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I have a 17' x 12' bonus room that I want to finish & would like to hear from anyone who's already been through the process. This is the first time for me even having a "bonus room." It's over the garage on the second floor - on the same floor with 3 bedrooms. It's been wired for electric, cable & phone. The builder left a few sheets of drywall behind. I've already contacted the HVAC guys & they're recommending I put in a zoning system because the temperature is so hard to control in these types of rooms. I have a thermostat already in the hall on the 2nd floor, but they recommend installing another thermostat in the master bedroom & another in the bonus room. They did quote me the price on regular ductwork installation which was $650, but the zoning system is over $2,500. Is it worth it? I will be using the room on a regular basis as a den/family room. Next would be the drywall. Would anyone like to refer someone they've used for hanging drywall? It's not something I'd be able to do on my own, but I do plan on doing the painting, floor & trim on my own. Would love to hear feedback. Thanks!
Well the first thing to find out is if you need a building permit to do this.
Because the room is over a garage, it will be a challenge to keep heated and cooled if on the same zone with the rest of the upstairs, but, it can be done. You can adjust the dampers on the different vents and eventually get it to be comfortable. You might talk to a couple of HVAC guys and get different opinions. Since they sell more stuff with the zone, that is in their best interest. We currently have a bonus room on that we use as a bedroom in NY, and its usually a little cool in there in the winter. We just picked up a small portable heater to top off the heat sometimes when its especially cold. If it were a rec room or something, it would actually be fine since you'd be probably doing stuff in there. The other thing is keeping the door open, and the bedroom ends up with the door closed a lot. Keeping it open allows the air to circulate better.
Sheetrock isn't that hard to do, so you may want to give it a shot. Make sure everything is well insulated though.
I'd recommend finding a good handyman for the rough work. I've done a few projects since relocating and when getting estimates from contractors the prices were always much higher then expected. As well, considering you're handy it would allow you to only get help for some very specific to-do's.
I have a 17' x 12' bonus room that I want to finish & would like to hear from anyone who's already been through the process. This is the first time for me even having a "bonus room." It's over the garage on the second floor - on the same floor with 3 bedrooms. It's been wired for electric, cable & phone. The builder left a few sheets of drywall behind. I've already contacted the HVAC guys & they're recommending I put in a zoning system because the temperature is so hard to control in these types of rooms. I have a thermostat already in the hall on the 2nd floor, but they recommend installing another thermostat in the master bedroom & another in the bonus room. They did quote me the price on regular ductwork installation which was $650, but the zoning system is over $2,500. Is it worth it? I will be using the room on a regular basis as a den/family room. Next would be the drywall. Would anyone like to refer someone they've used for hanging drywall? It's not something I'd be able to do on my own, but I do plan on doing the painting, floor & trim on my own. Would love to hear feedback. Thanks!
get a permit.....for all work. You will not be able to count the room as square footage when you sell in future if there is not permit for it.
- Permit is required
- You would come out cheaper installing a "mini-split" HVAC system like used in a hotel room (about a grand) and it would work better. Your current HVAC system in all likelihood would not be correctly sized to add another 200 sq ft of conditioned space. HVAC sizing uses a very precise measurement called "Manual J" .
- Hang the sheetrock yourself if possible then hit new construction neighborhoods to find the sheetrock crew to finish it as a side job. If you are not experienced in finishing sheetrock the final product will be blatantly obvious.
- a "handyman" is fine for small jobs, but they are not specialists for a reason. use a licensed general contractor if you are not doing the work yourself. Plus, you will have recourse with the licensure board if there is a problem.
- anyone you hire, DO NOT pay them any money up front. If they cannot get the materials themselves, they probably are not much of a contractor.
- make whoever works on your house (in any major capacity) sign a lien waiver. This protects you if they get your materials on credit and do not pay the bill. when this happens, the material supplier puts a lien on your house.
- personally verify they have insurance. If they get hurt in your house and are uninsured you may be responsible.
- if you don't have one, you can rent a compound miter saw from home depot for trim work (get the 12" not the 10")
If you have more questions feel free to message me and I will gladly help you out. Good luck!
from these posts. You may also want to get an umbrella policy on your homeowner's insurance while work is going on. Contractor's may cancel their policy or have it cancelled. Umbrella's are not too expensive and cover if someone gets hurt on your property. Ask your insurance agent about them.
from these posts. You may also want to get an umbrella policy on your homeowner's insurance while work is going on. Contractor's may cancel their policy or have it cancelled. Umbrella's are not too expensive and cover if someone gets hurt on your property. Ask your insurance agent about them.
I actually turned a 2-story family room into 2 rooms, with the living below and a bonus above. I hired out and it was worth every penny in return. I paid about $20K after all said and done for about 270 sq feet. Not a bad investment if you ask me.
I had no choice but to get a permit since it was structural in nature..plus I had to pay an engineer to certify the structure wouldn't fall down (Town of Apex required that for legal purposes).
I went with somebody that was not the cheapest and had completed work on a friend's of ours. They were part of a company, not independent, so that made me feel very secure about things.
Anyways, it was completed in 5 weeks (HVAC, Electrical, etc.). All I did was paint and caulk.
I paid in 3 or 4 installments as work was completed. Never pay up front...make them keep coming back for more. Plus, its easy to get them to fix stuff if they want their cash!
Our room over the garage is more a part of the house, than a room at the top of the stairs with a door to let us close it off. It is very hot up there in the hot months of the summer, and a bit cool in the coldest months of winter. Having the space, however, is wonderful -- makes for a great office area for my husband and his stuff, but if we had small children, it'd be a great playroom, too.
Good luck with your decision. I would insulate it well, and consider the strain on your hvac, or put in a little system of its own, like others have suggested. The idea of turning the wasted space over the family room into usable areas sounds great!
get a permit.....for all work. You will not be able to count the room as square footage when you sell in future if there is not permit for it.
What's the rule on when you need a permit and when you don't? We are getting ready to finish our 3rd floor. Electrical and HVAC were roughed by the builder. We were told that we didn't need a permit since it was under-roof, there would be no structural changes and there was no need for inspection to get certificate of occupancy...is this not true?
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Great advice for us all...
