Many people love the classic charm of an older or historic home, and they are drawn to these homes for their character and personality. However, many people also prefer an open floor plan in their home, and this is difficult to find in older homes. Older homes have generally been constructed with compartmentalized rooms. The rooms may have windows and doorways as needed, but they also often have four walls enclosing the room.

Furthermore, the existing windows may be small, creating a dark environment. One idea to update an older home with an open floor plan is to tear down interior walls, but this can be expensive and stressful. Another idea that may be more cost-effective overall is to add onto the home with an open plan addition.

Adding Functional Square Footage

Many older homes are also unfortunately rather small. The rooms are designed with limited dimensions, and the homes often do not have the full amount of square footage that you need. Through an open-plan addition, you can extend the length or width of the rooms in one or two directions in many cases. The new addition can have an open plan, and this can give you the open experience that you desire. Some of the rooms may still remain enclosed, such as a front study or bedroom. Others, however, may be extended and opened up to give you usable square footage with a modern layout. Furthermore, larger and more strategically placed windows can further enhance the experience in the rooms.

Photo by Alair Homes Burlington – Browse transitional living room photos

Creating an Appealing Floor Plan

With an open addition, most of the existing rooms inside the home remain intact, and you simply extend the home outward, to the side or both. Boxy, small rooms are made larger, and the new areas have an open feel. This drastically improves the feel of the home and makes the floor plan more functional. This can improve your living experience, and it can make it easier for you to sell your home when the time comes to do so.

Improving Property Value

While tearing down the existing interior walls in the home and creating an open floor plan can improve property value, your dollar for dollar cost may not be as impactful as you might think. When you complete an open-plan addition, your dollars are largely being used to add square footage to the home. This has a direct impact on the value of the home. Through this type of project, you may be able to recoup more of your investment.

Many people who own older homes or who are thinking about purchasing one have a strong desire to tear down a few interior walls. In some cases, this is a cost-effective approach. However, for many, this will be ineffective at truly producing the amount of usable square feet they need and enlarging the rooms to a more comfortable size. It is beneficial to examine the possibility of an open plan addition rather than a renovation as an option for achieving the results you desire for your older home.