Hilary Farr's Space-Expanding Design Is Smart, But Is It Realistic?

We're always looking for ways to make our homes feel more spacious. Seeking out smart uses of lighting, paint, and accessories like mirrors can help create that illusion. It also helps to maximize every inch, like creating multipurpose rooms and turning dead spaces into storage. In some cases, it's possible to expand your home physically and add more square footage by extending it horizontally or vertically. Hilary Farr's idea for this is to transform a porch into an enclosed space. We think it's a reasonable move, but whether it's realistic will depend on the state of your porch and your home in general.

On an episode of "Love It or List It," Hilary Farr worked with a family to give up their front porch by closing it up and bringing the front of the house closer to the steps (via YouTube). This enabled them to create a spacious laundry area combined with a mudroom and another bathroom, spaces that were much more useful and functional for them. Though it isn't always an available option, taking in a front or back porch is a great way to get more interior space.

Closing in a covered porch or patio is an effective way to add more livable square footage, but it isn't easy. On the plus side, the roof and floors are already in place, but this isn't always straightforward, and you might have to upgrade them because the materials may not be suitable for the inside and you might need new ones to bring everything up to code. The foundation should be inspected to see if it's strong enough to hold up the weight of the things you're about to add on to that area, including plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems that will need to be installed. Because of this, you should consider whether it's worth it to do all the work necessary to transform the porch area into an interior part of the house.

Another thing to consider is the state of your home. Is it the type of property or location where this extension would add value? Or, will you be eliminating the only outdoor living space and worthwhile views? Take these factors into consideration to make a smart investment. If the state of your porch and your home make sense for this, and you have the budget, you can now consider your options on how to use the space. A porch on any side—the front, back, or side—can be transformed into essential rooms like bedrooms and kitchens. It can also be made into a completely new room to meet a pressing need like a home office or a laundry room.

If it's not realistic to add your porch to your interior, it might be time to consider other options. One idea we love is to turn it into a hybrid space where you can enjoy the outdoors from inside without being exposed to the elements. TikTok shares a smart way to screen in your existing porch for less than $300. Alternatively, you can choose to downsize a different room like the guest room per advice from HGTV's Marcus Lemonis. It doesn't require a lot of space and typically goes unused anyway. So, if you want more square footage to make another room more usable, this can be a suitable alternative.

Still finding it hard to create enough space for your household? It might be time to think about moving to a larger new home. Of course, this is a huge decision to make so it should be something that is necessary on all fronts, not just for more space. Proximity to school, work, and family all factor in. As you search, also look for a home that is not just bigger but has a layout and space distribution that's better suited to your needs.