Large Families and Making Room

One saying you might often hear from the parents of large families is that more children don’t necessarily take up a lot of space, it’s the stuff that does it.

You might find that as your family grows so do your organisational skills.  Your family will probably grow at a faster rate than your income so upgrading to a bigger house with more space isn’t always realistic.  Here is where making the most of the space you have comes into play.

Sell or recycle the things you no longer use

How many of us have boxes of things in the attic that have been untouched for years?  How about all those old clothes in the wardrobe.  Or even the new ones that have never been worn and aren’t likely to be purely because we changed our minds and didn’t return them in time?  Having a good clear out of old clothes, broken and unused toys, books, CDs and DVDs (or videos!) and general household bits and bobs that we’ve held onto “just in case” can free up a lot of space in itself.

Make the most of the summer weather and longer days and hold a car boot sale.  You can get rid of a lot of old and unused things and make a little extra pocket money in the process – killing two birds with one stone.

If car boot sales aren’t your thing you can find recycling banks for most of the things you are getting rid of.  We often have charity clothing collection bags posted through our letterboxes where you fill them up with your unwanted clothes and put the bag out on the doorstep on a specified collection day.

Throw out the stuff you can’t recycle

Anything that cannot be recycled or is in too poor a condition to can be taken to your local dump. Set aside a day to tackle the junk, load up the car and finally get rid of the space-wasting rubbish.  Not only will you make more room in your home but clearing out the clutter can also feel very therapeutic too!

Make the most of “dead” space

Dead or unused space needs to be maximised to its full potential.  Make the most of wall space by hanging shelves securely.  Nowhere for drying clothes?  How about a traditional wooden dolly maid hanging from the ceiling?  Don’t forget that often unused space under the bed too.  Silentnight.co.uk stock a wide range of practical storage beds in a range of sizes so maximising the previously unused space means not only extra storage for you but also putting an end to those dreaded dust bunnies too!

Build upwards and outwards

Another option if finances allow is to extend your current home.  Not only will adding an extension provide you with more room for your growing family but it will also add value to the overall property.  Options might be to extend upwards with a loft extension, transforming a garage into an extra room or building onto the side or back of your existing home.  You can also build downwards with a basement extension too.  Whichever option you go for make sure you find a reputable tradesman and follow all planning and building rules.

These are just a few ideas to make the most of the space you have.  What other ways can you think of?

(Guest Post)