Right-Sizing Your Life

By Paul Bielinski, CEO & VP

Is your home feeling a little too big for your lifestyle? Maybe the kids have moved out, and you don’t need all the extra space. Or maybe you just want to save some money. Don’t think of it as downsizing, think of it as right-sizing. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to make sure right-sizing is the way to go.

How do you use your home?

A great place to start when you’re thinking about right-sizing is by walking through your home and thinking about what every space is for. And I mean really thinking about it. I bet you’ll be surprised to notice how much of your home you don’t regularly use.

Do you have a dining room you only use on holidays? Has the home office become less of an office and more of a place to surf the web and store your junk mail? When was the last time you had a guest stay in the guest bedroom?

What functions do you need?

Once you’ve done your walkthrough you’ll need to sit down and decide what you absolutely need in your home. This isn’t about what you want (that comes next) it’s about what you need. How many bedrooms? How many bathrooms? How much storage? How big of a garage? These are all questions that you’re going to want to answer.

What functions do you want?

This is where you get to have some fun. Remember that a home is so much more than a roof over your head. It’s a place to relax, and have fun. A place for making memories and sharing laughs. Sure, you don’t NEED a closet for board games, but then how will you keep your undefeated Scrabble streak alive? And, sure, scrapbooking might just be a hobby, but it’s your hobby. Don’t sacrifice happiness. Remember, this isn’t downsizing, it’s right-sizing.

Can any spaces be combined?

A great way to make sure your right-sizing works is by combining things you want to keep around. For instance: a nice pull-out in the home office turns it into a guest room, too. Think of clever and creative ways to utilize a smaller space, and the right-sizing process gets a whole lot easier.

Could your floor plan work better?

Two-words that we love here at Bielinski Homes: open-concept. The right open-concept floor plan make small spaces feel huge. By removing the separation between rooms that you see in traditional floor-plans, a cramped space becomes comfortable. We’ve mastered the open-concept floor plan, and that’s why our smaller plans still feel so roomy.

For great homes at every size, check out our floor plans here.