Loft to Bedroom Conversion (floor, how much, window, ceiling)

[snobdrblinkchik]

Hi, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post, so please move it to the correct one if this isn't it.

So we're looking to buy a house with 5 bed/4 bath, but those are $180k+, while 4 bed/4 bath with loft/den (~3000+sqft) are around $135k-145k. So we were wondering if anyone has ever converted their loft/den into an additional bedroom. All that would be needed in a loft would be half of a wall with a door, while a den would need just one full wall with a door.

If we choose the 4bd/4ba route, i wouldn't even know where to begin. any suggestions?

[desertsun41]

You are 23 and buying a 4 bedroom home for $180,000???? In Southern California?? !!!!!!!! Wow !!! Is your company hiring?

Anyhoo....I have seen many loft conversions but find it hard to give any advice without knowing the floor plan. The ones I seen is where there was a big tall great room ceiling and the customer put in a floor to add on to the second level while losing that tall great room ceiling.

Sure extra bedrooms bring extra money when selling but that may level off at 4. Who needs 5 bedrooms? Well we know that answer but they cant afford 5 bedrooms anyway. If you are 23 what on earth do you need 5 bedrooms for anyway?

[snobdrblinkchik]

Actually my brother is buying the house. We, whole family-parents, siblings, will live in the house till we are all done with college, which is why 5 bedrooms is needed. My parents had a business that failed about 7 years ago and filed for bankruptcy, so their credit is kaput. We are currently renting for $1600 a month and a mortgage of ~140k (not taking our downpayment into consideration) would be around $1000 a month, which is a HUGE difference.

Well, the room in question is actually upstairs and looks exactly like a bedroom minus a closet. There's carpet, outlets, dsl, windows, etc. it's a 2 story house and loft/game rooms are common here in SoCal. The floor plan would be like this house with the bonus room:
Residence Three New Home Plan in Sierra Bella by Lennar (http://www.lennar.com/New-Homes/California/Riverside-County/Sierra-Bella/Residence-Three - broken link)

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by snobdrblinkchik

Hi, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post, so please move it to the correct one if this isn't it.

So we're looking to buy a house with 5 bed/4 bath, but those are $180k+, while 4 bed/4 bath with loft/den (~3000+sqft) are around $135k-145k. So we were wondering if anyone has ever converted their loft/den into an additional bedroom. All that would be needed in a loft would be half of a wall with a door, while a den would need just one full wall with a door.

If we choose the 4bd/4ba route, i wouldn't even know where to begin. any suggestions?

I have to agree with DS41. A 3 bed / 2 bath house is really adequate for a nuclear family of 4 or even 5 people with a dog. 4 bedrooms and 4 baths is a lot of house for a young feller. The loft room will be used for the same thing regardless of whether you call it a loft or a bedroom, the only difference is that calling it a bedroom adds $45,000 to your mortgage, means that you pay about $50,000 more in interest over the life of the loan, and about $250/month more. You would certainly be able to change the house in the future, and almost certainly come out ahead in dollars, but make sure you give the loft a fighting chance if you decide to go that route.

EDIT: I missed your second post. I would have worded things differently, but I still think that it makes more sense to go with the 4/4 just based on the options the extra money gives you. Before taxes, insurance, etc. etc. your mortgage would be about $720-$780/month with the 4/4 and about $1000 for the 5/4. If $1600-$1000 is a big difference, $720 probably makes a lot more sense. If the loft looks like a bedroom in all but name (and perhaps one open wall) treat it like a bedroom. Privacy will be difficult to come by in that sort of living arrangement more or less regardless of whether you have 4 or 5 proper bedrooms.

[mrpeatie]

To legally call it a bedroom you will need a window that meets egress requirements and a closet. If you simply want to use it as a bedroom just section off the space but be aware that it has to have those two items if you want to resell it as a 5 bedroom. If you have to enlarge the window doing so before it is built will make it a pretty cheap switch.

[snobdrblinkchik]

Yea, i definitely agree that the price difference is a huge between the 4/4 and 5/4 houses on the market right in my city.

I was just curious as to whether anyone had done it and how much it cost them. Since we(4) are all older and in college, none of us would like to live in an open room. Having a door to filter out the noise and to just "get away" is very important. We aren't to concerned about making more money when it's sold, etc.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by snobdrblinkchik

Yea, i definitely agree that the price difference is a huge between the 4/4 and 5/4 houses on the market right in my city.

I was just curious as to whether anyone had done it and how much it cost them. Since we(4) are all older and in college, none of us would like to live in an open room. Having a door to filter out the noise and to just "get away" is very important. We aren't to concerned about making more money when it's sold, etc.

If you are only talking about framing out a wall for privacy the conversion should be pretty cheap. I have no idea about pricing work in California, but I would not expect the bill to overrun $10,000 and possibly a lot less, so to me, its kind of a no-brainer to go with the 4/4. A good carpenter and one helper would be able to frame, sheetrock, tape and float a wall with a doorframe for a lot less than the builder's upgrade. You can always bring the window up to code for a bedroom later on when money is less tight.

I totally understand the need for some privacy. I had a very different picture of the upstairs in mind before looking at the link to the floorplan.