13 Transformational Reno Ideas for Empty Nesters

Your home can feel like a totally different place once your children have moved on to work, travel, attend post-secondary or to perhaps start a family of their own. The small renos and piecemeal upgrades you pursued while your young ones were home are now over. You now have the opportunity to remodel your home beyond functionality for a large family. Take stock of every room – not just newly empty bedrooms – and imagine repurposing these spaces to accommodate you, your friends and your interests in this new and exciting chapter of your life.

Master bedroom with teal side tables and white drapes

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Start With Your Own Bedroom

Chances are, between juggling childcare, professional responsibilities and your own personal life, you haven’t had an opportunity to make your room reflective of your taste or into the restful space you deserve. This is a chance to install some custom lighting, update or install an ensuite bathroom or reconfigure the space to give you a walk-in closet.

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Update Guest Bedrooms

Time to transform your guest bedrooms for when your friends, in-laws and children come over. Now is your chance to update the bedding, put a new coat of paint in the walls or even change some of the furniture in the room.

Pink bathroom with circle mirrors and white counters

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Customize Bathrooms

Now that the kids are gone, bathrooms aren’t just a space to usher family members in and out of in the rush of a morning routine. Bathrooms, with the right upgrades, can be places of relaxation. Consider getting a deep soaker tub or if your bathroom has the space: a separate shower and bathtub. You can even get fancy with the technology in your shower, installing anything from jet sprays and steamers to a waterfall shower head. If space permits, another feature you can include in your bathroom is an indoor infrared sauna.

Hardwood floors with beige couch, area rug and desk

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Install New Floors

There is a myriad of ways you can customize your floors – install heated floors in bathrooms, replace carpet with classic wood or even update the tile in your kitchen.

Basement media room with TV and grey couch

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Make an Entertainment Room

You kids aren’t the only ones having friends over anymore. Now you can outfit a spare room or basement with a big screen television a custom sound system and soundproof walls to make your own home media room. This room will be a go-to when entertaining company or can serve as a space of your to listen to (or perhaps make your own) music.

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Set up a Home Office

You can shorten your commute to the office by setting up a study where you can work from home. You can outfit the room with new bookcases, invest in a new computer or laptop and pick up a supportive office chair or standing desk from an office supply store.

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Go for a Home Gym

You can also convert an empty bedroom into an exercise room. Your home gym can serve as a simple yoga room or can host a range of specialized equipment and weights. Be sure to install a good ventilation system or fan in the room and leave some towels in a closet.

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Craft a Hobby Room

A newly empty bedroom means that your interests don’t have to be relegated to the odd, unfit corner of your home. You can outfit a bedroom to serve as a space for you to indulge in a hobby. Artists can set up a drafting table and easel or if you like sewing, you can arrange the room to accommodate a serger and sewing machine.

Funky living room with patterned couch and bold artwork

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Mount New Art

Nothing spruces up a space like new art. You can invest in more valuable pieces now that the kids have left home. Consider sculptures to complement furnishings in your living room or hang interesting paintings or artistic souvenirs from your travels.

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Shake up a Home Bar

An impressive way to repurpose space for guests is by converting an area in your home for a bar. You can turn a basement into a wine cellar or install shelving and a bar cart in a room of your choice to showcase a collection of your favourite spirits. You can even set up a miniature fridge to store a few of your favourite beers.

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Plant a Garden

Your update doesn’t have to be confined to just your home’s interior. With your kids gone, you can add update your landscaping in both your front and backyard. You can install a trellis, add stone pathways, build a greenhouse or even start a garden where you can grow your own food.

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Build a Deck

While this is a more labour-intensive renovation, it is rewarding in the spring and summertime as a place to entertain guests and serve meals. Source a few local contractors to help you with the build or if you are feeling particularly enterprising, head to your home hardware store to gather materials to build the deck yourself.

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Paint the Exterior of Your House

You can make your home as good as new by adding a new coat of paint to the exterior. You can brighten an existing coat or go with something completely different. This adds curb appeal to your home, which is one of the many ways to increase resale value in case you ever want to list your home on the market.