Attic Bedroom Returns Value

Last week I reported that adding an attic bedroom returned a higher value than almost any other remodeling investment.  I suspect that other functions in the attic are also sound investments such as an attic home office or playroom.  While some of my clients think about putting a home gym in the attic, I usually advice against it simply because heat rises and, for me, it would be too warm in an attic to exercise.
Here are some things to think about if you want to expand your living space into the attic.
1.    Structure: Most older homes – like the ones I work on – have an open “A-Frame” structure in the attic.  If the height is sufficient (see below), this I the right structure to start with.  If, instead, you see a network of W-shape trusses supporting your roof, don’t think about using this space – it would be cost prohibitive to open up this structure for living. You may also need to reinforce the floor joists to support living space in the attic.  A contractor or engineer can help you figure out whether the floor joists require reinforcement.

2.    Staircase: You’re going to need to comfortably and safely get up and down from  your new living space.  Most existing staircases into an attic won’t meet today’s code.  The tread depth needs to be at least 10”; the rise needs to be less than 7-3/4”; the width of the staircase needs to be at least 36”.  Enlarging an existing stairway or adding a new one will affect spaces below. A straight-run stair will consume 10 to 14 feet of floor space; a stair designed with an intermediate landing and two runs needs about 8 feet on the lower level. (This is based on the International Residential Code; check your local building codes to see if your jurisdiction requires something different.)

Attic Bedroom - 50% of Ceiling Area Must Be 7 Ft of Higher

3.    Ceiling Height: For a habitable attic room with sloped ceilings at least 50% of the ceiling must be at 84” or higher (This is based on the International Residential Code; check your local building codes to see if your jurisdiction requires something different.)  Remember to calculate the thickness of the finish materials when you calculate headroom.  Notice how these different attic bedrooms use different strategies for handling the ceiling – from open collar ties to closed ceilings.

4.    Use windows, roof windows & skylights to achieve daylight and natural ventilation.  I find the slanted roof windows almost irresistible in an attic bedroom.  They provide a sense of coziness that can’t be replicated anywhere else.  The Washington DC area has hot summers so I avoid skylights on the southern and western roof exposures because they just bring in too much sun and heat.  On a northern and eastern roof exposures, they bring in soft, wonderful cool light.  A bedroom also needs a means of egress in case of fire or other emergency.  So work with your contractor or skylight supplier to make sure that whatever you install meets code for your area.

Attic Bedroom - Use Windows, Doors to Decks & Skylights for natural light and ventilation

In This Attic Office We Borrowed Light from the Stairway

Also consider borrowing light from adjacent areas.  We used French doors on this attic office space to borrow light from the large windows in the stairwell.

5.    Consider Adding One or More Dormers — these small additions that raise the roof over a portion of the attic will boost usable space and create the feeling of living in the treetops.

Attic Bedroom - Use Dormers for Added Ceiling Height & Living Space

6.    Attic Bath – To keep costs in check, you’ll want to locate the toilet directly above a toilet on lower levels.  This will also put you above water supply lines.  You’ll have to work with your plumber to discuss how to get hot and cold water up and waste down without too much disruption on lower floors.

An Attic Bedroom with Bath Adds Considerable Value

7.    Heating and Cooling Your Attic Bedroom. Remember that hot air rises.  This can make attics particularly hot in the summer (and delightfully warm in the winter).  For those of us who like to sleep in particularly cold room, an attic bedroom can pose challenges.  I sleep in an attic bedroom and put in a multi-zone furnace/air conditioning system that allows me to set the temperature as low as I want.  But since hot air rises, the only way I can keep the attic bedroom cool in the summer is to also have a physical barrier (a weather stripped door) that keeps the hot air from rising in my bedroom.  Consult a heating and air-conditioning contractor to evaluate the cost adjusting your system to accommodate living space in the attic.

8.    Be creative about storage. The space under the eaves that are too low to walk under are perfect places for built-in storage.

Attic Bedroom Storage Can Be Open or Closed or a Mix

Use the Space Under the Eaves for Storage

We created abundant storage without appreciably making the room any smaller – in fact, the room actually feels larger!  The feeling of additional space comes from the rich detailing that adds a feeling of depth and from the additional light that’s bounced off the reflective wood work.

AFTER - 2 Walls of Build-In Storage in the Style of the Building

We built-in storage on two walls in a style that could have been original to the building.  It feels much more appropriate than the original bedroom, below (from the same viewpoint).

BEFORE Work Began

The drawers on the bottom are only one stack of clothing deep but provide abundant “dresser” space.  They take up only as much depth as the original radiator on one wall and are actually less deep than the armoire that was on the wall opposite the bed.  Closed shelving above is good for clothes as well as for hats and other accessories.  Each wall also contains a bit of display space to add interest and the ability to personalize the space.

