Five great ideas for repurposing children’s bedrooms

Making renovations can be a fun way to turn their now-empty rooms into a useful or relaxing space for your own enjoyment. And your timing could be spot on; a recent survey found half of empty-nesters of pre-retirement age are opting to stay in their family homes instead of downsizing.
“Retirement isn’t all about being practical,” notes Ken Dychtwald of California-based consulting firm Age Wage. “More and more people are turning their empty nests into nurturing nests.” Even better, with today’s easy-to-use construction tools, repurposing rooms can be stress-free and efficient. If you haven’t engaged in DIY projects lately, it’s worthwhile to check out some of the newest market innovations in saws, cordless drills, portable nailers and belt sanders. One of the most consumer-friendly is the RotoSaw+ with Dust Vault attachment from RotoZip that can effectively custom-cut a variety of materials (including drywall) while reducing the dust and debris that is sure to be produced by any great remodel project by 90 per cent.
Here are some DIY ideas for using such tools to repurpose your space:
l Private gym: Building a workout space right into your home should eliminate any excuses to avoid exercise. Features might include mirrored walls, storage space for gear, a sound system, extra ventilation or rubber floor tiles for acoustic control.
l Man or woman cave: This room could incorporate an endless array of hobbies specific to your interests including reading, watching movies, creating art, practising music, playing video games or cheering on your favourite sports team.
l Guest bedroom: Now that your children have flown the coop, you have more time to entertain friends, whereupon an appealing guest bedroom could be a boom to your social life. Another option is using space-saving furniture to combine a guest bedroom with a room that serves other purposes, such as an office or reading room.
l Walk-in closet: Multiple retailers now offer dream closet components like drawers, bars, shelves, mirrors, and containers. Consider a vanity or benches for relaxing as you apply makeup, try on shoes and accessories and create the perfect outfit.
l Meditation room: Create a space to recharge yourself physically and mentally, perhaps with natural light, a sound system and elements of nature like plants, flowers or a water fountain.
To achieve a Zen quality, minimal furniture and accessories are recommended. Pastels or dark colours are considered the most relaxing colours. Consider building a customised meditation table to work as the centrepiece of your room.