You trip over a bookbag as you walk in the front door. The kitchen cabinets have stacks of, well, everything. That baseball uniform or homework or dance shoes have disappeared into the void. Maybe it’s time for a little – or a big – home renovation. But before you start, consider these tips from a builder who is also a mom.
Sarah Sain and her husband own Sain Homes. She got her first renovation job from her dad when she was 13, so she knows the ins and outs of remodeling on a budget and in a way that works for those who will use the space.
“First of all, you really need to stop and consider before you remodel,” she said. “Think through practically, how do you want to live in your home? How do you actually live? And how do you want to live? Because I think so many people think, ‘Oh, I’m going to have Carrara marble countertops in this beautiful, perfect white kitchen.’ And you know, that’s beautiful and possible, but you need to think about that every day use. Do you need space to have your espresso maker because you love making a latte in the morning? Do the kids come in and dump their backpacks on the island every day? Think through the things that drive you crazy, and then think through how you live. Then think through what you want, and see where some of those things can marry.”
The kitchen
It’s where we spend our time, so function truly matters in the kitchen.
“I feel like they’re the heart of the home,” Sain said. “Even my own kids when they come through the door after school, that’s where everything gets dumped – on the kitchen island. I am a big fan of having as big of a kitchen island as your space allows.”
Sain said families often eat around the island and prepare food there.
“I don’t like to have a sink in the island, if I can help it, when we’re doing renovations,” she said. “We like to be all open and together and there’s coloring pages flying while I’m chopping vegetables for dinner and my husband is on his laptop, following up with email.”
Sain also prefers to skip the in-island stove or cooktop, especially for families with kids.
“The most practical thing you could possibly have for a kitchen would be a kitchen island, preferably without a sink and definitely not a stove,” she said. “Snack storage – and I would recommend that be accessible to the kids, whether you have a pantry, do you have drawers in your island that the kids have all their snacks in, something that’s going to save you time and effort. Let them do what they can to be independent in that way.”
And sometimes the small things are the big things.
“I’m really picky about cabinet hardware,” she said. “I know it’s probably a very dumb hill to die on, but you want to be really careful with what kind of cabinet hardware you’re putting on because you don’t want your jeans to get stuck when you’re walking by. There’s little things like that because the kitchen gets so much wear and tear.”
Space for art and creative play (doubles for homework too)
The entire house can get overrun with toys and art supplies, so having a designated space just makes sense. Sain says a piece of furniture or a built-in desk can help keep everything together. If there’s a room to dedicate to the kids, that’s even better.
“At any time you can have a designated place for the kids that’s a little ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for the parents’ sanity,” she said. “When you have company, it’s not like you’ve got this mountain of toys to clean up before everyone comes over. We just had a birthday party for me at my house with my two best friends and their husbands, their kids. We had a big playroom downstairs, so literally all the kids just went downstairs and played all night.”
If you can cultivate that space, whether it’s a corner or a room, it can become the place that belongs to the kids.
“My hope is that our house will one day be the house that all teenagers want to hang out at,” Sain said. “And I’ll have a fridge with drinks and snacks that anyone and everyone is welcome to and they can enjoy so that everyone can hang out at our house for years and years to come.
Mudroom or laundry room
If space permits, having a “drop zone” for backpacks, jackets, lunchboxes, sports gear and the like makes life easier for everyone. Sain says it’s also a great spot for the “random things that moms need and use on a random but necessary basis, like birthday banners or extra wrapping paper.”
Adding cabinetry to that space means it can be a place to stash gifts and treats too.
A room that grows with your child
“I think it’s really important to design kids’ rooms that suit their interests right now, but not in a childish way, so that you don’t have to constantly update their spaces,” Sain said. “I think there’s a way to choose a really mature color palette for a room, and all you have to do is change out bedding or a couple of pieces of art on the wall and let it grow with the kids no matter their age.”
Make it work for your needs
There is no “one size fits all” for home renovations, but figuring out what makes life and parenting work is just good design.
“If we can design things and arrange things in a way that serves the family well on a day only basis, from that first morning cup of coffee to the end of the day climbing into bed, then that’s what we want to do,” Sain said.
Get more tips from Sain at sainhomes.com.