Do you adore throwing parties? Maybe you are the queen of epic dinner soirees, the master of mystery gatherings, or the king of football get-togethers? Whatever the occasion, a home frequently hosting events with large groups of people benefits from different design aspects than the average home. If you see many parties in your future, we recommend the following home renovations to make your house more people-friendly.
An Open-Style Kitchen
The kitchen is both the heart and the stomach of the house. It is the place where people tend to gather to talk, eat, and sip on their cocktails. Even a beautifully-set dining table won’t entice people to sit until the food is formally served; instead, they all end up in the kitchen. By renovating your home to an open-concept kitchen, you can expand the space for guests to socialize while still being able to cook and communicate with other areas of the house.
Outdoor Oasis-Style Landscaping
When the weather is right, it is always a good idea to herd your guests outdoors. Being outside allows guests more space to chat, kids to play without fear of breaking things, messes not to matter as much, and for sound to disperse rather than resonate. However, if your landscaping is lame, the guests will notice. We recommend spending the time and money on building multiple seating areas, implementing beautiful landscaping, adding subtle outdoor lighting, and leaving an open space for outdoor sports.
Plenty of Space to Park
Playing Tetris with vehicles in the driveway can get out of hand quickly, especially in small spaces. We recommend renovating your driveway, when it needs to be replaced, into a circular or half-circular design. While this will take up more of your front yard, the ease of parking will be beneficial, so guests don’t have to park on the streets, and you don’t have to deal with annoyed neighbors. Alternatively, if you can’t renovate your driveway, we recommend booking a group shuttle service to transport your guests to and from your party to prevent traffic jams and drunk driving.
An Additional Half Bath
Lots of people mean lots of potty time. If you have just a single bathroom available to guests (without them having to stomp through a personal space like a bedroom), we recommend adding a half bath. A half bath or powder room simply needs a toilet, a sink, and a mirror, thus, requiring very little of your floor plan. To prevent adding much plumbing, we suggest placing your half bath close to an existing kitchen, laundry room, or utility room since the plumbing is already close.
The Ultimate Den
Depending on the types of parties that you host, the den of the home may be the perfect place to renovate. Do you have sports fans in the house? A room designed around a giant TV is the way to go. Maybe your group wants a bar experience at home? You can set up a cocktail lounge with a pool table and other similar entertainment. Perhaps you host crafting parties? Think big tables, comfy, upright chairs, and built-in cabinets to store all the supplies. Whatever you choose, the den is the perfect place to customize your party space without affecting the standard day-to-day activities of your home.
Guest Sleeping Spaces
Hosting parties frequently involves guests staying over, whether it is an overnight planned for an out-of-town guest or an unplanned whoops-I-drank-too-much guest. When this happens, you need a place for these people to sleep comfortably. While couches are an option, we recommend having a designated guest space for them to take advantage of. Even in smaller homes, you can easily install a Murphey bed!
However, if you frequently have couples or groups of people spending the night, a single-family home with lots of guests may feel a bit crowded. Sometimes people don’t want to wake up every morning for two weeks to their cranky mother-in-law; we get that. Therefore, we recommend adding a guest house if you have the available property space. Many cities allow for additional dwelling units up to about 900 square feet. This is more than enough space to fit a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and seating area. You may even be able to add a loft, which is great if you frequently host families with children. Plus, when your guests aren’t in town, you can rent it as a vacation rental to make back the money you spent! Genius!
Hardwood Flooring Everywhere
While the above ideas were specific zones of the house, this renovation applies to the house as-a-whole. As you no-doubt know, carpet is not a friend to parties. Carpet can quickly get dirtied by shoes and stained by spills; we’ve all faced that red wine crisis! By replacing carpet with hardwood flooring, you can prevent excessive wear and tear on the floors and easily and quickly clean them up after an event.
We applaud you on your dedication to being the life of the party and building robust relationships with your friends and family. Through these renovations, you will make your home party functional and exceed your return on investment when it comes time to sell.
