Converting formal dining into a room a good idea? (Howe: house, neighborhood)

[ionate]

I live in an "entry level" house (1800sf) purchased in 2001 in the Lake Pointe neighborhood.

I'm thinking about turning the formal dining room into a bedroom/study in order to make better use of our space, allow the kids to have their own rooms, etc. However, I am still unsure how this will effect the house value when it comes time to sell!

We like the area and schools, so we would like to stay in the house as long as possible and do not plan on moving (at least, not within 10+yrs).

Should I consider keeping it a formal dining? Why or why not?

Thoughts? Positive/Negative things to consider?

[atxcio]

Is 1800sf on the smaller end for Lake Point? Would adding on be an option? Might be a good idea for future resale value, if the sq footage is on the lower end for the neighborhood.

I'm not aware how a room conversion on a formal dining would affect value... one of the realtors on the forum could help with that. But it seems like it would be a fairly easy thing to reverse, if needed, at resale time. So I would say if your family could use the bedroom more for the next 10 years, then go ahead and convert it!

[rr_residents]

What do you need to do with the room in order to convert it? Our formal dining is used as a library/music room, but it can easily be changed into a formal dining room if the next owners so choose. The only thing we did to it was replacing the chandelier with a different light fixture that is closer to the ceiling.

[neddy]

If you plan to stay awhile, turn the room into something that will work for you and the family. 10 years is a ways off and you can always redo then.

[thedogatemyhomework]

surprised you haven't gotten feedback from any agents

for what it's worth i think formal dining rooms are a huge waste of space. so long as you can fit a good sized table in your kitchen, formal dining rooms seem largely unused and unnecessary

[llkltk]

If that's what you need, go ahead and do it. If it is a factor in a resale, then you will just have to redo it. Could you possibly leave out the closet? That would help.

[atxcio]

If you leave out the closet, then I think they can't count it as a bedroom when it comes time to sell it. So if you end up finding out that a 4th bedroom will actually help resale value, it's gotta have the closet.

[Runemaster]

I'd just suggest putting french doors on it, which could still leave it open for use as a dining room, should the next owner so choose. My wife used our old formal DR as her office and we always planned on putting french doors on it but just never got around to it.

[Trainwreck20]

There was some news article about changing tastes in housing, and how the media room and formal dining room were currently very low on people's list of needs. Of course, that could also change by the time you are selling .

[jobert]

Originally Posted by Runemaster

I'd just suggest putting french doors on it, which could still leave it open for use as a dining room, should the next owner so choose. My wife used our old formal DR as her office and we always planned on putting french doors on it but just never got around to it.

Best idea yet - larger doors the better such as double 3'-6" doors - and keep the doors open at all times when used as a dining room - it adds character to the house. Personally, I prefer the formal dining. It's the one room that can always be kept immaculate and off limits to activity + it's the first room you see when you walk in most of the time, so it tells guests alot about you. If it was a bedroom, there would be no adjacent bathroom, the added closet would be awkward and protruding, and it would most likely be right next to the front door - a poor separation of "public/private" space IMO. The room used other than a diningroom would be considered "off-limits" and would funnel people through the house into the kitchen/living room rather than welcome them at the entryway. Also, are the alternate dining areas in the house - i.e. "breakfast nook" large enough to accommodate groups of 6 or more comfortably? If not, I definately wouldn't do it. The pricier route would be to infill a double-volume space to create another bedroom/study on the second floor along with the other private zones of the house. In the process you might bump the house to over 2000sf - bonus.