Storage on Window Wall Takes Up No More Depth Than Radiator

Notice How The Blinds Reflect the Color of the Hallway

The wall opposite the bed has a spot for a small TV as well as 6 shallow drawers so jewelry and accessories don’t get lost in regular sized drawers.

We also paid attention to details.  In the image, above, notice how the color of the natural woven blinds picks up the deep reddish brown of the hallway (to the far left of the photo).  The reddish-brown helps make the sage green feel clean and crisp.  Notice the graceful curve of the “leg” of the cabinets while still retaining a toe kick so that dirt doesn’t get trapped beneath.  Notice how the curve of the leg is repeated in the curve of large drawer pulls.  The large pulls mean that you don’t need 2 hands to open a wide drawer.  Notice how the proportions of the built-in cabinets — the tall doors and vertical lines of the fluting — actually makes the tall ceilings both more dramatic and more personal.  Notice how the top of the radiator cover becomes the molding between the upper and lower cabinets.  Notice in the upper images how the lighter, reflective paint on the cabinets beside the window reflect additional light into the room.

Notice, below, the palette of a deep sage green on the wall and a lighter more greyed sage green on the wood work.  It’s a restful and sophisticated palette with the reddish brown of the blinds adding just a punch of color and texture.  And finally, notice in the final image the appealing  juxtaposition of textures in the aluminum perforated metal covering the radiator contrasting with the fluting contrasting with the smooth curve of the cabinet pulls and the semi-gloss finish of the paint.

Notice the Sophisticated Color Palette

The textures play against each other

My client reports that she wouldn’t change a thing!  She says it turned out even better than she expected — and she expected a lot.

Computer Rendering of Remodeled Ranch

My client owns a typical 1950’s post-war construction 3-bedroom ranch house in Silver Spring.  Virtually the same house can be found in many communities throughout the area including Bethesda, Wheaton, Gaithersburg and Rockville.  It’s a small brick house where the front door opens directly into the living room.  There’s a small living room, a dining room and kitchen plus 3 small bedrooms and a bath on the first floor.  It has a full basement – originally unfinished.  The house has relatively small windows and no connection to the outdoors.

This home is on a very large lot that backs up to park land – creating a private green way in the back yard – a very desirable reason for opening up the house to the outdoors.

We are still in the conceptual design phase but I thought I would share 3 separate approaches I developed for them to think about.  My client’s priorities include:
-    Bringing the outdoors in
-    A modern/open/informal lifestyle
-    Both a  foyer and a mud entrance
-    A Master Suite
-    A Carport with ample closed storage for recreational & outdoor equipment
-    Preserving or replacing the existing attic storage
-    The back of the house has a southern exposure and the client would like to be able to add photovoltaics in the future.

The following are computer renderings of the home after construction for each approach.  Since we’re at the beginning of conceptual design, the drawings are not fully detailed.  There will be many changes in whatever approach (or combination of approaches) they choose.

The options go from big to small and more expensive to less expensive.  All the options maintain the character of house from the street so the house will continue to fit into the neighborhood.

Option 1 – 775 square foot addition in the back of the house.

Option 1: View from Dining to Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 1: View of Kitchen & Dining through to Entry

Option 1: Floor Plan

This option fulfills the client’s entire wish-list albeit at a fairly steep price of approximately $350,000 to $400,000 which includes refinishing the entire first floor.  The existing living room is transformed into a separate foyer.  From the front door you can see all the way through the house into the deck and gardens in the back.   The dining room, living room, kitchen and new master suite all open onto a large deck.  A new mud entrance off a new carport is close to the kitchen and bath.  The new carport has lots of enclosed storage for outdoor and sports equipment.  The new space has a new roof volume that can take advantage of future photovoltaic arrays and allows for clerestory windows to let soft northern light into the middle of the house.  A large southern roof overhang prevents solar build-up in the summer but promotes passive solar in the winter months.  While drawn here as wood, stone floors would provide further passive solar benefits.  With a generous master suite, 3 additional bedrooms, and an office all on the 1st floor – this home would provide substantial value with relatively small footprint and continued fit within the established neighborhood.

Option 2 – 800 square foot 2nd Floor

Option 2: View From Entry Through to Deck

Option 2: View of Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 2: First Floor Floor Plan

Option 2: 2nd Floor Floor Plan

The second option involves adding a partial second floor instead of a back addition.  The result is a home that feels more traditional but still feels open.  Because the 2nd floor only spans part of the house, it still fits in with the homes on the block.  In option 2, we added almost exactly the same amount of space and met the full wish-list at a smaller price tag.  It’s often cheaper to build up rather than out.  In this case we’re re-using the existing foundation — investigation shows that the existing foundation and wall will support a 2nd floor.  We’re also saving money because we’re able to tie into the existing waste stack and other plumbing lines.

