What Should You Do with That Extra Room?

Sometimes it’s cheaper to rent a two bedroom apartment than it is to rent a one bedroom.  Other times an extra room appears when the kids leave for college. Instead of letting it go to waste, we recommend using it to create the room you’ve always dreamed of having.  Whether it be an office for you to get some peace and quiet in while you work, a small home gym, or something else, putting your stuff into storage will finally allow you to have the space you’ve been waiting for.

Why Use Storage When I Have Space at Home?

If you’ve never used storage before, you might be a little hesitant to do so.  However, storage facilities offer a number of things that will ensure that you have a pleasant experience.

First is security.  Your belongings will actually be a lot safer in a storage facility than they will be at home.  Storage facilities have security measures that do a good job of preventing theft.  You’ll find facilities that have security guards, 24-hour video surveillance, on-site managers, gates with electronic access, and units with individual alarms on them.  You may not find a facility that has all of these, but you’ll definitely find one that has some.

Another great feature is climate control.  You can rent a climate controlled unit in which to keep your belongings so you don’t have to worry about the temperature.  You may have some temperature-sensitive things that you don’t use very often, so it would be a lot easier to have them stored in a unit where the temperature is kept constant rather than having to monitor the temperature of your entire home/apartment.  This can be especially difficult if you live in an area with extreme temperatures and decide to go away for the holidays or summer break.  Take the easier route and store in a climate controlled unit.

Lastly, putting your stuff in storage will allow you to have more space in your home so you can actually use that space, rather than having a room full of stuff that you use once a year.

More Space Means More Fun

Now that you’ve (hopefully) cleared out that extra room and put your stuff in storage, you have the freedom to do whatever you want with it.  If you’re a little confused as to where to start, we can get your gears turning a little with these cool ideas:

Guest Room

If you like entertaining guests or have family members that live out of town that visit often, make that extra room into a guest room.  This way your visitors won’t be stuck out on the couch, and you can host that cozy B&B that you’ve always wanted.  If you’re not looking to spend too much money, you can shop in person or online at a store with reasonably priced, contemporary furniture like Wyckes.

Home Gym

Another dream that a lot of us have is a fully equipped home gym.  How many times do you find yourself making excuses for not going to the gym because it’s too far or requires too much effort to get into a car to get there?  Let’s get on that New Year’s resolution to get in shape, and make it easier to do so by having a home gym that you can walk over to at any time of the day (or night!).  All you really need is a treadmill, some weights, a yoga mat and a bench, and you should be good to go for a total body workout.

Speaking of yoga, if you’ve always wanted a yoga studio, that would be even easier.  Get a few mirrors and some yoga mats and you’re good to go!

Media Room

If getting to the gym isn’t a struggle, and you’re in love with technology and all things media, consider creating a media room.  Get your big screen TV, a couch, maybe a cool sound system if you can get your hands on one, and let the movie nights and game time parties begin!

Office/Library

If you’re more of a quiet person, or you just need some space to work or study at home, you’d be better off creating an office or library for yourself.  You can get some nice desks and arm chairs and have that quiet place away from your kids so that you can finally get some work done.

Art Studio

Any artist would dream of having a personal studio where one can paint or sculpt.  If you’re an artist, this is your one chance to get the studio you’ve always wanted.  You can put up some shelves to keep your supplies, have a table on one side for sculpting, and a canvas and easel next to the window for you to paint.

What Are You Waiting For?

We just threw out some ideas of what you can do with your extra space, but there are tons more things that you can do—it all just depends on your preferences and interests.  Don’t let that extra room go to waste by adding clutter to it.  Clean it out, put the stuff that you want to save into a local storage facility, and create that dream room that you’ve wanted for so long.