Burning Question: Bonus Room?
Forget the economy and play along with us for a second. Imagine that you’ve had a windfall: you’ve won a contest or by some other means you’ve been awarded the opportunity to build an addition on your home. You can add one more room, big or small, and – in the interest of making this fun – you’re not constrained by building codes, construction barriers and other limits of reality. So – what kind of room do you add?
A cozy library or high-tech movie room? A fully-equipped home gym or a relaxing indoor pool? Maybe something a bit more practical would get you just as excited- like a huge walk-in closet to store your wardrobe or maybe a mother-in-law suite to store your, well, you know…
Can’t wait to hear what sorts of rooms you guys daydream about. Have fun!
Image courtesy of MonteCristo Pictures on Flickr.
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I would add a guest suite (including bathroom) so that our guests have their own privacy and we have privacy from the guests!!
I’d like to build a 2.5 car garage with a guest house above it with a deck above the guest house with a cat walk from the guest house to the hall way of the second floor hallway of my house. sidenote i live in chicago where guesthouses above garages have been ordinanced out and garages access is thru the alley (you said make it fun).
thedirtyshow: southside’s finest
I would definitely build my own Starbucks complete with comfy couches, a relaxing laid-back atmosphere, and my own barista! What could be better than that??
I would build a separate guest house but instead of housing guests I would turn it into my own scrapbooking retreat. Also I would love a 3 seasons room which my house used to have until the previous owners knocked it down.
I’m totally in! Definitely a really big family room (we only have a living room), with lots of built-in bookcases, great closets tucked away for additional storage, big windows with lots of light and a full bathroom.
Without a doubt I would build a 2nd floor guest suite (with a big ol’ bathroom)–but it would be for me! My own hideaway. Plus, we’re all one level now, and I’d love it that this room would add a little elevation.
I live in an apartment building, but I would love to be able to build a big garden terrace off the front (we look out over the top of the first floor roof).
I would add a room that my grandchildren would love. Full of wonderful things to stir their imagination and encourage them to be creative. Of course I would mix in some of their parents older toys and I can’t forget the tv and cd player.
I just want a sunroom! Too much to ask? :)
I’d build a library. When I was younger that was one of my favorite parts of Beauty and the Beast, when he takes her to the library not knowing that she loves reading.
I’d put loads of chairs and have a window seat in there but the books would go to the ceiling. We’re big readers at our house!
I would love a roof top terrace with room for a garden, hot tub and private tanning area (so I don’t have to worry about my creeeeeepy neighbors seeing me).
Wow, this is hard. On my wish list is a huge family room. Like Leah I would add a great built-in shelving system for all my books, and also create a separate area that could be utilized as an office.
We just removed our screened in porch and built an open deck, and I would actually love to build a sunroom (kinda like yours!) attached that deck. Complete with a hot tub and really comfy couches…ahhhh.
A first floor master, for sure.
I think my response is going to be a little different from most. My house was built in 1924 and is almost completely original, down to the doors, windows and light fixtures. Due to the layout and age of the home, to add a room on would be nearly impossible without disrupting the flow and hurting the character of the house. I wouldn’t change a thing about my house.
BUT my house used to have a guest house that was a mini version of the main house. I’d love to recreate it.
A bonus room that doubles as a game room and theater, with comfy relaxing recliners and projection screen and black out curtains on one side of the room and on the other side a bookcase filled with games and a table perfect for card games or puzzles…a place for some quality family time
I would add a bathroom, haha! simple and necessary. we have a cape cod, so i would lift the whole roof, add a bathroom and make it a master suite!
I would go for an ultimate scrapbook/craft room full of organization stuff, all the furniture would be from pottery barn and anthropology ,,, ah so nice to dream.
At this point, I would take just about anything! My fiance and I are living in a 2 bedroom condo and we are way past moving out of it. On my wish list is a nice walk in closet (we BOTH have a lot of clothes) with shelves to display all of my shoes. I also am craving a crafting room or even nook, so my supplies don’t have to stored under the bed. Lastly, a seperate office so my fiance can spread his books out without spreading them all over our “guest room” bed.
A girl can dream!
Can I add a secret passageway? I freaking loved the secret passageway they had in the babysitters club books (was it Dawn and Stacy?) That is the one thing I would love my older home (1850′s) to have. It would be so fun to build a secret passageway into the walls.
