Creating an attic bedroom is an excellent way to convert storage space into useful living space that future buyers will love. According to Remodeling Magazine's 2015 Cost vs. Value survey, 
adding an attic bedroom in the Mountain States costs about $49,079 and will generate a payback of 72.7% in increased home value. The process of creating the bedroom involves much more than setting up a bed in the space; it will return the maximum value if it is well-designed and constructed by a professional contractor.
What the Survey's Bedroom Offers
The survey's costs are based on doing the following to create a 15 by 15 foot bedroom and 5 by 7 foot bathroom with a shower:
- Adding a 15 foot shed dormer with four new windows
- Adding a closet under the eaves
- Carpeting the floor
- Bringing existing HVAC into the space
- Adding electrical wiring and lighting that meets local codes
- Reusing existing stairs with the addition of a rail and baluster around the stairwell
Creative Ways to Design Your Attic Bedroom
In implementing these standard additions, your contractor, working with a designer, can develop a workable, aesthetically pleasing layout that makes the best use of existing systems and space.
- By positioning the bathroom as close as possible to where the bathroom and kitchen are located on other floors, the contractor will need to run less pipe. Running supply and drain lines to the basement offers the best venting for sewer gases and the best water pressure, but new pipes can be tied to old ones as well. He can add a skylight to bring in light and offer a little extra headroom, and a clawfoot tub that is smaller and easier to get in place than most conventional tubs. Before adding the weight of bathroom fixtures, the contractor will verify that the floor can support it and reinforce floor joists as necessary.
- The configuration of an attic, especially if you add a dormer, presents interesting options for space usage. Besides using eaves space for the requisite closet, the contractor can build storage spaces into the side knee walls, an office area in the dormer, and additional spaces near chimneys, pipe chases, and low walls for storage nooks. Even a half wall near the stairway can become a bookshelf, while built-in cabinets can turn into cozy window seats.
- To make the room more energy efficient, your contactor can also enhance the floor joists and blow in dense pack insulation to make it quiet, and add spray-in foam insulation on the ceiling to block heat loss and gain. Since the product takes up less room than insulation batts, you will gain more headroom once the drywall or alternatives such as beadboard are added to finish the space. If you also have him install a separate thermostat, you can get the proper temperature in the attic without affecting the temperature elsewhere.
Make the most of your new attic bedroom with the professional design, contracting, and building services of Topp Remodeling and Construction. Call today for a free in-home consultation to begin your attic bedroom project.
