Homeowners find ways to make 'extra' room into favorite retreat

Can you live without a formal living room? Many homebuyers are choosing to do so.

With the trend toward more casual lifestyles, many homebuyers have crossed the living room off their wish lists. They prefer to entertain family and friends in a multifunctional kitchen/family room area.

Builders have responded to clients' desires by constructing homes with "optional space" on both the main and second levels - rooms homeowners can use for whatever they desire.

The living room is the most popular room to change because people don't use it, said Candace Porter, marketing coordinator for Reserve One Homes. "Some people have turned the living room into a kids' playroom so the kids are on the same level as their parents, but not taking up adult space with all their toys. And sometimes people turn the den and living room into a first-floor guest suite."

Pete Stefani, owner of King's Court Builders, echoes Porter. A lot of people are taking the living room, which they wouldn't use on an everyday basis, and converting it to a den; and then the standard den can become a guest suite or playroom in the back of the home, he said.

Still, some can't sacrifice the living room's elegant appeal. "We do have people who want the living room space, and we hear a lot about the piano," Stefani said. As the living room falls through the floorboards of the American home, morning rooms have really gained in popularity because people like extra space around the kitchen and family room, Porter said.

In the Eden model at Running Brook Farm in Johnsburg, a light-filled morning room is outfitted with wicker furnishings and shown as a reading room. "It's really a nice area," Porter said. "People love that morning room, and a lot of them choose to have it. It's a beautiful home without it, but they like having that space."

Similarly, the Fairfax model at Amber Shores in Lake Villa shows a sunroom, which has become very popular as extra living space, said Beth Van Dyke, sales manager for Modern Homes. "We put the sunroom in so many homes, and we have even gone back to (previously sold) homes to add a sunroom. Because you can't use a deck year-round, there is a tremendous use for sunrooms and screened-in porches."

The Braeburn model by King's Court Builders showcases a beautiful sunroom and a full bath was added off the den at the rear of the home, Stefani said. So, in addition to a half bath in the center of the home, there's a full bath on the first level in the back corner near the den, which could be converted to a guest suite.

One of the most creative uses of space is a laundry room with built-in lockers for each family member, including the husband and wife, Van Dyke said. A family can use the lockers for hats, gloves, backpacks, books, or whatever. "It was so nice to see everything organized. It's not a room to shut the door on; it's a room you'd want to show off in your home."

At the Oakmont neighborhood in Mill Creek, the first-floor den continues to be a mainstay in today's homes for those who work from home or work from home a few days a week. "The den is very important to people now," said Kathy Rabin, sales manager for Shodeen Residential.

Stefani also sees a lot of dens, sometimes two dens - his and hers. For example, she owns her own business and wants a large den in the front of the home where clients can visit. He works outside the home, so he wants a private spot in the back of the home.

The second level still offers all kinds of possibilities for flexible spaces.

The Carlyle model at Running Brook Farm shows the loft as a reading nook and putting green. A big oversized chair for reading combines with the putting green and golf clubs for a unique use of space, Porter said. "People think it's really a cute idea."

One buyer decorated the loft area with artwork and family photography and furnished the space with chairs for a reading area, Porter said.

Using the loft as a sitting area or homework space with a computer, desk and built-ins are also popular choices for Modern Home customers.

In the Remington at Mill Creek, the loft separates the master suite from the other three bedrooms, Rabin said. It's right in the middle, and can be a play area, home theater room, game room, anything.

And the Abbey is a flexible floor plan that can be customized into a 11/2-story home that provides two bedrooms and a bath upstairs or a loft, bedroom and bath. "One customer thought it would be great for her teenage daughter who wants her own space," Rabin said.

Besides the loft area, one of the bedrooms can always take on a different role in the home. Although typically people turn extra bedrooms into a home office, anything goes.

Stefani says they talk to a lot of people about bonus rooms on the second floor for use as a second family room, homework and study area or TV game room. Or what kid wouldn't like to have a whole room for sleepovers.

"We can build a second family room or bonus room in any of our two-story plans," Stefani said.

Then there's the basement. Some people like to finish the basement and set it up as a workout room instead of going to the gym. It can be an entertainment area with bar, theater-game room, guest suite, or all of the above.

Although many builders have flexible space built into their floor plans, when it comes to using interior space today, there are no rules. People have a variety of needs, and homeowners determine how they will use the space in their homes. Whether that space is in the lower level of a townhouse or the first or second levels in a single-family home, space is king. Never before has the American home offered so many possibilities for homebuyers.