How to bring your household together with these upgrades

by Pierre C. Rumpf 01/08/2024

Spending time with those in your home is often a difficult task, especially if everyone else has their own schedules and to-do lists for their day. However, you can remodel a few choice areas to attract everyone else in the home to spend some good, old-fashioned quality time together. Here are a few key strategies to help bolster impromptu hangouts and social household gatherings.

1. Add a breakfast corner to your kitchen

Kitchens typically garner the most foot traffic of any room in the house. They are the spaces where most of the major cooking occurs and where snacks and beverages are usually stored. If the primary entryway is positioned in the kitchen, there's simply no way to avoid walking through it.

This facet creates a unique opportunity to bring people together. Integrating a breakfast and coffee counter will likely attract house members before they start their day. Rather than grab-and-go beverages, cereal or bagels, a counter with seating invites people to gather.

What generally happens next is a light conversation, which might not have otherwise occurred. Homeowners may want to consider modifying a center island, building a new one or a designated spot near a window.

2: Build a detached outdoor hangout area

While it may seem more common to have a deck, patio or veranda connected to the kitchen, it might be a bit counterintuitive for social interaction. Most house members might use the area to do work, homework, chat with friends via video calls, check social media or a plethora of other activities. A detached area, however, might change the dynamic, especially if it's a designated hangout spot for the house.

The following backyard upgrades are worth considering.

  • screened-in gazebo with heating and cooking space
  • hardscape with built-in outdoor kitchen and seating
  • brick patio with seating and fire pit

Enjoying a sunny afternoon drinking cold beverages and eating delicious grilled foods or sitting under the stars while roasting marshmallows often proves attractive.

3: Create your own getaway room

 A getaway room brings together ideas such as game night, camping trips and rec room space. This strategy involves selecting an underused space and remodeling it. These spaces may include a garage, basement or outbuilding. Depending on the types of things your household enjoys doing collectively, the upgrades are then selected to support them.

  • Some common remodeling ideas may include the following:
  • Converting an outbuilding into a cabin getaway complete with bunk-style beds.
  • Remodeling the basement into a home theater complete with reclining movie chairs.
  • Turn the garage into a game room with features like a kitchenette and bathroom.

The fundamental remodeling idea is to develop a space where your whole household can get away from everyday distractions. It may prove valuable to also designate "no-device" areas. While advanced technology has improved life in many ways, re-imagining the home as a communal space helps strengthen bonds between loved ones.

About the Author
Author

Pierre C. Rumpf

Broker Profile: Pierre comes from a diverse background. His adolescent and early adult years found him working for his father, a renowned structural engineer, and his brother, an architectural designer and general contractor. His knowledge of construction design (architectural & structural) and practices is significant. He coupled his construction background with his considerable sales experience, by becoming licensed to sell real estate in Massachusetts in 1986.

Pierre is also a licensed Attorney in the Commonwealth, who formerly worked for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office as a litigator in the Victim & Witness Assistance Division of the Family & Community Crimes Bureau, litigating cases involving victims of violent crime, and since then has had his own legal practice.

For decades, Pierre has excelled in helping buyers of real estate find that condo, single-family, multi-family, lot of lands, or commercial property they desire to buy, or by effectively marketing his clients’ properties to sell their property for the most amount of money possible. His professional background embodies the ideal combination of construction, sales, negotiating, and contract drafting, which is essential to actualizing his clients’ goals and/or dreams. He does all of this with attention to detail, integrity, and success.

Since 1995, PCR Realty has helped buyers and sellers make their transactions as successful as possible. Using a consultative approach, PCR Realty approaches each experience as a unique opportunity for its clients. As a full-service real estate brokerage firm, PCR Realty provides leading-edge services for buyers & sellers.

When it comes to successfully navigating today’s complex real estate market, you need to work with someone who has the experience and commitment to see it done right. PCR Realty excels at matching buyers to sellers. From state-of-the-art marketing to an experienced broker, PCR Realty works diligently to far exceed your expectations. PCR Realty invites you to learn more.