Have you decided that your dream home includes a bonus room, but you’re not quite sure exactly how you’d make the most of that space? Then this is the post for you!
Today, many craftsman house plans - small or large - often include bonus rooms. These homes have plenty of other design characteristics that draw so many people to this style, including covered front porches, overhanging eaves, pillar-lined entryways, and natural materials. Although the craftsman style dates back to the 19th century, it has become an increasingly popular choice for new home builds in the last 5-10 years, leaving plenty of homeowners wondering about the best way to utilize their bonus room.
Bonus rooms are typically located above the garage or sometimes in an attic. They’re found in two-story homes, and in many cases, they’re the only room on the second floor. In the past, bonus rooms may have gone unused or underutilized simply because homeowners weren’t quite sure what to do with them. But here’s the good news: gone are the days when bonus rooms are unused, awkward spaces with no designated purpose!
There are so many ways you can maximize this “bonus” space in your home. To help you achieve this goal, here are some bonus room ideas for your craftsman house plans that might be right for you!
Homework Room
In many homes, the kitchen or family room ends up being the place homework is done, but this often comes with plenty of interruptions. To give your children a quiet, peaceful space free of common interruptions, consider using your bonus room as a dedicated space for getting homework done!
Guest Room
Maybe you’ve opted for a 3-bedroom craftsman house plan, but each of those rooms is already occupied — where will you put your guests? Whether guests are coming for a night or two or planning a longer stay, having a private place to offer them is a convenient option for everyone!
Putting guests up in the living room or wherever you can find space often disrupts the flow of your home and leaves you and your guests without privacy. When you choose a craftsman house plan with a bonus room AND a bonus bathroom, like this one pictured, you and your guests will have the space and privacy you desire.
Home Office
It’s quite common to see craftsman house plans with bonus rooms that have a lot of windows. These well-lit rooms are a natural choice for a home office where you can enjoy the view as you get your work done. For those who work from home, having this separate space from the rest of the house can be the perfect distraction-free space to do your job.
Kids Hangout Room
If your kids are young, turning the bonus room into a playroom can save you from constantly picking up toys from the rest of the house. This dedicated space filled with all of their toys will help contain the mess and it’s bound to become your kids’ favorite place in the home. Once your kids are a bit older, this room can be a hangout space for them to spend time with their friends. Think comfy couches, video game equipment, or whatever else is bound to provide endless fun for teenagers!
Entertainment Room
Maybe your family room is where you usually watch TV, but when you have the use of a bonus room, turning it into a dedicated entertainment room can be an excellent option. This could be the room where you add a big screen TV, surround sound speakers, and the most comfortable furniture you can imagine! Suddenly, your family movie nights have become even better than ever before.
Multipurpose Room
When homeowners choose a small craftsman house plan, it’s critical to make the most of their bonus room. That’s why turning it into a multipurpose room with several uses might be the right choice.
This could mean having one area with a desk as a make-shift office, as well as another corner with an art setup, and a TV and other entertainment equipment in another part of the room.
Nursery
Maybe at first, a 3-bedroom home was plenty of room for your family. But if another little one is on the way, using your bonus room as a nursery could be the best choice for the space. Perhaps down the road when your children are a few years older, bedrooms can be shared, and the bonus room can be used for something else. But in the meantime, a bonus room nursery can be a peaceful place that’s perfect for a baby to sleep.
Project/Hobby Room
Some hobbies tend to cause a lot of noise, which is why getting a bit of distance from the other people in your home when you work on your passion projects can be a good thing.
Because bonus rooms are often on a floor of their own in the home, they are a natural choice for a space if noise spreading to the rest of the home is a concern. Whether the bonus room is used for something like wood-working or practicing the trumpet or anything in between, the entire household can benefit from getting a bit of space from the noise.
Storage
For many of us, finding storage space in the home can be a struggle. In that case, using your bonus room for storing things like luggage, seasonal items, household supplies, or just about anything else you don’t need to access on a daily basis might be the perfect use for this room.
These are only some of the bonus room ideas you have to choose from. The convertible and multipurpose nature of this extra space is just one of the reasons so many homeowners choose to build a craftsman home that includes a bonus room.
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