What Is the charge to Turn an Attic Into a Living Space With a Raised Roof?

If your growing family leaves you feeling threatening within the walls of your home, renovating the attic can serve as an effective and economical way to increase your space. The normal attic remodel, like a 15-foot dormer to get additional headroom, prices $49,438 as of 2014, according to a report by “Remodeling Magazine.”

Attic Living Area

The $49,438 price tag for the normal attic renovation contains a 15-foot long shed dormer, which raises headroom over a big portion of the loft floor. It also covers a 15 by 15 bedroom and 5 by 7 bathroom, as well as all plumbing, electric, heating and air conditioning needed to make the new space safe and cozy. This cost includes new windows together the dormer wall, a carpeted flooring, insulation and upgraded staircase to get your new attic space.

Geographical Variations

The expense of remodeling a loft in the United States varies considerably dependent on the expense of residing in your region. The nearly $50,000 average cost reported by “Remodeling Magazine” falls into a low of $44,581 from the West South Central region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma and a few neighboring states. It soars as high as $58,550 from the Pacific region, which includes California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii.

Estimating Extras

Depending on where you reside, local conditions could drive the cost of adding a loft living room even greater. In areas prone to seismic activity, as an example, including a huge attic dormer to raise the roof may require a whole-house seismic update. Other homeowners may face costs associated with beefing up roof trusses to support the weight of their new living room. If you intend to use high-end finishes or finishes, these things could also raise cost.

Cost Analysis

Dormers utilized to increase the roof in a loft come in various shapes and sizes, but adding some functional dormer comes at a high cost because of the complexity of the job. A 2014 report by “Time Magazine” estimates which dormers range between $10,000 and $30,000. Within an 2014 report, Dryden Mutual Insurance Company estimates the cost of fundamental shed dormers, in which the roof of the dormer slopes out away from the home, at $11,647 to $17,470. Fancier gabled dormers with peaked roofs ring in between $14,883 and $22,235. Dormers with arched, curved or other fancy profiles can further increase prices. After you’ve increased ceiling height, then figure between $80 and $120 per square foot to make the space livable, based on a 2014 post from the “Prairie Voice Companion.”

Boosting Home Value

While the worth of more living room may look like the most crucial factor in renovating the attic, this job also gives a boost in home value. Nationwide, homeowners recouped an average of 84.3 percent of the cost of transforming the attic to your living room when it came time to sell their homes, according to “Remodeling Magazine.” This figure can dip as low as 83 percent from the West South Central region, or as high as 102 percent in the pricey Pacific market.

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