Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > New Jersey
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 06-22-2009, 05:16 PM
 
6,902 posts, read 7,536,673 times
Reputation: 2018

Advertisements

I've been shopping around for a single family home in Bloomfield. I finally found one that i could afford, but the master bedroom is a little small. Before i put in a bid for it, i wanted to do a little research on turning the unfinished attic into a master bedroom. Its already wired with electrical. Has anyone had any experience in finishing the attic in your home? How long did it take and how much. Not looking for anything extravegant...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 06-22-2009, 05:37 PM
 
1,977 posts, read 7,754,723 times
Reputation: 1168
Alot of attics today are not built to be "finished". I would ask the home inspector their opinion. Im sure it could be done but it wont be easy if the attic is a "cold zone".
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2009, 06:00 PM
 
Location: Central New Jersey
237 posts, read 1,110,747 times
Reputation: 99
Suggestion - (1) think about impact of hot and/or cold weather conditions when you renovate an attic, and (2) think about impact on future sale of property.

Last edited by NORMGLO; 06-22-2009 at 06:01 PM.. Reason: typo
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2009, 06:13 PM
 
6,902 posts, read 7,536,673 times
Reputation: 2018
Quote:
Originally Posted by NORMGLO View Post
Suggestion - (1) think about impact of hot and/or cold weather conditions when you renovate an attic, and (2) think about impact on future sale of property.

I can tell you this, it was like a sauna up there yesterday. I really like the house, the bedrooms are kind of small, which is why i'm thinking of converting the attic into a master and give my oldest girls the master bedroom on the lower level.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2009, 06:51 PM
 
2,312 posts, read 7,525,377 times
Reputation: 908
One of my neighbors did that in their house and it was really nice. Our attic was finished with two bedrooms and a bathroom, and yes, it was a hot and cold zone. We never addressed that, so we didn't use the rooms much, but I know people who did and enjoyed the space very much.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-23-2009, 04:52 AM
 
9,124 posts, read 36,377,466 times
Reputation: 3631
Depends on whether ther floor joists are adequate to serve as finished space, and whether there's enough depth to the rafter to allow for code-required insulation. There are a bunch of code requirements you'll have to meet regarding egress windows, minimum ceiling heights, etc.- it may be worthwhile to pay an architect to take a look at the situation to determine what's feasible.

Regarding cost, you could be looking at anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 depending on what's required- it's impossible to say without seeing the space.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-23-2009, 05:32 AM
 
6,902 posts, read 7,536,673 times
Reputation: 2018
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobKovacs View Post
Depends on whether ther floor joists are adequate to serve as finished space, and whether there's enough depth to the rafter to allow for code-required insulation. There are a bunch of code requirements you'll have to meet regarding egress windows, minimum ceiling heights, etc.- it may be worthwhile to pay an architect to take a look at the situation to determine what's feasible.

Regarding cost, you could be looking at anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 depending on what's required- it's impossible to say without seeing the space.

Thanks Bob, they've already added the insulation, which is amazing, but definately need to get someone in there to check it out before i put an offer.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-23-2009, 06:08 AM
 
Location: Summit, NJ
44 posts, read 178,614 times
Reputation: 48
Im assuming the attaic in on the 3rd floor, you will need to put a emergency exit outside to the 3rd floor.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-23-2009, 06:15 AM
 
1,983 posts, read 7,517,217 times
Reputation: 418
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackandproud View Post
I've been shopping around for a single family home in Bloomfield. I finally found one that i could afford, but the master bedroom is a little small. Before i put in a bid for it, i wanted to do a little research on turning the unfinished attic into a master bedroom. Its already wired with electrical. Has anyone had any experience in finishing the attic in your home? How long did it take and how much. Not looking for anything extravegant...
Finishing an attic is generally a waste of money. If it must be done, probably the biggest value add is a large home office. Nobody will want a master bedroom in the attic. So expect a small return on your investment. If it's comfortable for you then whatever.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-23-2009, 06:42 AM
 
9,124 posts, read 36,377,466 times
Reputation: 3631
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackandproud View Post
Thanks Bob, they've already added the insulation, which is amazing, but definately need to get someone in there to check it out before i put an offer.
The question is, was it done right? Is there enough insulation to meet the code requirements, or was it just "let's put some insulation in- something is better than nothing"? There's also the issue of ventilation- did they put baffles under the sheathing to get airflow from the soffit to the ridge?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > New Jersey
Similar Threads
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top