Add A Master Suite?

[JSJJ388]

Me and the wife were spitballing some ideas for the house now that we have 3 kids. We really have 2 options.

Option 1

Convert our current play room into to Remis bedroom. This would be pretty straightforward and not cost an arm and a leg. Basically would be putting up a non structural wall to make a hallway and adding a door. Move 1 light, and add 1 light. Downside is this would be a pretty small room. Not the end of the world, my room growing up was 12x18... Can do this work myself/with my FIL.


Option 2

Add a master suite. Our house doesn't have a master bedroom and only has one small bathroom with a small 3x3 shower and no tub. This is obviously going to cost a fair bit and involve a lot more work. We aren't wanting to go crazy if we go this route. Just a simple bedroom with 2 windows, and a standard bathroom with tub.


Questions..... Who here has added a master suite to an older house? What kind of ROM are we looking at to do this? Anything else to consider? Yall are the smartest crowd I know (low standard lol) so figure someone will have some useful info.


Edit:here's a couple pictures and a concept of where we want to put it.

 

[BRUISER]

we did an addition to a 1955 house

I posted a bunch of pics and info in my shop thread. we added a 2 car garage with a master suite above it. we had to make a hallway in the old master bedroom to access it but it worked out well and we still love it.

Building a Shop on a budget...(My Shop Project Build)

and of course my son had to play on the big pile of dirt and they made a nice path from front of shop to back yard.. I think I may need to gravel that and give my self access going forward

nc4x4.com

 

[JSJJ388]

we did an addition to a 1955 house

I posted a bunch of pics and info in my shop thread. we added a 2 car garage with a master suite above it. we had to make a hallway in the old master bedroom to access it but it worked out well and we still love it.

Building a Shop on a budget...(My Shop Project Build)

and of course my son had to play on the big pile of dirt and they made a nice path from front of shop to back yard.. I think I may need to gravel that and give my self access going forward

nc4x4.com

Thanks. I'll read through it. Ours is a 1945 single story ranch house.

 

[R Q]

My house was 900+/- sq ft when I bought it in '96. It was built in '43 or '53, there's conflicting info. I added 900 sq ft addition which included a large master with bath and another bedroom. I did it in a couple years using a friend GC who got it dried in quickly and I finished a lot and used my contractors/friends for electrical and a couple other trades. I was able to just extend on the end of the house so it was very straightforward for the new part. The hardest part was mating old construction to the new. I updated insulation, windows, siding, etc., at that time also.
It was well worth my effort and expense. But it was in '98-2000 so costs were very different from now.

 

[RatLabGuy]

Keep in mind if you add a bedroom (either way) technically you need to ensure your septic is rated for it. They are rated by bedrooms not bathrooms. That will be part of the county process.
Speaking of the county... I'm not going to encourage anyone to break rules. But option 1 a person could likely get by under the table were they to want to. Option 2 would be much more difficult to skirt them and not reccomended.

re Option 2 - don't forget about HVAC implications. Will there be both a supply and return in said room?
Also - is there a window or some form of emergency egress? Aside from that being code requirement, its just a damn good idea if its where you're sticking your kiddo.

re: size... our daughter is 14 and has lived her whole life in a bedroom that is about 10x12 including the closet footprint. Its definitely cramped and we've had to be creative with storage (she has a loft bed, lots of shelves etc) but certainly doable.

 

[JSJJ388]

Keep in mind if you add a bedroom (either way) technically you need to ensure your septic is rated for it. They are rated by bedrooms not bathrooms. That will be part of the county process.
Speaking of the county... I'm not going to encourage anyone to break rules. But option 1 a person could likely get by under the table were they to want to. Option 2 would be much more difficult and not reccomended.

rt Option 2 - don't w=forget about HVAC implications. Will there be both a supply and return in said room?
Also - is there a window or some form of emergency egress? Aside from that being code requirement, its just a damn good idea if its where you're sticking your kiddo.

re: size... our daughter is 14 and has lived her whole life in a bedroom that is about 10x12 including the closet footprint. Its definitely cramped and we've had to be creative with storage (she has a loft bed, lots of shelves etc) but certainly doable.

