An open-plan home with shared living, dining and kitchen spaces can have many benefits. It can even help give your home an edge when it comes to selling it later down the line.
But there can be cons as well as pros. It’s important to weigh up your options and consider both negatives and positives to determine what’s right for your home.
If you’re thinking about whether you should buy a home that is open plan or you are considering making your Basingstoke home open plan, here’s a summary of the pros and cons to help you decide.
What are the Benefits of Having an Open Plan Home?
- It’s Sociable – Since open-plan homes have shared dining, living and cooking spaces, it’s easy to see how it makes your home a more sociable space. Preparing food in the kitchen as the host of a dinner party doesn’t have to mean you’re cut off from the conversations. Plus, you can chat with the family wherever you are on weeknights.
- It Maximises Available Space – Open-plan living means knocking down walls, which doesn’t just give the illusion of more space, it actually increases your available square meterage. With shared living, kitchen and dining areas, you can maximise your space and make a smaller home look bigger.
- It Boosts Sunlight – No matter which floor plan you opt for when opening up your home, you’re bound to boost the natural light in all your key spaces. A healthy dose of sunlight can easily make a space appear bigger. Plus, it’s a top selling point for most homes!
What are the Drawbacks of Open Plan Living?
- Noise – Even though an open plan home can make a space more sociable, it can feel noisier. If someone’s cooking in the kitchen while you’re trying to watch TV in the living room, you may not be able to hear your show over the clattering. The slightest sounds can carry across the entire house in an open plan home and make it harder to enjoy the quiet.
- Heating – Naturally, open-plan homes are harder to heat since bigger spaces can take longer to warm up than smaller ones. However, there are lots of ways to combat this, as an open plan home doesn’t necessarily mean a cold one. Ensuring you have good insulation, double-glazed windows and efficient energy options (like underfloor heating) can make it easier to keep your open plan home warm.
- Lack of Zones – With the rise of home working, having ‘zones’ is becoming a desirable feature for many buyers. Before making your home open plan, consider the working arrangements of your family. Noise travels far in open-plan spaces, which can make it harder for multiple people to work. Plus, having separate ‘work’ and ‘play’ spaces can be more desirable when selling your home.
Need Advice?
Choosing to make your Basingstoke home open plan is a big decision. There are many factors to consider about how you utilise your space currently and what makes sense practically for your family. Plus, resale value should always be taken into account.
If you’re looking at making your Basingstoke home open plan for re-sale purposes, Belvoir Basingstoke are your local property experts. Our friendly team would love to chat about the value of your home.
Give us a call today for advice on 01256 809807 or send us an email at basingstoke.sales@belvoir.co.uk
