Home improvement plays an important role in creating a conducive living space but, while most experts recommend home improvement as a way to increase the market value of your property, creating a sense of connection within your home should be top priority. Creating a family experience in a home that’s cozy, comfortable, and beneficial to your health is everyone’s dream.
Imagine you come home after a long day at work.
It was a rough day and you’d spilled coffee all over your shirt. You change and notice the laundry basket is full. So you go downstairs and start a load before remembering that your coffee-stained shirt is still upstairs. You go up, then back down and throw said shirt in with the laundry.
You approach the kitchen where your spouse is making dinner for the family. You spend a few minutes going back and forth between the kitchen and the living room where your kids are, because it’s separated by a large wall.
It’s a warm summer day and, after being cooped up within the confines of an office, you decide to get some fresh air out in the backyard. You look around and there’s really nowhere to sit or anything to look at, so you find yourself taking a seat on the warm cement porch and mindlessly scroll through your phone.
Your home is your safe haven and where you and your family spend a large part of your time. The feeling when you wake up to get your day started at home or walk through the doors of your house after a long day of work should be one of comfort, joy, and peace.
As a stay at home parent or a working parent, your living space can either promote healthier living both mentally and physically, or contribute to your stress.
The big question is - is your home optimized in a way that promotes the lifestyle that you want to cultivate?
Where do we begin to look for areas on home improvement?
The challenge that most people face when it comes to home improvement is to find the right information and expertise that aligns with their goals. If you’re finding yourself in the same predicament, let’s take a look at the three categories of a home that determines its ease and functionality.
1. Leisure time
Once dinner is over, work is done, and the house is tidied up, your leisure time with family is what makes your space enjoyable. Leisure time is different for every individual and family and it’s important to determine the number one thing that allows you to relax at home.
Is it an entertainment space in your basement? A play area for the kids? A backyard with a firepit for the family night movie and activities? Or a reading space with some outdoor lighting by a pond during the warm seasons where you can unwind after work?
At the end of a long day, the goal is to create a space where you want to come home to instead of a place of constraint that you need an escape from.
2. Outdoor space
An integral piece of creating a family experience and joy within your home is through a beautiful outdoor living space. While sitting on your porch might suffice for a short amount of time, a beautifully designed yard promotes outdoor living by creating an attractive, functional environment and encourages connecting with nature and family as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Your family and guests can enjoy evenings on your patio or deck, share stories around a fire pit, and enjoy a cool breeze in the warmer months. Having an outdoor space is one of the key elements of a home where you can de-stress and connect with family.
Not only does an outdoor space enhance your life, a beautiful landscape increases the “curb appeal” and market value of your property. You can have a million dollar home on the inside, but it’s the first impression that’s going to seal the deal.
When you have an outdoor space that is catered to your lifestyle, something amazing happens. You, your family, and your guests experience the health benefits of being in nature, increased enjoyment, and more connection. It is more powerful than any other home improvement that’s done inside your four walls.
Preserving the natural feel at home with an attractive yard is proven to increase your quality of life by helping you cope with the daily hustle and bustle of urban living. Being able to connect with nature and spend time with your friends and family outdoors is proof of how powerful landscape design can be.
3. Day to day function
As you’re going through your day to day tasks, like cooking in the kitchen, walking through the front entrance, doing laundry, and cleaning, your home should allow for ease and simplicity in your daily life.
A home improvement advantage in this sense could be adding a mudroom where all cleaning supplies and equipment are stored to avoid multiple trips to the basement or laundry room. A simple rearranging and redecoration of the kitchen and removing an unnecessary wall can allow for better functionality for you and your family. A well-designed outdoor space can encourage your children to spend more time outdoors to promote a more active life and to connect with nature or the whole family.
Whatever changes you make in your house to improve your day to day functions should align with the unique needs of you and your family. Not only does it make your life easier, it also frees up more time with your spouse and kids that would otherwise be spent navigating a disconnected living space.
Explore a design for your dream home.
Whether you want simple improvements or a more complex layout, the knowledgeable and passionate team at Soares Landscaping can help you create the experience, feel, and look that you envision for your dream forever home.
You shouldn’t have to come home from work and just sit inside. You deserve a better way to destress. For the best in landscape design, call Soares Landscaping today to bring your dream design into a reality.
Along with our services in Kitchener, we are also proud to serve Landscape Waterloo, Landscape Guelph, and Landscape Cambridge.
