Craftsman homes can be a joy to own due to the handcrafted features and design notes that these homes contain. There are often areas where homeowners want to improve their craftsman home, but it can be tough to determine what the right improvement plan needs to be because you need to protect the style of the home. Being sure that you are adding quality improvements that are not tied to the wrong time period is key.
Whether you are looking for help with craftsman home colors, or you need some design ideas to make outdoor or indoor spaces more usable without altering the design of the home, we can help! These ideas and suggestions are perfect for craftsman homes of various types.
Ways to Improve Your Craftsman Home
Craftsman homes often need a few modern touches along the way. You want to be sure that you add the right kinds of materials and the right design elements when you upgrade surfaces, spaces, and styling in your home. If you are returning your craftsman home to its original styling, this process might be even harder. Be careful to avoid altering your craftsman home in the wrong ways so that you don’t have to pay to change the styling and design down the road.
1. Add a Covered Porch
You can always add a porch to your craftsman home, so long as it is the right style and type of porch. For houses from this time period and with this style sensibility, you will need to add a wide, covered porch that has tapered columns or double square columns. These pillars and the overall suggested design of the porch will keep to the styling of the house and will add a usable space that makes the heat of summer and the chill of winter less of an issue.
Being able to use the outdoor spaces around your home can make it much easier to enjoy your craftsman home in all seasons.
2. Update the Bathrooms
You are welcome to update the interior of your craftsman home to include some modern features and functions. One of the places where you can add modern items is the bathrooms. These areas are not locked in as far as styling goes, although a claw-foot tub will never be amiss here.
The shower is often the key area of focus for this kind of upgrade, and you can usually easily insert a modern shower surround into your bathroom space without breaking up the lines of the home or changing the style in any major way.
3. Add Exposed Beams
Exposed wood on the ceilings of craftsman homes is an ideal upgrade if you are looking at raising the roof or removing some support structures to be able to open up your living space somewhat. Exposed beams are very beautiful and totally keep with the rest of the style demands of your craftsman home.
Make sure that you work with a skilled team who are familiar with this style of home before you embark on this kind of project. Getting the wrong style of the exposed beam or altering the shape of the interior rooms too much can actually harm the value of your craftsman home. These homes can also be quite tricky to modify, which is another reason that you need to undertake a project like this with care.
4. Refresh the Fireplace
Most craftsman homes have a fireplace, but these areas can get sooty, dated, or worn-out looking. If you are looking for ways to freshen up your craftsman home, you need to be sure to consider a little facelift for your fireplace surround.
Be sure to stick to the right materials and finishes for the time period, and be sure that you check on the health of the fireplace and all of its components before you put a new façade on the fireplace. It can be tempting to just add a new fascia to the fireplace, but fireplaces of this age can sometimes require a lot more work than a few simple material alterations.
Being sure that your fireplace is not going to leak or allow creatures into your home is key. If you are going to change anything about the fireplace, you need to have a skilled expert check on the health of your fireplace at the same time.
5. Update the Kitchen
Craftsman homes can have dated kitchen spaces, which is why it is totally okay to add a center island to make your kitchen more usable. You might also want to remove enclosing walls that make the kitchen feel like it’s in a totally separate part of the house.
These alterations should be done by a builder who is experienced in working with craftsman-style homes to ensure that modern elements do not find their way into the design of your refinished kitchen. Many people make the mistake of remodeling a kitchen in a home of this type and making the kitchen feel too modern to fit with the rest of the house. Avoiding this common pitfall is easy if you use the right materials and design ideas and work with a skilled team of installers.
Updating a Craftsman Home Doesn’t Have to be a Struggle
If you have been worrying about altering the appearance of your craftsman home by making upgrades, you can rest assured that there are ways to make your craftsman home a joy to live in that will not reduce its value. Working with a skilled builder who is familiar with this kind of home and the design notes that need to be included can ensure that your home looks great and retains its value after you have completed the upgrades you need.
Upgrading a home requires careful thought into the design, the styling, and the function of the changes that need to be made. Working with the right team can protect the value of your home and ensure that you love the alterations that were made to create a more modern living space.
