WHich Is More Appealing - A Den Or An Additional Bathroom?
My friend and I are in disagreement about a rehab.
The hous is 3bds/1ba and the garage was legally convertd to a den. The bedrooms are small - all are 10x10. I say to make the 270sq den into a master bath and bedroom by setting side a small area for the water heater and electrical panel box and then partition the rest of the space for a master bedroom and bath making it into a four bedroom 2 baths. I said we could make the enclosed porch slightly larger to compensate.
He says to leave it as it and that a den is more appealing than a master bedroom/bath.
What do you guys normally do with 1 bath residences?
Is there direct access to the den from the 2nd floor of the main house? I had a client a few years ago who had built a master suite above the garage but it was entered by steps from inside the garage. It did not add any appreciable value when we sold the house. However if it had been accessable from the 2nd floor it would have paid off.
That said, in general I vote for the addition of a bath to a one bath house.
Jim
It is a 1 story house. When you enter there is the living and the kitchen/dining-room straight ahead. room. On the left is the garage that was converted to the den. On the right is the bathroom and across from that are the 3 bedrooms. I think a second bath is needed because the first barely has enough space for the shower, sink and commode.
A conforming 3/2 should always be more valuable than a 3/1.
Not having to fight over one bathroom in the morning is priceless.
Sorry for assuming the 2 story!
I come from the motherland of "5 over 4 w/a door" colonials. (5 second story windows over 4 first floor windows)
Go with the bath!
Jim
As Jim points out, we come from the "land of milk and honey" where a 3/ 2.5 is just about the minimum for a SFR. I guess it varies somewhat by region, but I would say that any potential homebuyers with more than 2 people would not be happy at all with 1 bathroom. The den is nice, but the bathrooms and kitchens are key factors above most any other. Agreed...go with the bathroom. Good luck.
An extra bathroom is probably a better bet. 3 Bedrooms fighting over 1 bathroom is never a good thing.
Without a doubt another bedroom and bathroom will add far more value than a den.
Chris
According to the rehab experts that have been tracked in several publications the biggest bang for your buck is to add an existing bath inside the footprint of the house.
This would be true in your case as well. Just make sure it looks like a master with a bath and not a garage with a WC
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