One small bedroom on the first floor was sacrificed to create an open stairway.  This change creates a large airy foyer with large coat closet and views through the house to the deck and garden.  The 2nd floor contains a master suite and 4th bedroom or study.

Compared with the first option, the kitchen is smaller and we lose a separate mud entrance from the carport – in this option, the mud entrance is incorporated to the side of the kitchen.  The deck is smaller with fewer access points.  We also end up with one less bedroom/study.  But the master suite is larger with killer views of parkland and a larger master bath with his and her sinks.

Option 3 – 290 square foot Back Addition and Remodeled Basement Master Suite

Option 3: View from Dining to Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 3: View of New Foyer & Thru to Deck

Option 3: Exterior View of New Deck & Basement Master Suite

Option 3: Floor Plan of First Floor

Option 3: Floor Plan of Basement

The house is on a slight hill and so the floor of the basement is only about 3ft below grade at the back.  The basement also enjoys full 8’ ceilings.  It is dry and already conditioned (heating and cooling) but is essentially never used except for some storage.

The least expensive way to fulfill my client’s wish list is to build a small addition in the back – creating a pleasing L-shaped house with good views and access to the outdoor – and to build a new master suite in the under-used basement.  We would excavate a small sunken patio just outside the new master suite with access through French doors.

The remodeled home would be modern in feel – with an airy, open foyer including a skylight over the stairway that brings abundant daylight to the middle of the basement.  A large open foyer and separate large mud entrance off the new carport would serve family and friends well.  The existing living room is turned into a study with a small but adequate open space with dining, living, and kitchen open to the back deck.  Corner windows in the kitchen add significantly to the open feel.  The master suite is large enough for a sitting area, plenty of closet space, his-and-hers sinks in the master bath and a study opposite the new stairway.
This option – at $65,000 to $85,000 less than the first option – still fulfills my client’s wish-list.  I also like this option because the work can be phased – if desired – to spread out the payment over 2 or 3 phases of work.

Conclusion

For me, the real less here is the value of the conceptual design phase.  For less than $5,000 my clients are able to fully visualize and understand their choices before investing in expensive construction documents.  None of these options were options originally conceived of by my client.  They were thinking that they would remove the entire back wall and double the size of the house – an option that yielded fewer benefits at greater cost than any of these options.  The conceptual designs presented to my clients included 2 additional options than presented here and all options contained much greater detail and more internal and external renderings than presented here.  It’s the right way to start thinking about remodeling.

Before Pictures

BEFORE - Dining Room

Front Exterior - Before

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build.

Master Bedroom with Soffit & Cove Lighting

My client’s wish list for a remodeled master suite in the upper Northwest Washington, DC neighborhood of the Palisades included an enlarged bath and dressing area and bumping up the ceiling to create a tray ceiling.  Unlike many clients, they were not particularly looking for increased daylighting, however the wife definitely wanted to lighten up the heavy feel of the Spanish carved furniture and heavy drapes.  Another problem she wanted fixed was the tight and awkward entryway to the bedroom.

As is my practice, unless required, I prefer to work within the existing footprint — which was quite do-able in this home.  The 1950’s split-level had plain vanilla rooms with small baths.  In order to acquire the space for the enlarged master bath and dressing area, we appropriated closets near the existing small master bath and a 1970’s addition that had been used as a sewing room and closet for the husband.  With three daughters now grown and out of the house, a bedroom was re-purposed for the sewing room.

View Toward Hallway & Master Bath

Even though the husband was concerned that the room was small, we actually moved the bath wall 9” into the bedroom.  We also enlarged the doorway and moved it toward the right.  A niche right as you enter, see picture above, will eventually house a small floating valet cabinet and mirror.  We reduced the width of the doorway into the new dressing area and the windows in the dressing area and aligned both with the new entryway.  Rather than bump-up the ceiling into the attic – which would have cost $30,000 to $40,000 because of the extensive structural changes to the joist and rafters – we added a 6” high soffit around the entire room and opened up a tray ceiling in the soffit.  We left the soffit lowered to distinguish the passageway to the bath and dressing area from the bedroom proper.  In the “After” Floor Plan, the dotted lines represent the edges of soffit and the hatched walls indicate the walls that were added or changed.

These combination of changes – that actually reduced the size and volume of the room — created a feeling of greater size and openness.  We also used color to make the bedroom feel larger – the hallway is a dark color which gives a sense of compression in the hallway and expansion as you walk into the room.  The soffit is painted a darker color than either the bedroom walls or ceiling.  Again – a sense of compression and shadow leading to areas of expansion and light.  With the structural changes, the coordinated and deliberate palette helps the space feel larger.

