Master suite addition - bath vs closet

12 years ago

I am new to the site but I have been lurking for a while.

I am considering an addition to my tiny little house. I currently have about 1320 sq feet in my 1950s rancher.

A lot of families in my hood are adding on or even tearing down existing structures to build bigger homes. I think we are maintaining our property value pretty well.

Since my house is small I don't want to double my size necessarily but I want to get the most bang for my buck. While I'm not going to sell anytime soon but I want to consider resale value. I definitely do not want to over-build for my existing footprint or my 'hood.

I would like to add approx 800 sq feet to include a master suite with bath and closet, a laundry room and a family room. Due to some structural constraints (roof, property, etc) I can only do so much.

It is currently just me and my tween child right now but what I have is getting smaller and smaller each year.

Do I build a great "glamor" bath and a small-ish closet or do I go with a decent master bath and get a bigger closet?

Also, would you rather have a separate shower and tub with a single sink vanity or a great shower, no tub and double vanity? Whichever I chose I can probably have at least a sink with a make up desk. Of course, there is the option of a shower/tub combo but I really don't think that's what I want. I'm not sure I would use a tub because I've never really had a tub so.....Maybe I'd like it?

I do have a full bath in the existing hall bath and have a small shower in my existing master bath so I have at least one full bath in this house.

I'm just having a tough time deciding which one I'd rather have. One one hand, a smaller bathroom = less to clean, but on the other, I might enjoy a tub bath and so might my kiddo.

I have a million and one redesign / remodeling questions! So many decisions....so little money!

thanks for any suggestions!

meredith

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Comments (5)

GreenDesigns
12 years ago
A lot will depend on what you want to spend. National average costs for a master suite addition is 106K. For a family room addition is 83K. You could very very easily drop 200K on the project if you went with more upscale materials like natural stone, high quality windows, a fireplace, built in media shelving, etc. And it would be optimistic to think that you could get 60% back in increased value to your home. Is this a neighborhood that it would make sense to spend 200K on doing an addition?
weedyacres
12 years ago
What are the details about "how small is small" on the closet and bath? How much total square footage is the master suite?

Off the top of my head I'd probably opt for a medium bath and a medium closet over large of one and small of another. But that depends on the actual square footage numbers in the trade-offs.
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phoggie
12 years ago
I would vote for a decent master bath and a larger closet.
Depending on your age and your gender...I am a woman and "getting up there"...my old joints won't bend to even get into a tub...so that would not be something that I would even want...I would much rather have a good-sized shower. And of course, your budget (and you say "so little money"), will help guide you also, especially if you already have a tub/shower in another bathroom.

It seems that women like their closets better than men...and like a tub better than men...if you are married, then I would rather have a double vanity than a single one.
hilltop_gw
12 years ago
Size is so personal, I suggest a medium size of both. My master bath is 9x12 and I love the size. A friend and I were both discussing renovating our approx 16 year old bathrooms. We both agreed we seldom use our tub/jacuzzis (maybe 3-4 times a year). We'd both like to get rid of those. Hubby would like to have a larger shower (ours is a standard pre-fab). From a resale stand, I'd think a double vanity would be a must.

Our walk-in closet is 6'deep x9 wide and I wish it were a little larger. We don't have a lot of clothes so it's OK, it's the shoes that take up space.
KeeperMom
Original Author
12 years ago
I'd say the cost of building is below the national average in my 'hood. To answer the question tho, I think this 'hood would support a $200k addition/remodel but my house probably would not. Vague, I know.

I had another builder come by a few days ago and he had some decent suggestions. I guess I'm just going to wait and see what the bids look like and go from there. I could be WAY off base with what I think it might cost and forget the whole thing.

I did forget to mention that my brother is a cabinet installer for a big-box home improvement store and he said he can install my kitchen and bath cabinets at no cost so that will save quite a bit. There are a couple of other minor areas or work that my dad and/or I can do too to save a few bucks. Ever penny counts, right!?