Hi, Looking for opinions about whether the resale value of a house would go up or down
after adding a bathroom. I know, sounds obvious, but read on.

I live in a 4 bedroom, ONE bath older house. The bathroom is 6'3" X 12'6". The way the
house is laid out, I could cut the existing bathroom in half, making two rooms that would be
SMALL 6'3" X 6'1" after allowing for the wall in between them.

I could SQUEEZE a full bath in each half with one accessed like it is now, from the main
hallway. I could cut a hole into the master bedroom from the second half so I would end
up with a master bath. But they would be SMALL.

The only other options I have would be to take away part of the walk-in closet in the
master BR, or take the small adjoining enclosed porch, currently used as an office and
convert it into a bathroom.

Both of those options would give me a master bath without touching the existing bathroom,
but then I would lose either the office or a most of the closet. If I took the office, which is
really a sunroom, I would have to do some major reworking of the exterior of the house,
i.e. taking out a bunch of windows and an exterior door, and resheathing and residing to
match the rest of the house.

My wife and I are capable of doing all the work ourselves either way, but we are wondering
what would be the better way to go from a resale standpoint. Thanks, John

On Apr 14, 11:12 pm, Johnny_A_58 wrote:
Hi, Looking for opinions about whether the resale value of a house would go up or down
after adding a bathroom. I know, sounds obvious, but read on.

I live in a 4 bedroom, ONE bath older house.

There's no reason to read any further - your resale value will go up.
Will it go up more than you put into it? Well, that's another
question, but usually you'll get most if not all of the cost out - and
that's with paying a contractor. In your situation, with you and the
missus doing the work, it's a no brainer.

The only way you could lose is if you do something really dumb, like
pick avocado and orange tile that screams rip-me-out! to potential
buyers. Or if you are required to pull permits and don't, then you'll
be liable for penalties and the inspector could easily turn into an
ogre that will suck your blood (money).

Do it by the book, keep it straightforward if you're planning on
selling pretty soon, and you won't go wrong.

R

In article ,
Johnny_A_58 wrote:

Hi, Looking for opinions about whether the resale value of a house would go
up or down
after adding a bathroom. I know, sounds obvious, but read on.

I live in a 4 bedroom, ONE bath older house. The bathroom is 6'3" X 12'6".
The way the
house is laid out, I could cut the existing bathroom in half, making two
rooms that would be
SMALL 6'3" X 6'1" after allowing for the wall in between them.

I could SQUEEZE a full bath in each half with one accessed like it is now,
from the main
hallway. I could cut a hole into the master bedroom from the second half so I
would end
up with a master bath. But they would be SMALL.

The only other options I have would be to take away part of the walk-in
closet in the
master BR, or take the small adjoining enclosed porch, currently used as an
office and
convert it into a bathroom.

Both of those options would give me a master bath without touching the
existing bathroom,
but then I would lose either the office or a most of the closet. If I took
the office, which is
really a sunroom, I would have to do some major reworking of the exterior of
the house,
i.e. taking out a bunch of windows and an exterior door, and resheathing and
residing to
match the rest of the house.

My wife and I are capable of doing all the work ourselves either way, but we
are wondering
what would be the better way to go from a resale standpoint. Thanks, John

I'm sure you'll agree that the only thing worse than an outdated house
is a poorly updated house. I'd not cut the existing bathroom in half,
and your other options don't seem particularly attractive, either. Hard
to say without seeing a floorplan, but if one of the bedrooms is on the
other side of the existing bath, I'd think about scrapping it in favor
of two large, modern, well-appointed bathrooms.

On Apr 15, 7:45*am, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:
"Smitty Two" wrote in message

news
Johnny_A_58 wrote:

..

I'm sure you'll agree that the only thing worse than an outdated house
is a poorly updated house. I'd not cut the existing bathroom in half,
and your other options don't seem particularly attractive, either. Hard
to say without seeing a floorplan, but if one of the bedrooms is on the
other side of the existing bath, I'd think about scrapping it in favor
of two large, modern, well-appointed bathrooms.

* * I agree. *Maybe eliminating one bedroom and splitting the space between
a new master bedroom bath and the new master bedroom. *Keeping the existing
bath for the rest of the family.

--
Joseph Meehan

*Dia 's Muire duit

I agree too. No question adding a second bath to a 3 or 4 bedroom
house adds significant value. But doing it in a way that results in
2 bath rooms that are very small, especially one that will serve as
the master, IMO, is a losing proposition. For the money and work
you're going to put into it, the result will just be another situation
that is far from desirable. Another question is how small a bath is
permitted in the building code.

