Should You Add A Bathroom To Your Home?

Many homeowners find that they love their home, do not want to move, but wish they could add a few things.

Many homeowners find that they love their home, do not want to move, but wish they could add a few things.  These things may add convenience, value, appeal or many other things but it can be challenging to determine whether or not the addition is really worth it.    As we have seen and discussed, some renovations, while fun and exciting, do not add much actual value to the home so ROI is minimal.  Many homes could benefit from the convenience of an additional bathroom, even if it just a half-bath.  But, when determining whether or not it is right for your home it is important to carefully weigh the pros and cons of a bathroom addition so that you can make a well-thought out decision for your home.

PRO: Convenience

• Convenience may be the #1 reason why you are thinking of adding an extra bathroom to your home.  Whether your kids are fighting to use the sink in the bathroom, or you would just like a small bathroom that is easily accessible for guests, or you want a bathroom with outside access for times when you are getting out of the pool and don’t want to track water through the home, there is no doubt about it, extra bathrooms add convenience.

CON:   Difficult

• Depending on the location you intend to use for your bathroom, the necessary construction to make such an addition could be  major inconvenience.  Running the appropriate plumbing, adding walls and any other necessary infrastructure is not a simple task so you have to be prepared for a difficult renovation for your contractor. Because of its difficulty, it is not an overnight renovation and will take some time to be done properly.

PRO:  High ROI

• While many home improvement projects may not produce a high return on your investment, adding a bathroom actually has one of the highest ROIs when compared to other home renovations.  HouseLogic explains why this value-adding addition, completed by a professional contractor or handyman, is a great idea for just about any home, “According to Greg Miedema, former chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers, additional bathrooms are highly desirable features. “You can almost never go wrong adding a bathroom,” says Miedema. This is especially true if an additional bathroom helps relieve congestion at hectic times, or if it provides much-needed convenience for guests — no small considerations… An additional half bath may increases a home’s total value by about 10%, while an additional full bath increases the value by 20%, accoding to National Association of Home Builder data. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll recoup the full value of your remodeling investment — on average, you’ll spend almost twice what you recoup.”

CON:  Costly

• There are a variety of home additions that can be done relatively inexpensively but adding a bathroom is not necessarily one of them.  While there is always a range depending on the size of the bathroom and the materials used, hiring a contractor or handyman to add a bathroom is sure to be costly.  HouseLogic reports on the average spent when adding a bathroom to a home, “The national median cost of a midrange bathroom addition is about $50,000, but the percentage of recovered costs on that investment is a modest 52%, according to the “2015 Remodeling Impact Report” from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.”