Not even a moments hesitation, we would add a luxurious MASTER SUITE!!! (and turn our current room into the den :) ) With 4 kids, one needs a kid free, non-Kool-Aid stained space for retreat! Some important features: A separate entrance (more importantly a separate exit), sound-proofed walls, my own sink, and those retractable block-out blinds! Sounds so too good to be true :)
A room that doubles as a movie theatre and sound-proof music room/recording studio. That would be the BEST! (We’re both music teachers and movie freaks!)
Garage…mainly because I don’t have one…or 3 season room…
I would build a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves and finally be able to get the rolling ladder I’ve always coveted.
I’d love a sunroom like yours! Then we’d install a great flagstone patio just outside of it with a curvy walkway to our detached garage.
I would add another bedroom/bathroom. We have five kids and live in a four bedroom house, and we have three kids packed in one small room. So, with the addition of another bedroom/bathroom, my oldest could move into there, and the next oldest could have her own room. Then there would only be two kids in the one room, and they would fit in there much better.
I would add another bedroom; we have a 3-bedroom home, but to have one extra for guests (because I’m sure the “spare bedroom” will be used for a sibling for our daughter – someday!) Not very exciting, I know, but we just bought our house and I really love it, just wish it was a 4-bedroom rather than a 3.
I should also add that four of our five children are girls, and we only have two bathrooms, so that third bathroom would sure come in handy. :)
We recently moved into a 43 year old ranch style home and have been updating it. If I could make an addition I would knock down almost the entire back wall of our home to add room to our master bath, master bedroom and living room. All three are quite small.
I would DEFINITELY create a one-room second story the size of the main floor. The bonus/family room would have huge windows, and would be sort of a hangout/music/library/extra bedroom/game room. Hey, there are plenty of ways to divide a large room into lots of little rooms without using walls!
I would most definitely be building a 2 story library full of leather and cloth bound old books and a huge staircase up to the second level with a sliding ladder. There would need to be a fireplace area with a couple really comfy chairs and a luxurious, sink your toes in rug on hardwood floors. Oh, and for my husband’s sake there would need to be a secret room somewhere that you access by pulling a book to move a bookcase. He’s nuts over the idea of secret passages!
We would add an outdoor space in a heartbeat! We’d buy up back parking lot of our shared townhome and put in a patio or fund the building of a balcony – either way, we’d definitely go for something that would allow for outdoor entertaining and cups of coffee al fresco in the beautiful DC weather!
Does a huge mechanic’s garage count? We only have a one car garage right now and my hubby would love to build on an additional 2.5 car garage/workshop. Along with Heat & AC for year round projects. Of course since we are dreaming, that’s where we’d keep our “new boat” as well :-)
Definitely a craft room- maybe with a corner for my husband’s computer, so we could enjoy being in the same room while each doing our own thing.
I’d like just a small study where I can put a desk, a good chair (so my back doesn’t hurt from sitting on the bed with my laptop!) and basically all my books and well, desk-stuff :) I’m in a shared house where I have to work/study in the same room as my boyfriend, it’s very small, so yaay for my own virtual private study area!
Without a doubt I would build an office for myself. All I have is a desk in the living room, so my stuff spills out all over the coffee table quite frequently. A nice big space for making jewelry and sewing………sounds wonderful.
A non-creepy WALK-IN attic that is actually floored! We have tons of attic space and two pull-downs, but one is in the garage so you would have to be part of a high-wire act to feel comfortable climbing that ladder – and we haven’t decked the attic yet, so it’s not really useable yet. Attic!
that’s a toughie. probably either a kitchen/family room addition or a big, gorgeous master suite that we could both enjoy. complete with a fireplace, for sure. fun question!
I would add a sunroom for sure. Right now we are in the middle of turning our little ½ car garage into a den. Should be fantastic when we finish.
I would have to add on to the master bedroom. I would add a great den and an exercise room. I could get all the “house stuff” done at the end of the day and retire to the den for a great show I have recorded before I head to bed. I need the exercise room so I won’t have to deal with the crowded and smelly gym!
I would definitely add a media/entertaining room. My fiance LOVES to watch movies and football with his friends. It would be great for them to watch movies and sports on a huge flat screen tv with surround sound and maybe have a small kitchen with a bar and a wine fridge so people can hang out in the room when they come over. We hope to do this in a basement when we buy a house.
