Kids Gone? Re-feather that nest!

Indulge yourself by making the most of found space.

Written by Scott Sowers

Photo by Kenneth M. Wyner, courtesy of Travis Price Architects.

Architect Travis Price reminds that the sky is the limit for some empty nest remodels, which can lead to rethinking the whole house.

Photo courtesy of Adams Design Inc.

Interior designer Lisa Adams recommends
simple fabric changes and serious
de-cluttering to change a room's feel.

When grown children finally fledge, parents find themselves suddenly alone with empty rooms and, sometimes, heavy hearts. Many deal by picking up sledge hammers and knocking down walls or by doing nothing, the inaction creating a memorial to the departed offspring that swallows up valuable square footage that could be put to better use.

Deciding what to do with found space that was once filled with children leads homeowners to counsel with architects, designers, remodelers, and contractors. Projects range from a simple room makeover to entire house additions. What goes into the space is influenced by hobbies, changing lifestyles and, of course, budget.

Invite Guests

If you don't want to risk a drop in resale value by losing a bedroom, turn the kid space into charming guest quarters with inexpensive fixes. "First of all, put away all the stuffed animals. You probably need to take up the carpet or rug, and then take a good look at the bed," says Lisa Adams, president of Adams Design Inc. in Georgetown. If there's room, she recommends replacing a twin bed with a queen to accommodate couples.

The walls where the posters used to hang sometimes present painting problems. "Kids use crayons and Scotch tape, so we must prime carefully," says Federico Roman of Benchmark Painting in Kensington. Kid friendly décor like wall-size murals may require more drastic measures. "Sometimes we have to do a skim coat of plaster on the walls, or the mural will come back," says Roman.

Photo courtesy of Beyond Closets

Beyond Closets' modern take on a Murphy bed
creates space in a spare bedroom

Work and Play at Home

But turning a bedroom into another bedroom isn't your only option. Home offices are incredibly popular and only require a change of furniture. For a more finished look, consider some custom bookcases and cabinets. "Built-ins are generally going to be more expensive than store-bought pieces," says Matt Teskey, sales manager for Woodwise Interiors in Bethesda, "but custom cabinets change a room's function by maximizing the space." You can also add the office without totally losing the bedroom by using a day bed, wall bed, or a folding futon.

Bedrooms are also being turned into hobby rooms. Poker rooms are moving out of basements, and home gyms are moving downstairs. As more spare time is plowed into special interests, anything is possible. "Sitting rooms," says Adams, "have been replaced by present-wrapping rooms or music rooms with built-in cabinets."

Photo by Greag Hadley, courtesy of Gilday Renovations

Gilday Renovations adapts unused bedroom space
to become part of a master bedroom suite.

Mega Master Suite

If empty nest-induced passion eclipses the need for the extra bedroom, envision a to-die-for lover's lair with his and hers killer closets. "The most popular request from empty nesters is for their own master suite," says Mark Richardson, the president of Case Design/Remodeling in the District. The idea of turning a four bedroom house into a three is becoming more accepted by homeowners and the remodeling community.

"We say, 'How can we give the client what they're looking for in the confines of their own house without an addition,'" says Tom Gilday, president of Gilday Renovations in Silver Spring. The space captured from what used to be the kid's room is being plowed into larger bedrooms and bathrooms with all the goodies. "Once they redo the kitchen, they do a master suite, often with a big shower" says Gilday.

Multi-head, two-person showers are popular, with separate toilet rooms a frequent request. But in the D.C. area, where many homes were built in the era when we all had far fewer possessions, an enlarged custom-built closet is a top priority.

What used to be a shelf and a pole jammed inside a two-foot by six-foot recess covered by twin sliding doors has turned into a 2.5 billion dollar a year industry. "A large closet is certainly part of the new master suites," says Dennis Stotlemyer, vice president of the Closet Factory in Waldorf. "We've taken a spare bedroom and turned the whole thing into a closet." Closets have become so huge they now have furniture. "Everybody would like to have an island," says Stotlemyer, "but the space has to be large enough to handle that."

Photo courtesy of Adams Design Inc.

The experts ad Adams Design suggest taking advantage of re-purposed
space by creating slots in walls to let light in

Closet islands are typically filled with functional drawers for socks, undergarments or jewelry. Sometimes security features can be incorporated. "We do creative installations of safes and document storage," says Mark Evans, president of Beyond Closets in Sterling. "Depending on the room's height, we use a much taller board for shelving or do a triple hang with a wardrobe lift for clothes that are out of season." Lifts, or pole-mounted handles, are used to move high-mounted racks of clothes. Custom mirrors, crown molding, and furniture-like base moldings help transform an ordinary closet into a personal dressing room.

When pondering the possibilities offered by a suddenly less crowded house, it's easy to get excited about what new spaces have to offer. But keep in mind there will be some challenges along the way. One of them is making sure the new space blends with the old. "A good question to ask is, 'How do I get to it from the other rooms?'" says architect Travis Price in Takoma Park. Feathering one part of the nest can produce a brood of interior design projects. The results can transform your home to match your new lifestyle.