Boys Will Be Boys: Ideas for Your Teenage Son’s Sanctuary

Teenage boys are a unique species. They’re just starting to know what they want in life, but don’t always know how to ask for it. One minute they’re acting like adults, the next they still seem like the little ones you remember so well.

Creating a haven for your teen doesn’t have to cost a fortune. A timely Cherry Hill home renovation or design-build project can turn your unused basement or attic into a perfect sporty bachelor pad, a study mecca or a music studio, depending on your son’s interests.

Sporty Bachelor

If your teen is a sports fanatic, chances are good he’s always out with friends riding his bicycle, roller-blading or playing football. All of these are messy activities, so giving him a room with his own entrance means you don’t have to clean up behind him from the entrance to the bedroom! Some options for doing this include:

• Breaking out the wall of his room and adding an entryway, with a stairway up the outside of the house if necessary.
• Adding a small “mud-room” at the entrance to his room where he can dump all his wet sports gear, before heading into the shower.

Use sporty themes and brightly-colored wall paint to give the room an atmosphere like a locker room, where any young jock will feel right at home.

Study Mecca

For the more studious teen who is working hard to realize his dream of becoming a doctor, lawyer or business leader, you really need a bedroom that lends itself to learning. Make the most of a small space with modular furniture that enables your Cherry Hill home renovation project to use every corner to the max.

Add an inbuilt “library wall” that provides a desktop to work at, storage space for study books and a stereo and some hobby equipment like a fish tank. Use earthy tones on the walls to give the room a grounded atmosphere. Build in enough closet space to ensure he doesn’t need to dump his clothes around the room, which will make a small bedroom seem even tinier.

Music Studio

Give a budding rock star a space in which to practice without shattering your ear-drums. Sound-proof his bedroom, wherever it’s located, and develop a theme around his favorite band or sound. Don’t overlook the need for inbuilt storage for his musical equipment, either—not unless you want to trip over that guitar every time you come into his room! Your Cherry Hill home renovation contractor will be able to help you come up with a few good ideas for keeping loose electrical cables out of the way, too.