7 Floor Plan Features Your Active Family Needs
If you’re a sporty family, you’re probably looking for communities that make it easier for you to get out and participate in your favourite activity, whether that’s running through trails, taking a yoga class, or joining a hockey league at a nearby recreation centre. Location is important, but there are also several features that you can incorporate into your home that will make your life easier.
We’ve highlighted a few floor plan features that are perfect for active families.
Large Mudroom
Many families like having a mudroom to drop off backpacks and wet boots, but active families especially love them. You can drop off bags of sports equipment, mud-covered cleats, or even just the iPod you use for your morning run. The Cottonwood floor plan, for instance, has a large entryway that connects both the main entrance and the entrance through the garage. With the proper storage solutions, this will help keep some of the sports clutter out of the rest of the home.
Oversized Garage
You’ll probably want to use your garage to store some of your larger pieces of equipment, like bikes or kayaks. Look for homes that have larger garages. You’ll be able to park your car and keep all of your things out of the way. Remember that you don’t need all-season access to many things. It’s helpful to store some of those things from the ceiling when you’re not using them. As the seasons change, you can swap your camping gear for your ski gear.
Kitchen Storage and Counter Space
The kitchen may be the heart of the home, but if you’re always carting kids around to various sports practices, it sometimes feels like you’re not spending a lot of time there. However, you still want a kitchen that works for your needs. Tech gadgets and tools like slow cookers and electronic pressure cookers allow you to easily throw ingredients together and have them cook while you’re away. To make it work, though, you need extra counter space. You’ll also probably want additional space to store these types of gadgets when you’re not using them. Look for a home that has deep drawers or a large pantry to keep these tools out of sight.
Home Gym Area
When the weather’s frightful, you don’t always want to head outside for a walk or drive to your yoga studio. You can still get your workout in if you have a dedicated space in your home. For some people, this can be as simple as being able to make space in the living room for a yoga mat. Others are happy to put a treadmill and weight bench in the basement. If you’re looking for something a bit more put-together, though, consider the Monteray model, which has a den on the first floor, or the Ellington, which has a bonus room upstairs. Either of these rooms could be converted to a home gym area.
Soaker Tub
Ease your sore muscles with a dip in a soaker tub. These bathtubs are deeper than normal ones, allowing you to relax all that stress away. Many of our floor plans can be upgraded to have a soaker tub and separate shower in the master ensuite.
Open Basement
You might not be thinking about fully finishing your basement, but the wide open space down there can be great for active play in the winter time. Young kids can ride small bikes around, while older ones may want to strap on a pair of roller skates. If you’re looking for something a bit different, you might set up a ninja warrior course. If you choose to finish the basement, it will have a nicer look. You won’t worry about inviting friends over to play.
Main Floor Laundry
Grass-stained sports uniforms and stinky socks are a fact of life for families who are sporty. If you hate lugging all of those dirty clothes down to the basement for the laundry, you’ll love having a washer and dryer on the main floor. In the Ellington, the washer and dryer are just inside the door, making it easy to put those clothes straight into the wash. Other models, like the Seacrest, have the laundry on the second floor, which makes it easy to put clothes away. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without this convenience.
As you tour various homes, it’s important to think about how your family lives. We think you’ll find these little features can make a big difference in how happy you are with your home.
