You knew this day would come, but you didn’t expect the time to fly by so quickly. Your little baby is now nearly a full-grown adult and moving out of the house to tackle college.

With a now spare bedroom down the hall, many empty nesters start to consider what to do with the unused space. Leave it alone in memoriam? Turn it into a home fitness center? Knock down a wall to create that walk-in closet you’ve always dreamt of?

Whatever your remodeling idea, there are a few things you must first consider before placing paint roller to wall, because once you make the change, you can’t look back.

Holiday and Summer Breaks

Just because your child is packing up his or her clothing and moving across the state or country, it doesn’t mean they are necessarily moving out. In fact, they will most likely be returning home for several school-scheduled breaks, including Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break and Summer Break, and they will need a place to sleep. As college students progress, they may become more comfortable staying on campus throughout the summer months, but most freshmen and sophomore students return home every May through August. Make sure you keep these things in mind before transforming their bedroom into a non-sleeping chamber.

Storage of Belongings

Your proud college student might have backed out of the driveway with a carload of belongings, but this doesn’t mean their bedroom was left empty. In fact, most students only take clothing, shoes and a toothbrush with them. The rest of their lifelong collection of possessions is left behind; things like trophies, pictures, books, toys and other trinkets won’t be tagging along for the car ride to campus. Before redecorating or remodeling, devise a storage plan with your child’s consent (chances are they cherish those items just as much, if not more, than you do). The most important question to ask before boxing things up is: do I have enough extra space in my home to store this stuff? Some of the items may be donation-worthy, but be sure to get the OK from your child before giving anything away.

College Graduates Sometimes Return Home after School

Blame the bad economy, but a lot of college graduates are now saying they can’t afford to live on their own after school. To help them get on their feet, many parents are agreeing to let their children move back in with them until they can save up enough money to get a place of their own. Even if you don’t think this will happen to your child, you may not want to take any chances by turning their bedroom into an exercise or craft room…or an addition to your master bedroom.

Future Visitors

This last consideration only applies to parents who are thinking about turning their child’s bedroom into something other than a guest bedroom: If you are turning the room into some type of recreational space, be sure that you leave enough sleeping space in your home for future guests (a.k.a in-laws and grandchildren), and no, air mattresses don’t count.

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who contributes most of her work to the online education website OnlineColleges.net. Although she particularly enjoys covering topics related to trends in education, Mariana also writes about health, lifestyle and parenting. Feel free to reach out to her via email at mariana.ashley031@gmail.com.