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How Add-on’s and Renovations Alter the Balance in Your Home

Contractors, dust and upheaval all come and go, but what stays behind is FACT that you’ve altered the balance in your home.

Without realizing, you can take the ‘balance’ out of the Nine Areas of Life and create ‘bonus areas’ or ‘missing areas’ without knowing.

Many times, I‘m in a client’s home and through discussion, I hear: “Oh yes… that happened right after the renovations.”

Let’s look at the renovations.

Here is a common scenario: A couple buys a lovely home, and over the next few years, they decide to add-on a sun deck onto the back.

Example one: The addition to this floor is a sundeck added to the Wealth Area. This is a good idea to ‘enhance’ the wealth area in any home, but let’s look at the whole picture.

This example shows the sundeck is less than half the width of the house. Because of the conservative size, (less than half the width of the house), it doesn’t throw off the Life Areas in the bagua grid. Therefore, the sundeck becomes a ‘bonus area’ for Wealth and Abundance.

Example two: The owners decided to make the sundeck much bigger; larger than 50% of the width of the house. In this scenario, the addition will skew the balance of the Life Areas; it large enough to be included with configuration of the main house.

The result: there is now a ‘missing piece’ out of the Relationship corner.
The owners will need corrections to balance the Relationship area. If their ‘relationship’ is very good, should this missing area affect them? Yes, and no.

Even a strong relationship can use support when times get tough. I recommended reclaiming the corner, as it will correct the balance in the house. You can choose from a few options to ‘square off’ the missing corner: place a heavy rock, plant a tree, and install a light or flagpole. Anything solid and grounding will work.

Actual story: I met a young couple a few years back in a townhouse complex. They had been together for more than 10 yrs and bought one of the smaller units. Priced accordingly, it was the ‘lowest priced one’, and the last one to sell. So why was it left as the last one? The cramped kitchen in the back was deterrence for most clients to purchase this smaller unit.

The couple jumped at the chance of becoming home owners and moved in with enthusiasm. They had no problem with the smaller living area.

Look at the bigger picture: Plans for the complex included a garbage collection area at the back of this particular end unit. Therefore, this garbage collection site was pressed into the back of this small unit on the right side.

A few years later, I learned that this couple were no longer together. When I asked what happened, I was told ‘I don’t know.’ (This makes my feng-shui-brain go on overdrive to find out why…)

The garbage area for the complex was actually in their Relationship Area. Not only was the unit missing the entire relationship area support, but attached to their wall was the entire townhouse collection of garbage and recycling! That can’t be good for anyone.

I’m not sure if this detail about the garbage area was the ‘cause’ that broke up the marriage, but I can tell you that it couldn’t help.

Some clients purposefully choose to add-on to certain areas of their homes for an enhancement in that specific area. Many do pop-out the back of the house enhancing the Wealth or the Relationships areas.

Other homes I’ve seen, refit a front entrance that is inconspicuous or too small, and turn it into a proper ‘entrance-ment’ into the home; thus supporting their Career and Life Path.

Sometimes, something very small can actually be a big deal!

Getting back to your own renovations and add-ons, if you are adding onto a space more than half the length or width of your property, also prepare to balance the rest of your space.

Each design issue should be evaluated individually. And often, intuition is your best guide. Here are a few feng shui ‘no-no’s’ when considering alterations in your home:

• Do not add-on a toilet or bathroom. This is bad for your finances regardless of its location. It is best to choose a space inside the existing walls.
• Do not add-on a garbage or utility shed. These buildings should be separated from the house as many contain discarded items and chemicals.
  (A detached garage is ‘better’ than an attached garage.)
• Do not place bedrooms over garages.
• Do not place bedrooms fully underground.
• Do not add-on bedrooms onto the driveway.
• Do not convert garages into bedrooms.

These are only guidelines. If you already have bedrooms over a garage, garbage bins attached to your house, or paints and chemicals stored within your house:

Take the time to look at the excess of these items and how they can affect your lifestyle. For personal health reasons, clean up what you can, and support these awkward areas properly.

A happy home requires a happy balance!

All the best,
Kathryn

For more ideas, read Finding the Wealth Through Feng Shui

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About Kathryn Wilking

Author, Home Stager, Feng Shui Consultant

Kathryn has inspired women for more than a decade to take charge of their lives; arranging their environment, home and office, to support a positive, prosperous lifestyle. She provides informative tips and talks to organizations and small groups through her Facebook Group and Blog Posts and recorded podcasts. Contact her today for more info about bringing the practical application of Feng Shui into your space.

Her book, Practical Feng Shui for the Office; never goes out of style!
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