Turn a blank bonus room into a hot spot for kids

Having kids home for the summer or as frequent guests may cause homeowners to look at that empty or poorly designed bonus room a little differently right now.

Scattered toys, unorganized books, movies and games, and a mishmash of seating and shelving could drive you to a new plan for the extra space that may have sold you on the home. The spot might be overwhelming because of its sheer size, odd angles due to the roof pitch and placement of windows.

However, bonus rooms can be the ultimate playroom, craft room, theater or game room for kids, grandkids or young family members who visit often. Here are five dos and donts for turning a blank bonus room into a space for playing, crafting, gaming and movie watching.

1. Do plan out the space.

A flat-screen TV, pool table or old furniture may be destined for the bonus room, but its important to plan out the design before placing those items into the room. Having a plan can maximize the abundant space a bonus room can offer.

First, consider how you want the room to function. A lot of times home buyers desire a bonus room to have an additional living area for their kids, said Ginny Bryant, director of sales for Lennar Atlanta. But you have to decide: Will it be an all-out playroom, or a media room, or a craft room, or an office, or a blending of them? Since bonus rooms are often above a family or living room, or in the basement, they can be spacious enough to handle multiple functions if the laid out appropriately.

Even with a wall-mounted TV, homeowners should determine what media items need to be hidden and what other items such as games, puzzles and toys need to be stored and accessible to kids. Also consider whether you need tables or desks for crafts, computer use and homework projects when the kids go back to school. Those answers could determine the size of a bookcase or shelving system.

Sometimes a bookcase can take up the main wall of the room, serving as the focal point, said Angi Sago, design center director for Traton Homes. For example, when MOSAIC Group [Architects and Remodelers] turned a second-floor bonus room above the kitchen into entertainment space for the north Atlanta homeowners children, a built-in bookcase fit into one part of the room as the ceiling sloped on each side.

Also plan additional amenities. Installing a small bar sink can be helpful after kids have painted and done other crafts or eaten a snack, said Judy Mozen, president of Roswell-based Handcrafted Homes and president-elect of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

2. Dont design solely for today.

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Turn a blank bonus room into a hot spot for kids