You’ve probably noticed that there is always at least one small room in each house. Especially with people converting 3 bed properties into 6 and 7 bed properties, often squeezing in en-suites in wherever they can.
So here are some practical tips from HMO Furniture to help you get the best returns from your small rooms, with just a little planning, and without having to spend much, if any extra. 😊
Your tenants will thank you for any extra storage you can provide to help them organise their belongings. If the room is practical and functional, without feeling overcrowded, they are more likely to pay you higher rents, and stay longer meaning you protect your cash flow and maximise your profits.
keeping the décor bright and fresh, and maximising floor space, you will show off your rooms in the best light and keep your tenants happy.
Here are some ways of achieving this...
Bed Hacks:
1) Storage in the beds – The bed will usually go in one of the corners of a small room. This can often be dictated by sloping ceilings in attic rooms and where the only possible place high enough to put a wardrobe mean options to locate the bed are limited.
. But there’s no point having drawers that will be pushed up against a wall, because nobody will be able to access them anyway, so they won’t be functional. So, you may choose to have 2 drawers on the same side in a small room.
If there is a bedside cabinet in the room, this may also obstruct the drawer from opening. But you may consider losing the bedside cabinet altogether and going for extra storage options mentioned in this article to free up valuable floor space.
The problem with drawers is that people tend to overload them causing them to break.
2) Space Saving Divans – Divans are a popular because there is no overhang from side rails. They are completely customisable in terms of height, length, width, fabric and strength. And any style and size of headboard can be used to fit in with the room and available space.
3) Divan bases can also be cut down into 3 or 4 pieces to get around tight staircases. They can be cut both North to South and East to West.
4) Ottoman style storage – It works out a little more expensive than drawers, however this can work well because the mattress simply lifts up almost effortlessly, giving you access to all the space underneath which is often just wasted!
This is the much more preferred option if the budget allows and can be a good upgrade just for the smaller rooms that struggle for space, rather than splashing out on every room.
You can choose from foot end and side opening. If you know the lay out of the room, one choice may be much more practical than the other.
5) Lower bed height – You can lower the bed height from the standard divan size which is 12 inches, to as low as 6 inches. This can be a good idea when ordering especially deep mattresses, because it can end up being very high to climb onto the bed.
6) Lower headboard height – A standard oblong headboard comes in 24 inches high. You can have smaller headboards 8 and 16 inches high to protect the walls.
7) Have bed (and mattress) shortened in 3-inch increments – Sometimes in odd shaped rooms, it can be beneficial to shave off 3 inches from the end of the bed. This is undetectable to the untrained eye and gives more space around the bed making the room feel bigger.
You can download a copy of our latest catalogue with the range of divan and ottoman storage beds here www.HMOFurnitureGuys.com
If you’d like to talk to an expert about your requirements you can give us a call on 0121 405 0091 or email us at info@HMOFurnitureGuys.com
PS. Look out for part 2 with another 7 unusual profit boosting tips
