When it comes to renovating a home, homeowners expect to spend money. No home renovation or home improvement project is free, but some are less costly than others.

The addition of a half-bathroom is a popular project among homeowners, and it won’t necessarily break the bank. If converting existing floor space into a half-bathroom, such a renovation can cost as little as a few thousand dollars, making the addition of a powder room one of the few home improvement projects where the value added to the home exceeds the cost of the renovation. Before deciding to add a half-bathroom, it helps to consider some of the pros and cons of the project:

Pros

• Convenience: A half-bathroom is often added on the home’s main floor or in the basement or attic. This makes it more convenient for guests to use the restroom during a dinner party or when coming over to watch the big game in a basement home-theater area.
• Problem-free: Half-bathrooms are smaller because they don’t have a shower or bathtub. That means common bathroom problems like mold and mildew are not as big a concern as they are for full bathrooms.
• More choices: Because mold and mildew aren’t likely to present a problem in a half-bathroom, homeowners have more options at their disposal when choosing floors and countertops.

Cons

• Space: As their name implies, half-bathrooms are much smaller than full bathrooms. As a result, they tend to feel cramped.
• Value: Though an inexpensive half-bathroom addition might recoup its value and then some at resale, the project won’t add as much resale value to a home as a full bathroom addition might.
• Loss of storage: If storage around the house is sparse, homeowners might be better off keeping the area designated for the half-bathroom as a storage closet instead of a bathroom.

If adding a half bathroom to your home is a project you want to move forward with, call the professionals from Handyman Connection of Lexington to provide a free, no-obligation project estimate!