adding a room to house?

[SnuggleBuggles]

So the infrastructure is mostly already there and you just need to finish it off? We had an unfinished basement space (walkout with 8' ceilings). We had drywall, new lighting, new window and doors, HVAC, flooring and it was less than $20k.

[AngB]

My friend finished her entire basement (granted 2 yrs ago) adding a bathroom/bedroom/living room area for around 30k. (which we thought was a lot at the time but little did we know...) My guess is with window and closet would probably be roughly that, maybe a little cheaper since much smaller area to drywall, but then with the market...no idea.

[Peaches Keane]

I subscribe to a home building thread on Reddit. There are usually quite a few pros on there willing to talk about current costs of things.

[elephantmeg]

we finished or hired out the finish of our upstairs on a modular. It was already beamed out so all we had to do was apply drywall and have carpet put in. We did the drywall in one room ourselves (cape cod sloping walls-UGH) and then hired it out after that. The upstairs has one room that does not have a closet but does have windows (they were already in), a bathroom and DS' room which does have a closet. We're on a septic that is only rated for 3 bedrooms IIRC so there was no point in making the other room a bedroom-but all we'd have to do is add a closet if we decide to.

[robinsmommy]

Constructions costs have gone up a lot, but finishing space is easier. Do you need to add electrical and HVAC? Those add costs.

Consider a closet, and if the layout works well, see if there is a way to use it to help with isolating noise travel to other rooms.

Mineral wool insulation is supposed to be good for noise reduction.

[khm]

Since you just need finish to an existing space, I'd ask around for friends who've had their basements finished, etc. Ask realtors, friends, on Facebook.

If the structural space is there, you aren't anywhere near $100k.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Thanks all. This is really helpful. I will start asking around for recommendations.

[twowhat?]

One option is to ask the builder for an estimate, especially if this is a house that had the option to have that room finished. Things to consider: definitely add a window and closet so that it counts as an additional bedroom. You'll need electrical for sockets/switches but this is pretty simple for just one room. Be sure electrical is up to code for that room in terms of outlet spacing/etc. A window can potentially be a dormer depending on roof structure and placement of the window, which could add a few square feet which would help offset the loss from addition of a closet. Assuming you don't need plumbing or gas for a bedroom BUT make sure that there aren't any existing water/gas lines or HVAC ductwork that would have to be re-routed in order to finish out that room. HVAC is the big thing that could be complicated depending on the capacity of your AC unit and the ductwork needed to supply that room. There are ways to make the room more sound resistant with material that fills the walls. For example you could spray foam between beams before drywall is added and that will insulate the room both for heat/cold and for sound. There are different densities of spray foam so you could opt for the higher density which would block more sound. A solid wood door vs hollow core. Or even consider French doors if that could be an option, especially if the room is in a location that might benefit from additional natural light. In the room itself you can turn make it "studio-like" with wall padding, rugs/carpeting, etc to absorb sound. I don't think you'd need an architect if you're sure that room was meant to be built out (eg foundation, beams, floor joists all appropriate to handle the additional weight that finishing a room adds). When we finished our attic, we had to reinforce the floor joists so that it'd be up to code for a living space, which is different from what's required for just a storage space (something about static load - just boxes sitting around - vs live load - people walking around). Fortunately our foundation was solid for the addition. This is where the builder could be helpful...they'd immediately know if your framing is sound for finishing out that room.

[o_mom]

The window + closet = bedroom can vary by location, so check with your local realtors. One thing to recognize is that if you add a "legal bedroom" that can affect your property taxes (assuming you go through a permitting process - again, very local), so you may or may not want to make it a full bedroom at this time. You could plan for where a closet would be and add it immediately before selling later on (very small job) so that you can get the increased selling price/appeal, but not have to pay the taxes in the meantime. You also may want to talk to a realtor about houses in the area and how they handle "bonus rooms". In some areas, it is very common to have a 3BR house with a bonus room due to the taxes. Adding a free-standing wardrobe means it can function as bedroom without adding to the taxes.

[Kestrel]

Beware with septic systems - if you add more bedrooms, but don't replace/improve the septic, you can only sell it as the number of bedrooms your septic allows. These are often listed as "3bed +office" or "3bed +bonus room", ect. In some areas, you will not be allowed to get a permit to add bedrooms if you don't also deal with the septic. Just something else to ask about.