Renovating can be such a mess that you might want to wait until the kids are out of the house! However, there are some terrific family friendly home renovations you can plan for that will keep your little ones safer and grow with your family.
Consider the following when making your decisions:
- Your dream cabinets may not stand up to the new tricycle. Consider this before embarking on the new kitchen project.
- The latest superhero and princess can fade quickly; avoid thematic purchases on permanent features.
- Build easy storage into whatever permanent features you do add, such as benches and cubbies.
- Things wear out. It’s easier to replace carpet after the new puppy is trained, so look long term when making big purchases.
- Safety is most critical. If you really want open concept but need to keep curious little people away from the stove, leave the walls up for a few more years.
Below are some permanent and a few temporary family friendly renovations to keep your home looking great and feeling kid-friendly.
Bedrooms
Start from the ground up. Make sure that flooring in your child’s room is easy to clean and has plenty of give. You’ll want a quality underlayment or carpet pad and a flooring product that can look tidy with minimum fuss. Consider a low nap carpet with quality padding over which you can lay game mats or tents.
Rather than dating the room with permanent thematic flooring, put down a neutral base carpet or linoleum and add a customizable train or car rug that you can remove as your child ages. Continue this customizable and removable theme with bedding and curtains. This will save you time-consuming decorating updates and expensive home renovations in the future.
Storage
If you’ve got kids, you’ve got toys and clothes that seem to wind up everywhere but where they belong. To help your child learn to corral their things and keep clothes, shoes and the like in order, make sure that there are storage spaces designed just for them. This gallery shows the many storage options perfectly situated for little people to put their own things away, and as they grow, they can continue the habit!
Bathrooms
In many Atlanta homes, ceramic tile is the choice for bathrooms. It’s easy to clean, durable and can help a warm room feel a little cooler. However, when your children are first learning to walk, ceramic tile can be a hard lesson! During this time you can soften a tile floor with brightly colored rubber mats that can be cut to fit; many have interlocking features to cover the whole room until your children are more steady on their feet.
For families that fight the Atlanta heat with a pool, these mats are a great place for kids (and adults) to stop and knock sand and dirt from their feet before entering the house. This will reduce injuries, protect your existing floor and cut down on housework and other maintenance.
Kitchen
Children of almost any age can help with simple chores, so why not add kid-friendly features to your kitchen? This cool and comfy kitchen features
- an armoire that holds napkins and placemats for easy kid access
- full refrigerator height blackboards for reminders, shopping lists and general artistic expression
- movable, flexible seating
Set Up A Playroom In An Unused Space
If you’ve got a loft that could be put to better use, why not set up a playroom? It will get great light, give you a place to gather some of your children’s larger toys, and give your kids a place to let their imaginations run wild.
Consider putting down a durable vinyl with sound-reducing underlayment on the floor, then put down rugs to define different areas. For example, you can put a work table on top of a patterned rug for arts and crafts, or put down a car or train themed rug for epic imaginary travel. Consider affixing floating shelves at the right height for your children, and if you’ve got a budding dancer in your house, add mirrors and a barre to one wall.
This will be an ideal place to make noise and get messy. If this space below the loft is unfinished, consider adding insulation in the joists above and put in a dropped ceiling for sound insulation. These home renovations will come in handy if you choose to turn the space into a bedroom.
Durability Doesn’t Have To Be Dull!
You can have beautiful floors that look like wood or ceramic and wear like vinyl. The Stainmaster brand of luxury vinyl plank (LVP) products include several varieties of peel and stick vinyl flooring, ideally suited to high traffic areas. You can enjoy hardwood flooring in your kitchen, bath and mudroom that is beautiful to look at, comfortable to stand on and very easy to clean up.
Another option is luxury vinyl tile (LVT), which features the look of real ceramic. You can put down flooring in your bathroom with the look of classic ceramic tile that still offers a soft landing for little ones learning to walk.
These products are offered at a very reasonable price, especially when compared with real wood flooring or ceramic tile. This beautiful and well designed flooring will beautify your home and stand up to wear and tear while your family grows up.
Both of these products are manufactured by flooring experts with decades of knowledge. These products are pet friendly, durable and easy to clean.
Stainmaster luxury vinyl products are not only scratch resistant, they are 100 percent waterproof and odor resistant. Housebreaking is hard on you and your pet, but your floor will make it!
Either luxury vinyl plank or luxury vinyl tile flooring will give you a polish and finish you can be proud of while giving you the flexibility that your growing family members need, whether they have two feet or four!
You Should Have Fun Too!
Trying to keep your dream house dreamy when your children are small can be a challenge. However, home renovations with durable, temporary products such as rubber matting and wall mounted shelves can keep your little ones safe and engaged while they grow and learn to take better care of things. Your family-centered home renovations can look great and grow with your children. If you need any help with your next home renovation project, you can always reach out to Restor-It for help.
