For many people looking for unique and moderately affordable places to live, converting some kind of commercial building into a place to actually live is increasingly becoming a common trend. But despite the fact that it might be easier to find a commercial space to buy in the current housing market due to many businesses moving toward remote work, converting this kind of space into a place that you can live won’t be an easy task.
To help you see what needs to be done as part of this process, here are three tips for converting a commercial property into a home.
Make Sure Everything Is Zoned Correctly
Before you even buy the property, you’ll want to make sure that you can actually live there legally. In some cases, a commercial property won’t be able to be zoned for residential living. And if you bought the property before you did this research, there isn’t much you can do to move forward with your idea. So prior to getting a commercial property with the intention of eventually living there, you’ll want to make sure that the property is properly zoned or can be zoned for residential property.
Find Ways To Bring In More Light
One of the biggest issues with converting a commercial property into a home is that the layout of the building wasn’t done with the intention of people actually living there. This means that the rooms are often large and deep, which isn’t necessarily ideal for rooms in a home.
To combat this, you might need to add some more walls or partition walls to make more separation. However, this can make it hard to get natural light into the home. So if the amount of natural light you’re getting isn’t right for you, consider doing things like adding skylights or creating indoor patio spaces that will allow for more natural light to come in.
Focus On The Positive Aspects
Whether you’re converting this commercial space for you to live in yourself or to sell to others looking for a home, there are certain things that a commercial property has that many residential homes don’t have.
In most commercial properties, the ceilings are much higher than in residential homes. This can be a big perk for many homeowners. Additionally, commercial buildings are often much closer to amenities than are homes that are in traditional residential neighborhoods. So while some things are going to be different and hard to adjust to, it’s wise to focus on the positive aspects that you likely can’t find in any other home.
If you’re thinking about converting a commercial property into your future home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do this successfully.