Home upgrades: Quick tips for upgrading space that brings your household together

Spending time with those in your home is often a difficult task, especially if everyone else has their own schedules and to-do lists for their day. However, you can remodel a few choice areas to attract everyone else in the home to spend some good, old-fashioned quality time together. Here are a few key strategies to help bolster impromptu hangouts and social household gatherings.

1. Add a breakfast corner to your kitchen

Kitchens typically garner the most foot traffic of any room in the house. They are the spaces where most of the major cooking occurs and where snacks and beverages are usually stored. If the primary entryway is positioned in the kitchen, there's simply no way to avoid walking through it.

This facet creates a unique opportunity to bring people together. Integrating a breakfast and coffee counter will likely attract house members before they start their day. Rather than grab-and-go beverages, cereal or bagels, a counter with seating invites people to gather.

What generally happens next is a light conversation, which might not have otherwise occurred. Homeowners may want to consider modifying a center island, building a new one or a designated spot near a window.

2: Build a detached outdoor hangout area

While it may seem more common to have a deck, patio or veranda connected to the kitchen, it might be a bit counterintuitive for social interaction. Most house members might use the area to do work, homework, chat with friends via video calls, check social media or a plethora of other activities. A detached area, however, might change the dynamic, especially if it's a designated hangout spot for the house.

The following backyard upgrades are worth considering.

• screened-in gazebo with heating and cooking space
• hardscape with built-in outdoor kitchen and seating
• brick patio with seating and fire pit

Enjoying a sunny afternoon drinking cold beverages and eating delicious grilled foods or sitting under the stars while roasting marshmallows often proves attractive.

3: Create your own getaway room

 A getaway room brings together ideas such as game night, camping trips and rec room space. This strategy involves selecting an underused space and remodeling it. These spaces may include a garage, basement or outbuilding. Depending on the types of things your household enjoys doing collectively, the upgrades are then selected to support them.

• Some common remodeling ideas may include the following:
• Converting an outbuilding into a cabin getaway complete with bunk-style beds.
• Remodeling the basement into a home theater complete with reclining movie chairs.
• Turn the garage into a game room with features like a kitchenette and bathroom.

The fundamental remodeling idea is to develop a space where your whole household can get away from everyday distractions. It may prove valuable to also designate "no-device" areas. While advanced technology has improved life in many ways, re-imagining the home as a communal space helps strengthen bonds between loved ones.