I also agree with Joseph's idea of giving up one bedroom and using
that together with another bedroom as the master/master bath is a good
idea if possible. Depending on your budget and how large of a project
you are willing to take on, you might want to consult with an
architect on ideas for how to add a bath together with some type of
renovation that could significantly boost the property value.

Johnny_A_58 wrote:

Hi, Looking for opinions about whether the resale value of a house would go up or down
after adding a bathroom. I know, sounds obvious, but read on.

I live in a 4 bedroom, ONE bath older house. The bathroom is 6'3" X 12'6". The way the
house is laid out, I could cut the existing bathroom in half, making two rooms that would be
SMALL 6'3" X 6'1" after allowing for the wall in between them.

I could SQUEEZE a full bath in each half with one accessed like it is now, from the main
hallway. I could cut a hole into the master bedroom from the second half so I would end
up with a master bath. But they would be SMALL.

The only other options I have would be to take away part of the walk-in closet in the
master BR, or take the small adjoining enclosed porch, currently used as an office and
convert it into a bathroom.

Both of those options would give me a master bath without touching the existing bathroom,
but then I would lose either the office or a most of the closet. If I took the office, which is
really a sunroom, I would have to do some major reworking of the exterior of the house,
i.e. taking out a bunch of windows and an exterior door, and resheathing and residing to
match the rest of the house.

My wife and I are capable of doing all the work ourselves either way, but we are wondering
what would be the better way to go from a resale standpoint. Thanks, John



If the ONLY reason for the change is resale, forget it. I would not put
a bath on a porch. Is the home one story? Can the
smallest bedroom work as a sink/commode/shower and storage?I would lean
that way if making the change and the layout is
appropriate. I've looked at a lot of older homes with lousy remodels
and absurd layouts......somebody's "dream", but not
mine.

On Apr 15, 8:39 am, Norminn wrote:
Johnny_A_58 wrote:
Hi, Looking for opinions about whether the resale value of a house would go up or down
after adding a bathroom. I know, sounds obvious, but read on.

I live in a 4 bedroom, ONE bath older house. The bathroom is 6'3" X 12'6". The way the
house is laid out, I could cut the existing bathroom in half, making two rooms that would be
SMALL 6'3" X 6'1" after allowing for the wall in between them.

I could SQUEEZE a full bath in each half with one accessed like it is now, from the main
hallway. I could cut a hole into the master bedroom from the second half so I would end
up with a master bath. But they would be SMALL.

The only other options I have would be to take away part of the walk-in closet in the
master BR, or take the small adjoining enclosed porch, currently used as an office and
convert it into a bathroom.

Both of those options would give me a master bath without touching the existing bathroom,
but then I would lose either the office or a most of the closet. If I took the office, which is
really a sunroom, I would have to do some major reworking of the exterior of the house,
i.e. taking out a bunch of windows and an exterior door, and resheathing and residing to
match the rest of the house.

My wife and I are capable of doing all the work ourselves either way, but we are wondering
what would be the better way to go from a resale standpoint. Thanks, John

If the ONLY reason for the change is resale, forget it. I would not put
a bath on a porch. Is the home one story? Can the
smallest bedroom work as a sink/commode/shower and storage?I would lean
that way if making the change and the layout is
appropriate. I've looked at a lot of older homes with lousy remodels
and absurd layouts......somebody's "dream", but not
mine.

You can turn off a potential buyer with the real estate listing. A
four bedroom house with only one bathroom will turn off people while
they're still reading. Maybe a builder or someone who doesn't mind
doing work immediately on a new house wouldn't be scared off, but in
general the more people that are interested enough to go see it, the
more likely it is to sell.

R

"Johnny_A_58" wrote

Hi, Looking for opinions about whether the resale value of a house would
go up or down
after adding a bathroom. I know, sounds obvious, but read on.

Add if you can.

I live in a 4 bedroom, ONE bath older house. The bathroom is 6'3" X 12'6".
The way the
house is laid out, I could cut the existing bathroom in half, making two
rooms that would be
SMALL 6'3" X 6'1" after allowing for the wall in between them.

Nope, although the existing one is 'big' thats a nice selling point.

I could SQUEEZE a full bath in each half with one accessed like it is now,
from the main
hallway. I could cut a hole into the master bedroom from the second half
so I would end
up with a master bath. But they would be SMALL.

How about this. Can you put in a 1/2 bath using the walk in close without
too much loss? L-shaped closet might be the result?

A 4BR, 1.5 bath sells better than a 4BR 1bath. Sure a 4BR 2bath is good,
but if you end up with tiny closets or (horror) a 3 BR 2Bath, you've lost
out.

