Obvious open opportunities

Looking back, I have lived with around 14 different people in my life. That includes family, friends, girlfriends, and roommates (who became friends). Recently my current roomie and I were having a conversation about the layout of the house (as well as other houses we have lived in) and came up with an interesting conclusion. Bigger is not always better and "open" is not always the best option. Today I'm going to ramble on a bit about the ideas (pros and cons) of the open-concept floor plan. Perhaps it will give you some points to ponder if you're considering knocking down that wall.

In the 80s and before, homes tended to have lots of separation throughout the floor plan. I recall growing up in our standard "cape" home and was always (slightly) annoyed that there was this big "thing" right in the middle of the house (the stairs). It seemed to make the home feel much smaller and more difficult to chase my brother around without bumping into things! At the turn of the century, the open floor plan became much more popular. Let's see if it's the right thing for you.

If you have (or are going to have) kids, the open floor plan might just be the best option. It certainly creates a sense of togetherness and "community." It's also nice to be able to maintain a line of sight with those little buggers. If you are working your magic in the kitchen or binge-watching your favorite adventure show, you can still hear and (mostly) see what they are up to. This option is also great for making use of those rooms that are now (nearly) useless like the formal dining room. Except for the upcoming feast in a couple weeks (Covid notwithstanding) that room likely sits unused for most of the year. With an open concept, you can clear it out and utilize it for part of the racetrack around the home or (I'm sure) there are more reasonable uses as well.

We tend to have company over to the house quite often (Again, just pretend we can still visit with each other!). The open concept, that we enjoy in the upstairs area of the house, is simply perfect. There's a bar around the whole kitchen and that opens up into a sitting room and what has become the dining area. People can be in the kitchen, on the couch, or at the dinner table (even on the deck!) and still be part of the conversation.

Lastly, knocking down walls (besides being super fun!) will also allow for more natural light to spread throughout the home. As we're cruising into winter, daylight becomes more and more precious. The lack of extra (unnecessary) walls helps fill the home with light and may even stave off those winter blues. "Removing extraneous walls, especially in smaller homes, is a fantastic way to allow more light into the home and creates a sense of space," notes Badger Realty agent, Karla Badger.

The open-concept isn't for everyone though. I distinctly remember living in a fairly large home (around 4,000 square feet) and still feeling like I had no space to go and be alone. If someone was watching TV in that house, there was literally no place to go where you could not still hear the show. It was awesome for entertaining and provided a great sense of size and space, but privacy flew right out the window the day we moved in. This worked fine for me working from home, but only if my partner did not have a day off during the week. Then I fell into the same situation many of you are facing. Working from home while surrounded by other people that are not sharing your same sense of focus and concentration.

Swinging back around to kids, while it may be nice to keep an eye on them it might also be super handy to contain their tornado of toys and chaos to a single room. We had an easel when we were young and mom and dad set it up in the (unfinished) attic of our house. It was the perfect place to paint and make a big huge mess without messing up our own room or some other functional room of the house. We also skateboarded in the basement when the weather was not cooperating. Both great uses of closed off spaces for kids.

Lastly, in our current global environment, the "Zoom room" has become an almost required element of any home for buyers. If you go too far down the open concept plan, it becomes nearly impossible to close yourself off with some privacy for a video call. As noted above, noise travels really well when there are no walls for it to bounce off. If privacy is of any concern, the open-concept is likely not the best option.

The open floor plan creates a nice sense of space and community and lets in some awesome natural light. It also allows all the noise to travel and removes many options for privacy. Depending on your lifestyle, it might just be the right choice. Give these ideas some thought before you decide to play human bull-dozer on that non load-bearing wall! Happy Smashing!