10 Unusual Upgrades to Consider for Your Tallahassee Home

One of the best parts about remodeling your home is that you can customize it to fit your needs–and wants–exactly. As long as you’re not planning to sell it in the next few years, go ahead and fill your home with unusual storage, personalized upgrades, and changes that are necessary for your family. Need a few ideas? Read on to learn about some unusual upgrades you could install in your Tallahassee area home.

#1. A Ceiling-Mounted Faucet or Tub Filler

The height of luxury and centerpiece of your kitchen or bathroom, a ceiling-mounted faucet or tub filler might be perfect for your new space. 

• In the kitchen, a faucet like this Purist Suspend by Kholer offers eye-catching beauty and seamless functionality. Because it hangs from the ceiling, it gives you the ability to use it in the sink, of course, but also to fill pots on the counter, water plants next to the sink, and move it around to wash bigger items. A remote controller that sits on the counter makes adjusting the temperature and pausing the flow a breeze.

• In the bathroom, a tub filler that is mounted on the ceiling gives a luxurious, high-pressured stream of water that doesn’t splatter. It has a minimalist, contemporary look and feel and it makes your bathroom unique. 

#2. A Built-In or Hidden Safe

Whether you need a secure place to store your firearms or your jewelry, a built-in or hidden safe or gun safe might be just the thing. You can have a small safe–suitable for jewels or money–built into your wall and hidden behind an electrical outlet cover. Bigger safes and gun safes can be installed behind a full-length mirror, a picture frame, or a moveable bookshelf. You can even store smaller weapons behind a false air conditioner return. If you want a secure place to keep your firearms and priceless objects hidden, a built-in safe or gun safe is worth considering.

#3. A Hidden-Door Pantry or Room

Who doesn’t love the idea of a hidden room in their home? It’s becoming more popular to build hidden pantries in the kitchen–the doors of which are made to look like regular cabinets. Open them up and find a whole room hidden behind, with plenty of storage. It means your pantry doesn’t have to look great all the time–no one will see it–and that you get the fun and delight of walking into your own hidden room every time you cook dinner.

While hidden-door pantries are probably the most common hidden room, they’re not the only option. Custom-build a bookcase that swings to the side to reveal a hidden library. Make a small office behind a louver door. Build a playroom for your kids under the stairs, with a tiny door to access it–that’s what memories are made of! Or install a concealed room for your hobbies–a craft room, a wet bar, or a place to showcase your collections. Hidden-door pantries and hidden rooms can make your home a special, customized place.

#4. A Costco Door

Several years ago this ingenious hack known as the Costco door took the internet by storm. A Costco door is a small door that connects the garage and the pantry. The idea is that you can drive into your garage, open the Costco door, and unload your groceries directly from your car to your pantry floor. This is especially helpful if you shop at a wholesale store and tend to buy in bulk. The Costco door saves steps, eliminating the need for making a lot of trips from car to house, and makes unloading heavy groceries a breeze.

#5. A Puppy Porthole

If you have a privacy fence in your backyard, you know you’ve made a safe place for your dog to run and play. Add a puppy porthole–a small, dog-height, round window–to your fence, and you’ll also be letting your four-legged friend see what’s going on outside the fence walls. A puppy porthole gives your dog the mental stimulation of watching cars drive past, people walk around, and the mailman come to the box, all while keeping your pet safe.

#6. All-In-One Washer/Dryer

Eliminate the need to switch a load of laundry from washer to dryer with a washer/dryer combo like the GE Profile Ultrafast 2-in-1 Washer/Dryer. The single machine washes your clothes and then switches to dryer mode and dries them. The whole process takes about two hours (depending on the size of the load), and the washer/dryer’s capacity is large enough to handle a load of towels or even a comforter. You’ll never have to worry about remembering to switch over a load again, you’ll save space in your laundry room, and you’ll make the process of keeping up with your family’s laundry needs a whole lot easier.

#7. Docking Drawers

In the technological age we live in, charging stations are a necessity. But that doesn’t mean they have to be an eyesore. Corral cords and charging devices by installing a customized docking drawer in your kitchen or living room. Wired for electricity and designed to handle several phones or tablets at once, a docking drawer gives you and your family a dedicated place to charge your devices. Docking drawers are ventilated so your electronics won’t overheat, and they’re designed to shut off power if the temperature does get too high. This home upgrade is a no-brainer. It saves your countertop from the clutter of cords and devices, keeps all your charging electronics corralled in one place, and ensures you’ll never lose your charger again.

#8. The Galley Sink

A $5000 sink? Wait until you see what the Galley Workstation has to offer and you may be tempted to install it into your new kitchen immediately. Perfect for a large kitchen island or a galley kitchen, this hardworking set-up combines a large sink, cutting boards, drying racks, and even serving trays into one design. You can prepare food, serve, entertain, and clean up all from this one location. The cutting boards, serving boards, and drying racks slide from one side to the other so you can put the items you need where you need them. They are organized into different “decks” so you can use more than one at a time. And the beautifully designed faucets are made to be able to fill tall pots, reach anywhere you need them to, and turn to the side and out of the way if you’re serving from the workstation. The result is a minimalist, sleek, gorgeous design that will upgrade your kitchen experience.

#9. Staircase Drawers

For the large family or the household with lots of hobbies requiring gear, storage space is always at a premium. Put the unused space under your stairs to use by installing custom staircase drawers. Each step pulls out, revealing a drawer that can hold sports equipment, off-season clothing, toys, shoes, and more. Staircase drawers can be the perfect solution for homes without a large foyer or mudroom, or where closet space is lacking. 

#10. Under Cabinet Vacuum System

Installing a central vacuum system in your home is a great way to save time and effort in keeping your house clean. And these toe kick vacuum vents are a perfect addition. Installed under cabinets in your kitchen or bathroom, or in the baseboards in your living room or hallway, these vents, when opened, activate suction. You simply sweep debris into the vent and it’s pulled into the central vacuum system. Never deal with dustpans and piles of dirt again–just sweep them into the vent and you’re done.

Have Other Ideas?

The sky is the limit when it comes to great or unusual custom upgrades you can add to your home. And remodeling your Tallahassee home is the perfect time to think about what you can do to make your home the perfect place for you and your family. We’re here to help. We have years of experience in customizing, problem-solving, renovating, and personalizing homes in Midtown, Summerbrook, and other Tallahassee-area neighborhoods. Give us a call today and let us make your home the perfect place, tailor-made for you and your family to enjoy.