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asm198

Converting bedroom into bath/closet - lots of questions

Hello all! I'm a longtime lurker, sometimes poster and I'm hoping to get some feedback on a project I've been thinking about doing. I live in a 1960s ranch that has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The master bath is very small and I would like to convert a bedroom into a larger bath and a walk in closet.

We won't be starting this project for at least a year, so that we can save up the money, as we plan to do most of the work ourselves. We have intermediate experience with DIY projects, but plan to hire professionals for the plumbing and electrical.

My first question is how this might affect resale. I realize this is dependent on the area, and while we aren't planning on selling at the moment, I'd like to be mindful of this. It seems that houses of comparable square footage in my area generally have 3-5 bedrooms, but I've had people tell me that getting rid of a bedroom would be a detriment. I tend to disagree, as the current bathroom and closet is very small, so making them larger would make the house more attractive. I should also mention that we have a furnished basement that could easily be converted into at least another bedroom.

The second part of my question is about layout, sizing, etc. The first picture is the current layout. As you can see, the bathroom is very small and the closet for the second bedroom is essentially the size of a coat closet. I also forgot to note on the drawing, but the attic access is located in that closet. Additionally, in that closet there is a bump out in the corner, which is about a foot square. I don't know what it is, but will obviously investigate before doing anything.

The second picture is what I'm thinking about. The bathroom would be 5 x 8.5, the walk-in closet would be 6 x 8.5, which would allow for a 5 inch wall between them for plumbing.

Obviously, the bathroom wouldn't be huge, but it would be much more functional that it is currently, as two people can't really use it at the same time. Having a 6 ft wide closet would (I believe) allow us to have clothing rods going down both sides and I might put a mirror or shelving at the end. Also, doing pocket doors is just an idea I'm tossing around at the moment.

Does this look like a somewhat feasible plan? Are those room dimensions the best use of that space?

As far as budget goes, I'm thinking around $5000, but obviously that could change as I do more research.

We would be doing the demo, hang the drywall, install the fixtures, and do any tiling ourselves. We gutted our other bathroom several years ago, but just changed the fixtures without changing the layout, so we have experience in those items.

We would be keeping fixtures and any tile simple and basic, so steam showers, multiple showerheads, or anything like that. Really, my main goal with the project is to be able to keep our clothing in one place and have the ability for both my husband and I to use the bathroom at the same time.

Comments (7)

  • live_wire_oak
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    On a slab or crawlspace? Doing plumbing changes on slab is very expensive. Average bath renovation are around 15K without doing any plumbing relocation.

    You should really talk to a local realtor about the effect that your ideas would have on your home's value. But yes, losing a bedroom would have a negative effect on value that a larger bath would not compensate for. Also, below grade bedrooms do not count as habitable space for an appraisal.

  • asm198 - Zone 6a (MO)
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We have a full basement underneath, so we have complete access to all of the plumbing. Our garage, basement door, water heater, and workshop are located under the bedrooms, with the rest of the basement dedicated to the laundry room, game room, and wet bar.

  • kirkhall
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just did a budget remodel with bath. I believe 5k might be low, but I am in a higher cost of living area.

    What materials do you plan to use for your bathroom? Non-fancy, non-expensive manufacturer of shower fixtures can run you $1000 alone (for valves and shower components). That is not including any shower surround/tub/floor material/toilet/vanity/sinks/faucets, etc.

    I think your general layout is okay, except...
    where will you put the bed?

    Can your reach in closet be accessed somewhere differently and that opening closed off so there is room on that wall for other things? Right now, you have no wall in your master "free" of obstructions.

  • asm198 - Zone 6a (MO)
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Kirkhall, our bed will stay where it is, which is under the window opposite the bath. As far as the reach in closet goes, we will probably remove the closet frame and have it be a nook in the bedroom. There is a bedroom on the other side of the wall, but it already has it's own reach in closet.

    Geoffrey_B, thank you for that breakdown; it's very helpful to see what others have paid for something similar.

    As far as the closet, I hadn't planned on purchasing a full closet system of some kind, as we need primarily hanging storage.

  • don92
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I did one very similar to what you have planned. Only difference was enlarging the bath a bit and putting access to the closet from the bath. That gave more wall space to the bedroom which they needed.

  • weedyacres
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We added an 8'x10' bathroom upstairs, and, along with floorplan changes in 2 bedrooms, and the associated wall demo and construction (including adding 2 closets), it cost us around $10K. It was all DIY, using mid-range materials and glass doors on the shower. So your cost should be less than that.

    We're currently gutting to the studs a 5'x7' bath and replacing all the house plumbing, so a close equivalent to what you're doing, except you're also adding walls and a closet. Our budget is $1K for the bathroom and $1K for the plumbing.

    So bottom line: I think you can do it for $5K if you watch your material choices and DIY everything. Average bath remodels may cost $15K, but they're also typically hired out.

    As for resale, I live in a basement area and in my experience, many/most people are looking for a certain number of bedrooms to handle their kids, and they consider basement bedrooms in their calculations, even if they technically "don't count" for assessor/appraiser purposes. In fact, there are some people building new homes that put the master on the main floor and all the kids' bedrooms in the basements (I wouldn't do that myself). So there may be families with young kids that want all the bedrooms on the same level, but others with teenagers may actually prefer to have a basement bedroom to put their teen. :-)

    A 6' wide walk-in closet will be a little tight, with just 2' of walk space between the clothes. But it's doable, and better than you've got now, so I don't see a problem with it.

    You can get a decent shower valve/fixture set for $300 and change. We bought all of ours on ebay, and they've got separate temp/pressure controls. See one example linked below.

    Good luck with your planning!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Delta faucet set on ebay