House was sold as a 3 br 1 bath. The playroom is already designated as a bedroom, but you've got to walk through it to go to the kitchen. And yes, it has egress.

As for hvac, I'd consider redoing the whole system honestly. It's old and I've had to patch a couple of ducts. I'd consider it a separate cost though.

Thanks for the good pointers though.

 

[RatLabGuy]

Oh speaking of HVAC - if you add a good size master auite thats something else to consider. You'll very likely need to update for the higher load.

Overall there's just a massive difference in scale here. If you really plan to be there a long time the cost of the expansion will pay out both in convenience and resale. Option 1 likely will not have a huge resale impact, but this kind of detail really depends on your local market

 

[skyhighZJ]

The big ones are already mentioned by @RatLabGuy being septic and HVAC. I’ll add my .02. Make sure it flows. Our place was built in ‘87 then a garage and bonus room above was added that we have made our MB. The original addition literally just blew a whole in the (former) exterior wall and was a complete shit design. I redid it all to include how you acceded the bathroom. Now it flows so much better albeit the best I could do given what I had to start with.

 

[CasterTroy]

Oh speaking of HVAC - if you add a good size master auite thats something else to consider. You'll very likely need to update for the higher load.

Ductless split with a ceiling cassette. It's on its own and no additional loading to the house.

 

[JSJJ388]

The big ones are already mentioned by @RatLabGuy being septic and HVAC. I’ll add my .02. Make sure it flows. Our place was built in ‘87 then a garage and bonus room above was added that we have made our MB. The original addition literally just blew a whole in the (former) exterior wall and was a complete shit design. I redid it all to include how you acceded the bathroom. Now it flows so much better albeit the best I could do given what I had to start with.

This is a slight concern. Only logical spot to add on is off of the dining room. Not ideal.

 

[Loganwayne]

I've started planning my expansion on this house if we stay. It will be more involved because it's two stories.

Biggest concerns are septic and tying roof in to make it look right.

Just remember anything that gets opened up gets brought up to code.

 

[Andy J.]

I just want to reiterate the massive difference in scale of the two options. You’re talking about less than $1000 for option 1 and anywhere from $50k (?) to $moon for option 2.

As said already, I’d only consider option 2 if you plan to be there for a long time.

 

[JSJJ388]

I just want to reiterate the massive difference in scale of the two options. You’re talking about less than $1000 for option 1 and anywhere from $50k (?) to $moon for option 2.

As said already, I’d only consider option 2 if you plan to be there for a long time.

We do plan to be here for life. And yes, well aware of the cost difference. Would like to get an idea of the cost (ROM) so that we can make an educated decision on what the right course is. If we can afford it, we're willing to invest the time and money into our home.

 

[WARRIORWELDING]

We do plan to be here for life. And yes, well aware of the cost difference. Would like to get an idea of the cost (ROM) so that we can make an educated decision on what the right course is. If we can afford it, we're willing to invest the time and money into our home.

This response says add the extra crapper. The bed room ehh. I live in a old house one crapper.

 

[JSJJ388]

This response says add the extra crapper. The bed room ehh. I live in a old house one crapper.

Yea that's a big part of it. Wife also is the type to sit and soak in the tub. We ain't got a tub and I think she'd pay a fortune just for that lol.

 

[braxton357]

It's a no brainer if you plan on staying there forever. Where you get caught up is when you say "well we might as well just reroof the whole house/whole new HVAC/new insulated windows all around" but then it's not a bad investment. Would it be on a slab? Crawlspace? Do you have any framer friends? Putting walls up isn't too hard but making that new gable match the old roof might be. How far is the sewer from the new bathroom and is there enough pitch?
A lot of variables but just assume you're going to spend minimum 40k if you know some people.

