5 Fantastic Family Home Transformations

Sarah Tolle – Homify Canada Sarah Tolle – Homify Canada
rustic by tillschweizer.co, Rustic
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Thinking of remodelling your home? Before you get started, homify has a few ideas and smart tips for your makeover. Each of these five different homes got a new lease on life and we hope they inspire you to make some changes of your own. 

From Vacant…

Dampening to the point of becoming oppressive, this vacant house has seen better days. A weathered and forlorn facade appears to be giving up under the heavy black weight of the roof, and dark, ominous windows serve to add a hint of gloom to a first impression. Surrounded by several layers of fencing, this place is anything but inviting, causing you to wonder why a property might need so many barriers to begin with. While the house clearly needs a lift, however, you can see that the natural surroundings hold great potential for a family who'd like to enjoy living in the outdoors.

… To Vibrant

Architects from One!Contact have completely revitalized the home, lifting the facade with an eye-catching central wall that warms up the clean white look of the rest of the building. Now accessible by a smooth driveway and lined with green grass (instead of ominous fences), this home has rolled out a welcome, and wide windows in both the walls and the roof indicate that the interior of the home enjoys more than  its fair share of natural light. On the lower right, you can see that the family has added a pond, placing an emphasis on the natural beauty that surrounds this rural home.

From Overgrown…

This before photo shows a typical image of a home that's been left to its own devices – while crawling ivy vines add charm (as well as a certain amount of insulation for temperature regulation), there comes a time when enough is enough. Aside from the ivy, though, this home had one serious practical limitation: it wasn't big enough for the family. As the family grew, the house didn't. This renovation job was therefore commissioned for the main purpose of giving this family a few extra rooms to enjoy.

… To Grown Up

Instead of ivy creeping over the roof, the top of this home now offers a whole new floor, complete with a third floor balcony. The second floor balcony has also been preserved – and extended, giving that much more space to enjoy a view outside. This is a perfect example of a home that's been enlarged without changing the original floor plan – building up instead of out is a great solution for urban homes with limited property surrounding them.

Expanding your own home? Here are some tricks for doing it on a tight budget!

From Washed-Out…

This historic home certainly offers a hint of nostalgia, but its washed-out exterior also brings out a certain sense of gloom. With a simple, logical form of four square walls and a tiled gable roof, this home is both a vision of heartwarming simplicity, and boredom. 

… To Fresh-Faced

It didn't take much to bring this home into the 21st century! Still preserving its original shape and size, this home has gotten an exterior facelift featuring a warm, peach-coloured stripe that wraps around the house. Combined with the corner windows that also wrap around the edges of the home, this new design offers movement and energy, something that was missing from the static construction of before. Conserving its traditional tiled roof, this new charcoal grey home boasts a modern, high-contrast colour scheme as well as the traditional roof and shape that speak to its past.

From Outbuilding…

This images shows a bakery built in 1564 in the Bavarian countryside, a listed building that had been standing vacant for more than 40 years. Despite its historical significance and dozens of interesting stories that lurked within its walls, it wasn't being enjoyed much by anyone. This is until Jürgen Ronald Praxl from Better House came across the building and proceeded to breathe new life into its walls, making it more accessible and brining its facilities up to code.

… to Outstanding

Barn and farm renovations never cease to amaze. This reno job took about a year to complete, saving the withering building from eventual decay. Undertaken in cooperation with the Bavarian State Conservation Office, this renovation job has  been careful to preserve the original structure and character of the building, but it has been stabilized and provided with new balconies, roof, and windows. With a newfound sense of stability, this sophisticated and spacious building will now be a living space to be enjoyed for years to come.

From Garage…

This to-be home started as the brown and white garden shed/garage that you see hiding behind a hill in this Autumn picture. Built very close to the neighboring home (and practically overwhelmed by it, it seems), this garden shed was built for practicality and storage, not for single-family living. However, the property holds a lot of promise for a family home, as there's a nice-sized lawn as well as a variety of trees to provide shade in the summer. 

… to Glamorous

The architects from Tillschwizer.Co have taken a garage and completely reconfigured it, turning the structure into a cabin-style single family home. With a new, organic look, the facade has gained a natural and bright sense of welcome, and the healthy front yard, mature trees, and patio swing add to the home's friendliness.

What do you think of this home renovation projects? Comment below!

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