Home Improvement: Add a Bath??

Adding a bathroom to your home may not only improve the quality of your life, it may also increase the value of your home. Although in today’s market you’re not guaranteed to get back the cost of adding a bath, in the long term, it typically boosts your home’s value by about 20 percent, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

How many bathrooms does a home need?
Most home buyers want an equal number of bedrooms and bathrooms. So, if you have fewer bathrooms than bedrooms, you’ll get a good return on your investment by adding a bath.

Buyers also prefer at least one bathroom on each floor of a house. To get a good return on your investment, add a bath to the second floor of a home without one. Have a finished basement?  Add a bath to that level to increase your home’s value.
If most homes in your neighborhood have a huge master bath, and your house has none, adding one could boost the value of your home. On the other hand, if the norm in your neighborhood is one and a half baths, adding a third or fourth bathroom won’t add much to your home’s value.

What does a bathroom addition cost?
If you have to build an addition on to your home in order to add a bathroom, you’re most likely looking at a minimum of $200 per square foot. By using existing house space, such as a walk-in closet or spare room, you’ll pay about $100 per square foot. Construction costs vary depending on the region in which you live; the best way to determine how much a new bath will cost is to contact several local general contractors and ask about pricing.

In addition to construction costs, be sure to include the cost for bathroom flooring and fixtures in your bathroom budget. The costs for flooring and fixtures can add up quickly, so choose wisely.
If you’d like the names and numbers of general contractors I recommend, give me a call today.

Links:
National Association of Home Builders
http://www.nahb.com/

Bathroom addition
http://www.remodelormove.com/content/article/bathroom_addition.cfm

Bathroom flooring
http://www.bathroom-remodeling-hints.com/Bathroom_Flooring.html