Looking for any guidance or opinions...

We have a 4,000 sq ft one-story home in a nice neighborhood in San Antonio. Average selling price per sq ft is in the $185 range. Our attic is absolutely cavernous. My rough estimate is that we could finish a lot of that space out (1 or 2 bedrooms, a media room, etc.) and add another 1,000-1,100 sq ft without even changing the roof line. Would need to put it a staircase but there's a pretty natural place to do that fairly easily.

All that to say, I was thinking something like that (nothing too fancy) might run $85-$100 per sq ft to do. Is that way off base? If not, then I think this particular situation is about as close to instant equity as it gets given current market prices in our area.

We will meet with an architect next week, but would appreciate any thoughts or experiences to help me calibrate this a bit. Thanks!

I know you said you wouldn't need to change the roof line but does that include no need to add dormers? I could see not needing them for a media room and if you do it right could add some good equity.

What's the roof pitch like?

In our last house we finished out dead space on the second floor (not exactly the same) and added a a media room and secret room. It paid off nicely when we sold.

A few dormers would be fine, but can't see that being an exorbitant cost. Roof pitch is average for a one-story home with peak about 15' above what would be the floor in the new second story.

Sounds promising. I'm curious to hear how this comes out. Good luck.

Post some pictures.

Make sure you have an engineer look at your attic joists to make sure they can carry the dead and live loads of a second floor.

Thanks for the words of wisdom - will definitely bring in an engineer if the meeting with the architect doesn't bring a halt to this whole idea.

Am I in the right basic ballpark with $85-$100 per sq ft range (knowing that there are eleventy billion variables that go into that)?

It really depends. For example, to be code compliant - you will likely need good sized windows installed for egress purposes. Also, how intrusive will it be to tie a sewer line to the rest of the house? Electrical and water should be fairly straight forward but how are you going to handle HVAC? And of course, how nice will the finish out be? As reference, two years ago in Houston - I finished out 700 sq of space above my garage that was pre-plumbed with high end materials for around $60K. However, I played general contractor and did some of the work myself so it would've been at least 20% more expensive if I would've farmed it all out.

Windows in any bedrooms will be a code requirement.

I second the joist size comment. If they were not sized for occupied space you will be upsizing. This may also trickle down to more support in the lower walls, upsizing headers below, etc.

Additional HVAC for the new area.

Verifying any recessed lighting on the first floor are rated for confined spaces.

Rerouting any wiring (electrical, cable tv, security, etc.) that is on top of joists.

Rerouting any plumbing vents around the new space.

Rerouting any first floor HVAC that is in the new space.

These things are hidden costs that could greatly increase your per/sf $

Site unseen I will guesstimate $150 sq ft if bathroom and plumbing is involved. Just for adding a second hvac unit, new ductwork, and rerouting existing ductwork is going to eat up $15 sq on a 700 sq ft attic addition. What are the current ceiling joist sizes and spans ? Also if the first story headers are 2x6 they will have to be upgraded to 2x12 wherever the second story addition will be. More than likely all of the joist will have to be upgraded to 2x12's or possibly even trusses depend on load calculations.

Is there a market for the increase in sq ft in your area? Don't want to sink too much into it without knowing that.

if the idea is feasible look at using a mini split a/c instead of reworking your hvac system

This is getting more expensive by the post! Will consider all of these suggestions and areas to watch.

Average home size in my neighborhood is probably 4,500 sq ft with prices around the $185/sq ft mark. As long as this upgrade doesn't get out of control, then we should come out ahead in addition to having a nice addition to our living space.

Will post again after meeting with architect tomorrow. Thank you all for the feedback on this!

JP76 said:

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Site unseen I will guesstimate $150 sq ft if bathroom and plumbing is involved. Just for adding a second hvac unit, new ductwork, and rerouting existing ductwork is going to eat up $15 sq on a 700 sq ft attic addition. What are the current ceiling joist sizes and spans ? Also if the first story headers are 2x6 they will have to be upgraded to 2x12 wherever the second story addition will be. More than likely all of the joist will have to be upgraded to 2x12's or possibly even trusses depend on load calculations.

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We just got done converting our 400 sf attic to living space with a bathroom. My cost was $125 per sf, but the stairs were installed during the down stairs renovation 4 years ago, had several friends in the industry that did work at cost, and I did quite a bit of work myself. Before I got started, a good friend that renovates for a living, said with design, engineering, and construction, I should budget $200 per foot.

We looked at adding a bed and bath in our attic (3,000FT3 downstairs) and concluded the budget estimate was $100K.

Towns03 said:

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We looked at adding a bed and bath in our attic (3,000FT3 downstairs) and concluded the budget estimate was $100K.

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I will do it site unseen for $90k.

That sounds crazy.


And give you a rebate of $50k

Are you a licensed contractor in Houston?

Nope. Just a guy who can build and have done plenty of my own. Seriously the pricing now is out of control. I have hired all the trades and it is ridiculous these days.

Hapoy to look over what you have and offer what I can.

Cow Hop Ag said:

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Nope. Just a guy who can build and have done plenty of my own. Seriously the pricing now is out of control. I have hired all the trades and it is ridiculous these days.

Hapoy to look over what you have and offer what I can.

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You do bathrooms, kitchens, and pools also?

Sooper Jeenyus said:

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Cow Hop Ag said:

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Nope. Just a guy who can build and have done plenty of my own. Seriously the pricing now is out of control. I have hired all the trades and it is ridiculous these days.

Hapoy to look over what you have and offer what I can.

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You do bathrooms, kitchens, and pools also?

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Just my own.. Except for the pool and that is something I am thinking about. My stone mason did a giant hotel pool and said he would do one for me if I handle the plumbing and electrical.

A mini spilt is going to run about $1800. A 2.5 ton with ductwork and registers is going to run $2300. If you are trying to justify market rates for the square footage, spend the extra $500. It makes a big difference when a buyer looks at a house to not have what looks like a window unit on the wall. This assumes that both work.

I am not the op...

Cow Hop Ag said:

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I am not the op...

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I clicked the wrong one. Still wanted to make sure you got my opinion.

dallasiteinsa02 said:

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Cow Hop Ag said:

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I am not the op...

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I clicked the wrong one. Still wanted to make sure you got my opinion.

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I got it.. And you are 100% correct!

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Windows in any bedrooms will be a code requirement.

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What about just a patio door with no windows?

Gary79Ag said:

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Windows in any bedrooms will be a code requirement.

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What about just a patio door with no windows?

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A means of egress. Patio door will work.

Windows need to be of a minimum size (I forget the size) and operable. Minimum height above the floor.

This is only in sleeping rooms.

Thanks for the response TexAg1987...that's what I thought but wanted to make sure as I'm rennovating our master bedroom and will be replacing an 8' wide window with a three panel 9' wide patio door!

Did you ever move forward with your attic project? I am considering a very similar project.

I'd definitely follow a thread documenting this project.

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Am I in the right basic ballpark with $85-$100 per sq ft range

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Residential remodel pretty much STARTS at 120/ft. That's a number from several years ago but with a hot market, it is probably a decent estimating point. I would estimate the range at between 120-150 but confirm that with someone familiar with your market.