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danielle_rush

should we add a 3rd bedroom??

12 years ago
Here's the thing we have a 2br 2bt house and we are remodeling for resale. Unfortunately, we owe more than the house is currently worth. We are doing a lot to add value but were throwing around the idea of closing our now office off and adding a door to make it a 3rd bedroom. Here's the thing the room is 11x11 minus a 4ft hall closet on one side. Granted there's plenty of room for a bed a 2 dressers or whatever.

Imagine this you walk into my house right into the living room. Our living room is awkward and right now its hard to fit furniture in there. To the right would be a door to this bedroom. This will give us an extra 8ft of wall space for a coach or whatever.

We need to add value to our home. Like $20k value. Looking at what is for sale around us 3br 2bt houses are going for around $130k-$160k and our house is only worth about $90k. Do you think its worth it to close this room off and Make it a bedroom? Or keep it open? Thanks!

Comments (22)

  • 12 years ago
    I agree with Pyramid, i.e. geographically speaking is 3 bedrooms getting more money, or is a larger living room + 2 bedrooms the norm
  • 12 years ago
    If you are still in process of drywall installation, then now is the best time to make that decision. It doesn't seem like a bad idea from what Im seeing.
    The conditions would be that you have two full baths and the house is at least 900-1k sqft of living space. Im also assuming you will be performing the work yourselves. This is a low cost option, just make sure it doesn't take away from the current features. If a family of 4-5 can live comfortably after the work is done I say go for it.
  • 12 years ago
    were a family of 3 and a 90lb dog and its comfortable now. I think 4 would be comfy 5 would be tight I think just because the second br isn't very big bunk beds would fit.
  • 12 years ago
    Most renkvations cost more than they end up addding to a home's value. Reign in your renvations and wait out the maket. http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2014/
  • 12 years ago
    Totally agree with those who suggest seeking advice from local realtors. Remember that buyers may include retiring couples who wish to downsize. A small bedroom with entry off the living room is less than ideal, so it's hard to imagine it adding substantially to the selling price. Depending on the layout of the rest of the house, buyers might envision that open room as a dining room, TV alcove, or other addition to the living area that *would* add value.
  • 12 years ago
    we have a nice dining room already but there's not a lot we'd have to put in that would add more $$. 2 sheets of drywall, 2x4s and a door bada bing. its an office space now so really it could still be that if they didn't want to use it for a bedroom. our living room is laid off strange so the only place to put our TV is like 10ft or more away from the couch. so we don't even use the couch sadly.
  • 12 years ago
    HI -- I think any realty market anywhere , a 3 bed is always worth more than a 2 bed .
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    No, a wierdly laid out small 3 bedroom is never worth more than a well laid out more spacious public space 2 bedroom. Especially with the owners already owing more than the home is worth. That's not te time to be putting money into renovations.
  • 12 years ago
    here's some other pictures from different angles. I believe the renos were already doing will add value, new hardwoods, new paint, refinishing stairs, new kitchen counters eventually. so this was something we were toying around with.
  • 12 years ago
    pictures from in the office/possible bedroom!
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Keep in mind that you can also screw up the existing space by putting partitions.

    With that said, you have to get a permit, you have to add outlets, you have to meet fire code, make sure the window is code compliant and meets egress requirements,etc.

    Doing this without permit, you could end up with illegal bedroom and if this matter should come up, you can end up with a headache. Seen this happen to many homeowners.

    Get a local Realtor and get some compatibles in your area, because if you owe more then the house worth now, you could be wasting more money.

    Good luck
  • 12 years ago
    it has outlets 2 new Windows light fixture all that jazz so it meets fire code. I contacted a long&foster agent and they weren't much help. said that if we want to make it a bedroom fine and the new owners could turn it back to open office as it is now if they want. she didn't give me any comps on the area and what ppl r looking for but she did say it varies for what ppl want. ugh frustrating
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    A bedroom conversion will require tamper resistant outlets, not just outlets. It will also require a window of enough size to be able to serve as an emergency escape. You also will be required to have a closet, and and a smoke detector.
  • 12 years ago
    I don't believe we need to have all that for a legal bedroom in our state. I can't find the exact info online so I'm thinking of calling around to find out for sure. we could always advertise the house as potential 3rd bedroom and leave it as is but it won't do anything for the value without it being finished correct?
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Stop by at your building department and tell them you trying to convert open space into a bedroom and what you need to do in order to accomplish that and they will tell you what you need.
  • 12 years ago
    Yes, these are national building codes. Local codes can be stricter, but not more lenient. To legally convert that room to a bedroom, you need all of that. Not having tamper resistant arc fault outlets will get you dinged in a heartbeat as would having a too small window or no smoke detector. For emergency escape, the openable window must have a sill height of no more than 44 inches above the floor. The size of the opening should be at least 5.7 square feet, measuring no less than 24 inches in height and no less than 20 inches in width. The closet thing ins not a code requirement, but it is a real estate one. A habitable room without a closet will only get called an office without it. Bedrooms have to be 70 square feet of 80'' height as well.
  • 12 years ago
    Quote: "Here's the thing we have a 2br 2bt house and we are remodeling for resale. Unfortunately, we owe more than the house is currently worth."

    This a tough call because you are investing, i.e. believing $10,000 (or whatever amount) in improvements will actually increase value of house by $20,000 or more. And it's a beautiful concept, but for me what actually increases value of house is curbside appeal (siding, landscaping, walkways, etc.), not what's in the inside for i can do my owe improvements therein, but landscaping ? We are just getting our feet wet there and todate we are not even semi pros
  • 12 years ago
    lol idk how they listed our 2br as legal bedrooms we don't have smoke detectors in there and idk what these tamper proof outlets are but visually all outlets are the same. we'll probably just leave it as an office.
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Existing homes are grandfathered in to the code that was in existance when they were built. A conversion must comply with current code. Just converting it to an office will trigger some retrofitting to bring up to current codes. I would hope that you would compy with the smoke detector on your own without it being forced on you from an inspector. Codes ARE about health and safety after all.

    The bottom line is that no renovation will add any value to a home without being fully permitted and inspected. And also, that TV way over sells the ''adding value'' bit. Real life isn't like that TV program.
  • 12 years ago
    the room already IS an office no conversion or changes needed for that. we do have smoke alarms just not in bedrooms.
  • 12 years ago
    Good luck Danielle. The pictures look like the house has a lot of potential. Aside from the code requirements that we all should be aware of, it seems that someone could probably move their dresser and twin bed into that office and be pretty comfortable.