I would build an entertainment room – for music, movies, games and even parties. It would be a rectangular room with enough sound insulation built in to be able to play the stereo real loud. I would place a really large Kashmiri silk rug in the middle of the room for sit down music sessions with friends and family. A comfy seating arrangement on one side of the room with the large TV screen plus media equipment on the opposite wall. Plenty of cushions and large poufs to sit on, plus everything needs to be movable for dance parties. I would like windows on the other two sides with heavy curtains to block light if needed. The walls would be a buttery yellow and I want a mural on the ceiling. I would add plenty of mood lighting around the room and one exquisite crystal chandelier on top of that silk rug in the middle of the room. I am also thinking a few well curated bookcases spread out to hold books and beautiful things would be a nice touch. Musical instruments like sitar, guitar, drums and a keyboard would have to find a place. I would also get a mini bar made in one corner for the occasional parties. If my budget was unlimited and life wasn’t so realistic, this would be my dream room.
I live in a one story, 913 square foot house that I classify as a Ranchalow – somewhere between a rancher and a bungalow. We have three very small bedrooms, a bath, a living room, and a small eat-in kitchen that can only fit a bench seating or a small table for four.
Our house was built in the early 1950s, and it’s humbling to realize that people raised families of 5 and 6 in these houses because they needed less and lived simply. We’re trying to get back ot that ourselves. Still, I love cooking and entertaining, so my addition is a no-brainer. If I had my druthers, I would build a sunny addition to my kitchen with a big ‘ole table and seating area. That would give me plenty of room in my existing kitchen for a pantry, an island, and maybe even a dishwasher. I’ll have dishpan hands by the time I’m 30 at this rate!
Sigh. A girl can dream, right?
Our older home is a modest size – but exactly what we wanted. A sprawling house with rooms used once a year just wasn’t our thing. However, we have seriously considered bumping out the back of the house (someday) to expand the kitchen which is already situated there – and we have the yard to spare some extra square footage. Expanding the kitchen on the first floor would make room upstairs to expand what is currently our smallest bedroom. I’d make that the master suite with an en suite bath, giving us an extra bath upstairs.
It’s our dream, but actually a realistic one. We’ll get there someday!
Wow, I love this question.
First, I’d add on to our daughter’s room and turn it into a guest suite (it’s at the other end of our house and she doesn’t sleep in there anyway). Then I would add on a Master suite at the other end of the housea and turn our current master bdrm. into her room. Then I would turn our patio into a sunroom for a playroom and have an area in it for me to “craft” in.
With money being NO issue here…I would then have a privacy fence built in our backyard with a fort for the kids.
Hmmmmmmmm, dreams. We’re trying our hardest to turn these things into reality…one step at a time though.
More than anything, I would love a huge, screened-in porch, with ceiling fans and comfy, overstuffed couches. The mosquitos get so bad here and I love sitting outside in the evenings, it would be so nice to have it. I would decorate it with beautiful plants, include a cozy nook for the puppy and have soft light to read by in the evenings. It would be my own little piece of heaven. I’d have some Bose speakers in the walls that would play jazz and classical music – perfect chill music. Right now, my little man sleeps with me in my bed and hubs spends most of the evenings on the couch, so this would be ALL MINE!!! How wonderful does that sound???? Just the other day my husband said, “if we ever get any money, I want a boat.” I said, “if we ever get any money, I’d like an upgrade on my diamond – wait a minute, scratch that. I’d like a screened-in porch.”
Is it sad that I’d want a really large laundry/mud room? Plenty of open and closed storage, countertops for folding clothes, a utility sink, drying racks, the works!
Easy – a two story sunroom with screened window options at the back of the house. I’d want it to flow with the current dining area so we could open up french doors and expand the table to seat looooots of people if we needed/wanted. But, taking leaves out of the table and closing the french doors would make the sunroom its own again. Why two stories? Because I’d want loft beds all along the top of the room, so the children could sleep out there together in nice weather – or Mama could nap there :) Maybe a little weird to have beds at the ceiling, but I think it could have a neat, vacation home feel. Doesn’t matter, anyway, this is dreaming, right? :)
I would love to have a detached garage with a studio over head. The studio needs at least a bathroom and maybe a kitchenette so that guest can make themselves at home — but not be too big so that no one gets so comfortable that they never leave! Our lot is big enough to do it but it’s too close to a stream — and the state says NO WAY! Thus we’ll probably need a new house while we are dreaming!
That’s fun to think about! I would either do something simple like extend our living room/eating area or I would actually build on a sunroom similar to yours!