3 Overlooked Rooms You Need to Reconsider

Nowadays, when it comes to homes, people are starting to think that perhaps smaller really is better. There’s no denying that smaller homes are easier to maintain, and they’re certainly easier to heat and cool. What no one talks about is how skimping on space can cost you – not just in terms of fulfillment, but also financially. If you’ve crossed the following three rooms off your home building budget, here are a few reasons why you might want to reconsider.

1. The Home Gym

Home gyms used to be the domain of the rich and famous, but these days, they’re becoming much more common simply because our 9-to-5 lifestyles don’t leave a lot of extra space for exercise. You might be thinking to yourself, “Why should I build a home gym when I can just have an exercise bike in the corner of the bedroom?” There are two problems with that line of thinking: You’ll quickly come to loathe the cluttered look of exercise equipment in your bedroom or living room, and limited space for equipment means that you’ll have limited opportunities for exercise.

The solution is to visit the nearest gym, but that comes with a few costs of its own. If you live in a suburb half an hour away from the nearest gym, the extra time you spend traveling, the transportation costs and the gym membership will quickly add up to the cost of an extra room in your home devoted to fitness.

2. The Home Office

As of 2013, 30 million Americans – or one in five people – worked at home one day per week or more. Three million of these at-home workers work exclusively from home. Those numbers are expected to keep rising year after year. If you don’t have a home office, you could very well miss out on the rising trend of telecommuting.

Your home office shouldn’t be the dining room table or a corner in the living room, either. If you truly want to telecommute, you’ll need an organized space that is free of distractions. Plan for a home office now so that you don’t miss opportunities to earn from home in the future.

Designed by Ilene Chase, this gym is the perfect example of a social workout space. It has the necessary equipment — along with some sports memorabilia and inspirational quotes — to get a solid workout in, but there's space to move around.

3. The Studio

It won’t save money or make money (unless you’re an artist or entrepreneur, that is) but a hobby room or studio will contribute to your sense of fulfillment. Too many people choose house plans with exactly enough bedrooms for the family and no extra rooms. When you want to take up an art or craft, you’re left with some undesirable choices: Clutter another room with your craft, move the car out of the garage to convert it into a workshop, or wait for your kids to move out so you can use a bedroom. Why not add a spare room to your home so that you can pursue your passions?

Working at home is no chore with the well appointed office space in Plan 1411.

There are other rooms to consider – a home theater, a den, a library or a game room – but the gym, office and hobby room or studio are the rooms that people most often regret omitting. Remember that while saving space may cut your building costs, it could also end up costing you in the long run.

Flexible hobby space makes room for arts, crafts and Christmas wrapping!