The dressing area provides a quite generous 4 feet clear area between the cabinets.  We provided a mix of hanging and folding space – open cabinets and closed cabinets; shelves and drawers.  While not going overboard, we also provided some customized accessories.  The one that seems to be the biggest hit are the 2 pullout luggage shelves.  When pushed in the overnight bags are stored out of the way.  When pulled out, they are just the right height for packing with clothes conveniently nearby.  We also included valet rods and pull-out tie and belt racks that take up otherwise unused room within the cabinets.

Dressing Room

Custom Pull-Out Luggage Shelf

Custom Pull-out Luggage Shelf - In Use

We paid a lot of attention to lighting throughout the master suite.  We used LED cove lighting in the tray ceiling and low voltage recessed lighting in the soffit – first to highlight further the path to the bath and dressing areas, second for individual reading lights over the bed, and third to highlight artwork and as wall washers.

Row of Low-Voltage Recessed Lights Mark Way to Dressing Room

In the bath was used a combination of ceiling washers and task lighting (see “Enlarging a Master Bath”)

In the dressing area, we used “warm colored” fluorescent lighting at the top of the cabinets and, in a different finish, as sconces on either side of the mirror (see image of dressing room)

Finally, as part of the master suite remodel and additional work at the home, all the windows in the home were switched from double-hung windows to casements.  Casements are much easier to open and given better ventilation.  To get a better proportion but to limit costs, we used replacement windows but with a custom vertical divider so that they look like double casements.  These lines increase the modern feel that the homeowners desired.

Floor Plan "AFTER"

Floor Plan "BEFORE"

Bedroom BEFORE Remodeling

Dressing Room BEFORE Remodeling

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

Stone Mosaic Shower wall with matching Art Glass Cabinet Doors

Built in 1903, this vernacular farmhouse had small rooms, limited closets, and poor flow.  The owners wanted a luxurious master suite without increasing the footprint of the house.

We consolidated two small bedrooms into a spacious master bedroom.  A bit of additional room was taken from the overly large stairway landing to create ample closet space.  Both a sitting area and the bed enjoy a new fireplace and can view the TV.  Large windows on three sides flood the bedroom with light. 

A hall bath was gutted and rearranged to allow for a spacious shower in the master suite, his and her sink vanities, and a large art-glass fronted cabinet that screens the toilet as well as providing 6 large shelves of storage. 

Custom installed art adds to the luxury of the material.  Custom work includes a stone mosaic, stained glass cabinet doors, and 2 glass sinks.

Click on Image to View Larger.

Images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

Serene Master Suite

My client had recently purchased a 1920′s home near Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC.  It had small, cramped rooms and
limited closet space typical of the era.  While Initially thinking she needed to build a sizable addition to accommodate a luxurious master suite and family room, the price estimates from other builders was prohibitive. We were able to accommodate  all of her desires within the existing footprint.  This article is about creating a comfortable master suite on the 2nd floor.  Future articles will cover the rest of the affordable renovation including (1) the upscale media room in the basement (the primary role she wanted for the family room) and (2) upgrades to the kitchen and baths, new French doors to the back, a complete paint job, and additional minor modifications. When discussing the bedrooms, my client complained about scurrying from room to room to find clothes and shoes in the morning.  And she dreamed of a serene place all her own to luxuriate.  Today she lives her dream.  She sends me pictures of the bath aglow in chromatherapy lights and claims her dressing room is her favorite room in the house with cubbies for all her shoes and a place for a chair and TV. 

Floor Plan After

We converted 2 bedrooms and a closet-sized bath into a new Master Suite — see the before and after floor plans, below. We retained the original character of the home with richly
detailed flat-panel doors, porcelain knobs, and an arched alcove for reading (chair not yet purchased).

Floor Plan Before

Details

The large-format, honed limestone tile installed without additional frills or trim sets the tone for serene luxury.  The outside edges of the large-format tile were bull-nosed and honed creating a simple but elegant detail.  The tile was used for all surfaces including floors, tub deck, walls, and vanity countertop.  Strict attention to balance and detail works beautifully.  Fixtures are reminiscent of the era of the home but without fussy details. The enlarged bedroom has room for a TV, reading chair and desk. Getting rid of the unused window seat added space visually and physically.  Replace-ment wood windows with simulated divided lites in both rooms let in views while keeping out the heat, cold and noise of the urban neighbor-hood.  We kept to a tight budget without scrimping on the special details that create a luxurious living space. Click Here to see additional images. 
All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build ]]> http://www.braitmandesign.com/kitchens-baths/bath-remodeling/carving-out-a-master-suite/feed/ 0