The converted garage
We were lucky that we had what was a converted double garage under our house that was an entertainment room. There was a built in bar, a pool table, a dart board and a TV. Everything that a young couple, soon to be married needed to entertain family and friends. The downstairs laundry had enough room for the washing machine, a dryer and storage under the internal stairs.
I was an avid gardener back in those days so one of the first things we did was put in a downstairs second toilet. It saved me having to run upstairs to our only toilet if I was in the middle of yard work.
The next thing we did was put in a double carport with a solid roof. There was only a timber structure with mesh to cover and it didn’t provide much protection to our vehicle if it stormed.
Getting a double shed
The next thing we did was put in a double shed in the back yard. This was a huge expense at around $10,000 but well worth it in the end. It is now a really great space for storing garden equipment, a workout space, kid’s wet weather space, out of season clothes, Christmas decorations and tools for my now husband to do odd jobs. (My ex didn’t keep the space very neat and tidy so it was a nightmare to find or store anything so a bit of a wasted space all those years ago. It’s been a great asset to the house and come in very handy. It has allowed any storage that didn’t fit inside the house to be stored in the shed.
In saying that, we have tried to declutter all of these things in the shed. There is no point in holding onto them. My husband keeps it very neat and tidy and uses wall and ceiling space to store things out of the way like his surfboards and gardening equipment.
When the children arrived, sadly the days of entertaining and partying were over so it didn’t take long for the downstairs room to become a convertible space for visitors. We had a convertible lounge/fold out bed that my in laws used when they visited. There was a fridge downstairs so they could make their own tea and coffee. Also that downstairs toilet. They could come and go as they pleased and joined us for meals.
How the house changed when the children came
Upstairs, the third bedroom became the nursery. Two years later, my second child was born so the first baby went into that second bedroom and the new baby stayed in the nursery.
Built-in cupboards were put in both the second and third bedrooms nearly tripling the amount of storage space I now had in my house. Out of that came a linen closet. Something I hadn’t had before but made do with a freestanding wardrobe.
When the children were babies (both born in November), it was hot in the summer and I tried to stay indoors in the air conditioning so the living room became the play room. There was a blow up ball pit, a box of toys each (that were on rotation) and we painted outside and drew at the dining table. As they got older, that downstairs room became their play area with a TV/video player, lounge and our computer (where I started this blog all those years ago).
It was also my sewing space, craft area and where Santa would leave the presents for the children under our tree.
The downstairs room became such a convertible space over the years. The trouble was, it was only ever a built-in garage with a cement floor that the previous owners had converted into that entertaining space all those years before. We had no clue that it could or would ever flood as we hadn’t seen flooding in my home town of Brisbane since 1974.
Making changes after flooding
By my daughter’s 7th year, things were going to change with the downstairs room. Heavy rain came in 2011 that flooded the downstairs room. Carpet had to be thrown out, timber swelled around the walls. We had a terrible mess. Little did I know that over the years we would get even more rain and every attempt at rebuilding the space and reconverting it to something bigger, better and more useful met with more heartbreak.
After the last rain of 2022 where we received a year’s worth of rain in 3 days and we were flooded again, we decided to keep the downstairs room as it was intended and that was a concreted floor garage that has a few lounge chairs and my son’s gaming equipment, ie TV and PlayStation.
The room still needs a bit of work to make it look nice, ie painting walls and ceilings, painting the concrete floor with a non slip paint and a new blind for the window. Just small cosmetic fixes. But the home office/craft space is now in the spare bedroom and that’s a job and a half to sort through.
I’ve been having a big declutter and trying to make the space still calm and that’s been a work in progress. The upstairs living room, which was just a quiet space to sit and read, without a television, is now a homely and cosy space again. We purchased 2 x $79 rugs and repurposed the TV unit to hold all of the sound system and television.
There’s still a bit of sorting and decorating to do but not too much. As it’s coming into winter, the throws will come out and I can give it an update with a few new cushion covers.
Conclusion
You can outgrow a house but you can look at it as rather rethinking a room or space. Ask yourself:
- Can I repurpose this room?
- Can I reuse furniture and décor that I’ve already got?
- If I haven’t used or touched something taking up space in this room, can I donate, sell or repurpose it?
We are so influenced by what we see in magazines, on television and on social media to think that we need a bedroom for every child, a bathroom for every person in the house and a toy room, a walk-in pantry, a kitchen island (and the list goes on). Unless you can really afford to move and upgrade to a bigger house (and bigger mortgage), stay put, enjoy the home you already have and rethink spaces.
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Bethany Worth is an aspiring interior designer who enjoys designing, especially the bathroom and kitchen. She currently writes for 