The only other options I have would be to take away part of the walk-in
closet in the
master BR, or take the small adjoining enclosed porch, currently used as
an office and
convert it into a bathroom.

1/2 bath in closet area may be doable (you didnt list it's size). I'd want
to preserve the office space if possible but thats the next best option for
a 2nd bathroom.

Both of those options would give me a master bath without touching the
existing bathroom,
but then I would lose either the office or a most of the closet. If I took
the office, which is
really a sunroom, I would have to do some major reworking of the exterior
of the house,
i.e. taking out a bunch of windows and an exterior door, and resheathing
and residing to
match the rest of the house.

Nope, stop thinking 'traditional'. Unless the code specs for your area
*require* a solid wall and a window no bigger than 'x' you can put a
bathroom in a sunroom and just add privacy curtins. (outlets have to be
spec'ed for bathrooms though). You _may_ want to add some exterior visual
blocking material to the house up a few feet if you are sunroom to the
'floor'.

If you are not able to use the closet, this is your next best option if the
layout makes it easily accessable. If it's big enough, you might even be
able to keep a smaller office and add a 1/2 bath here. No idea of your
floorplan layout really though.

what would be the better way to go from a resale standpoint. Thanks, John

Please, whatever you decide, do *not* give up the 4th bedroom. Bad call.

On Apr 15, 5:37*pm, "cshenk" wrote:
"Johnny_A_58" wrote

Hi, Looking for opinions about whether the resale value of a house would
go up or down
after adding a bathroom. I know, sounds obvious, but read on.

Add if you can.

I live in a 4 bedroom, ONE bath older house. The bathroom is 6'3" X 12'6".
The way the
house is laid out, I could cut the existing bathroom in half, making two
rooms that would be
SMALL 6'3" X 6'1" after allowing for the wall in between them.

Nope, although the existing one is 'big' thats a nice selling point.

I could SQUEEZE a full bath in each half with one accessed like it is now,
from the main
hallway. I could cut a hole into the master bedroom from the second half
so I would end
up with a master bath. But they would be SMALL.

How about this. *Can you put in a 1/2 bath using the walk in close without
too much loss? *L-shaped closet might be the result?

A 4BR, 1.5 bath sells better than a 4BR 1bath. *Sure a 4BR 2bath is good,
but if you end up with tiny closets or (horror) a 3 BR 2Bath, you've lost
out.

On what basis do you conclude that a 3 Bedroom/2 Bath home done right
is a horror compared to a house of the same square footage that is a 4
bedroom/1 bath? A 4 bedroom house with one bath is what's a horror
and any buyer will see it in a minute.




The only other options I have would be to take away part of the walk-in
closet in the
master BR, or take the small adjoining enclosed porch, currently used as
an office and
convert it into a bathroom.

1/2 bath in closet area may be doable (you didnt list it's size). *I'd want
to preserve the office space if possible but thats the next best option for
a 2nd bathroom.

Few people are going to value "office space" in a home that is already
4 bedrooms above the value of an additional full bath. Anyone who
needs an office can use one of the 4 bedrooms.




Both of those options would give me a master bath without touching the
existing bathroom,
but then I would lose either the office or a most of the closet. If I took
the office, which is
really a sunroom, I would have to do some major reworking of the exterior
of the house,
i.e. taking out a bunch of windows and an exterior door, and resheathing
and residing to
match the rest of the house.

Nope, stop thinking 'traditional'. *Unless the code specs for your area
*require* a solid wall and a window no bigger than 'x' you can put a
bathroom in a sunroom and just add privacy curtins. (outlets have to be
spec'ed for bathrooms though). *You _may_ want to add some exterior visual
blocking material to the house up a few feet if you are sunroom to the
'floor'.


This is more bad advice. Money spent on a hafl-ass solution isn't
going to add to resale value or make the house easy to sell. I can
just imagine how prospective buyers will react when they see a
bathroom with a privacy curtain and "exterior visual blocking
material."



If you are not able to use the closet, this is your next best option if the
layout makes it easily accessable. *If it's big enough, you might even be
able to keep a smaller office and add a 1/2 bath here. *No idea of your
floorplan layout really though.

what would be the better way to go from a resale standpoint. Thanks, John

Please, whatever you decide, do *not* give up the 4th bedroom. *Bad call..


Nonsense. A 4th bedroom has value if the rest of the house can
support it, ie bathrooms, enough overall room, etc. If he can get
a nice Masteer Bath plus a full second bath and wind up with that
together with 3 bedrooms, he will have a house that is worth more than
one with either 4 bedrooms and 1 bath or some half-ass solution,
because it's more balanced and livable.