 

[CLRracer]

All I can say is bless you people with only one crapper!

Duane

 

[RatLabGuy]

All I can say is bless you people with only one crapper!

Duane

Our previous house had only1 bathroom. It was only us and a 3 y/o and that was enough to make 2+ a minimum when we started shopping for homes.

If ya can scrounge the change, I'm also voting for the big addition. I'd say $50k with some luck and a lot of sweat equity.

 

[Loganwayne]

I think standard gc rate is going to be around 200 a sf. That's you calling up someone and walking away. Your going to need someone with a license to pull permit, for electric, plumbing and hvac. You may be able to pull the permit yourself but honestly it's probably going to be easy to get someone to pull the permit for you and pay them. Inspectors hate owner pulled permits now, due to all the diyers that don't know shit

 

[JSJJ388]

I think standard gc rate is going to be around 200 a sf. That's you calling up someone and walking away. Your going to need someone with a license to pull permit, for electric, plumbing and hvac. You may be able to pull the permit yourself but honestly it's probably going to be easy to get someone to pull the permit for you and pay them. Inspectors hate owner pulled permits now, due to all the diyers that don't know shit

Yea if we do it, I'd want to be pretty turn key. I don't mind painting and trim ect, but I know what's happen if I try to do it myself. 40-50k is more than we anticipated, we bought the house for 120k lol. But, I guess that's the world now.

 

[Loganwayne]

Yea if we do it, I'd want to be pretty turn key. I don't mind painting and trim ect, but I know what's happen if I try to do it myself. 40-50k is more than we anticipated, we bought the house for 120k lol. But, I guess that's the world now.

I'd check around in your area. Wnc is stupid high, and I'm in very high end. We figure 400-500 sf min. You may get it down to 150 or less depending on who you talk to.
Prices never went down after covid just stabilized and then all the labor caught up

 

[CasterTroy]

I think standard gc rate is going to be around 200 a sf. That's you calling up someone and walking away. Your going to need someone with a license to pull permit, for electric, plumbing and hvac. You may be able to pull the permit yourself but honestly it's probably going to be easy to get someone to pull the permit for you and pay them. Inspectors hate owner pulled permits now, due to all the diyers that don't know shit

That's a low number for a whole house build honestly ($200)

When you talk renovation there's a great deal more involved for smaller SQFT renovation. Mobilization, cost per sqft goes up significantly. Budget $300sqft and anything less is just a bonus. I am not kidding.

 

[Loganwayne]

That's a low number for a whole house build honestly ($200)

When you talk renovation there's a great deal more involved for smaller SQFT renovation. Mobilization, cost per sqft goes up significantly. Budget $300sqft and anything less is just a bonus. I am not kidding.

Ya I figured he might know some people to help on cost some.

I'm about to gut my house to the studs and redo it and I'm at about 70 a sf. No framing or plumbing changes and I'll be doing 75% of it myself

 

[CasterTroy]

Ya I figured he might know some people to help on cost some.

I'm about to gut my house to the studs and redo it and I'm at about 70 a sf. No framing or plumbing changes and I'll be doing 75% of it myself

You.... Are not normal.

Same as me. I "know people"

My cost psqft is not like anyone else's.

I've designed 20 barndos in the last year. 2 traditional houses, a damn 4 floor silo and 4 additions aside from my commercial design obligations

None of which came in under $225 sqft

My commercial ventures are now topping $500sqft

 

[Loganwayne]

You.... Are not normal.

Same as me. I "know people"

My cost psqft is not like anyone else's.

I've designed 20 barndos in the last year. 2 traditional houses, a damn 4 floor silo and 4 additions aside from my commercial design obligations

None of which came in under $225 sqft

My commercial ventures are now topping $500sqft

Our residential specs are 450 right now. Pricing out a new phase that I expect to be 550 and then the estates lots are going to be 700+ easy.... they are also 8000sf under roof