Remodeling for a someday/future ROI

[bobg03]

When my house was built, an Electric Sauna was installed into the garage along with a shower. My laundry was designed originally to bump out about 8' into the garage. That room was extended and a shower/stall and the sauna were installed jutting about 8' further attached to the laundry room bumpout.

I have no use for the sauna, none. I'm debating on taking it out and making my laundry room bumpout back to it's design w/o the shower/sauna. The garage enters the house throu the laundry room. the wall surrounding the sauna has it's own entrance from garage, once in the drying area area the sauna has its own door to go inside it and cook yourself.

One of my friends said that I should make the shower/entry area to the sauna room itself a half bath, remove the sauna and walls surrounding it and get back more floorspace in the garage which I don't really need as it was oversized during construction. I currently have (I believe) 1480 sg ft home with 3BR and 2 full baths, does it make sense to put a toilet and sink in as shower and drain are there.

Would I see an ROI on that or am I better off to just clear it out and do nothing? The all wood electric sauna was well over 13K new, but I was told there is no more $$$ in having a sauna in the eventual sale of my house in the future to downsize.

Curious to see what the collective minds here think. 30 years ago, I'd have killed for a sink and toilet in the garage, but that was a different life.

EDIT to add while my garage is large enough to work on a car and there is plenty of room to park two large vehicles and do a motor swap or maybe a restoration there is no way, that I'm aware of to put a lift in which the peaked overhead and storage area above the garage.
I have no limitations of an HOA either.
I built this as my retirement home and tinker space.

 

[mike93lx]

Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses, not saunas. Even if I wanted one, I would use it as a bargaining chip to get a discount.

A half bath would be nice. 3 br house with only two bathrooms for what is likely 4 people is not great.

 

[loganb]

Real estate is hyper local...so to get the best answer locally you should talk with a couple competent real estate pro's that specialize in your market

However, the best return on investment will be taking the money budgeted for the reno and invest it in a relatively safe broad index fund or a high yield savings account/CD/bond etc. There are very few reno's like this that actually end up adding more value then spent. Yes total gut flips and dumps that get turned around can do it when you do the labor yourself, but otherwise they don't.

Figure out what renovation/change would give you the most current/future benefit/enjoyment/happiness from, then if you're stuck between 2 run them past that local real estate pro and see which is more desirable to future buyers.

In general, adding bathrooms and bedrooms helps sell houses better then a lot of other things, so a 1/2 bath is more likely to benefit long term value then a lot of other things

 

[bobg03]

Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses, not saunas. Even if I wanted one, I would use it as a bargaining chip to get a discount.

A half bath would be nice. 3 br house with only two bathrooms for what is likely 4 people is not great.

That is why I'm thinking of taking it out, it doesn't interfere with living space being contained in the garage and unlike the outdoor hot tub that I just got rid of there are no parts to really wear out.

My master bath is huge, 4 people could shower at once..lol the bathroom between the front two bedrooms is a regular size full bath. I know it's just me but I couldn't see anyone going into garage to just pee...lol

I raised 3 boys in a 4 BR home with a wife too and we only had 1 and a half baths. They walked uphill to school in the snow tho..LOL

 

[mike93lx]

My master bath is huge, 4 people could shower at once..lol the bathroom between the front two bedrooms is a regular size full bath. I know it's just me but I couldn't see anyone going into garage to just pee...lol

Guess it depends on the layout. Our 1st floor powder room is right next to the garage and is used a ton.

I sometimes go up to the third floor bathroom just to hide from the kids. I'd gladly go take a dump in the garage if it gets some privacy

 

[bobg03]

Real estate is hyper local...so to get the best answer locally you should talk with a couple competent real estate pro's that specialize in your market

I'm waiting to hear back from a few, no realtor here in the Myrtle Beach area wants to talk unless you're selling or buying..LOL

However, the best return on investment will be taking the money budgeted for the reno and invest it in a relatively safe broad index fund or a high yield savings account/CD/bond etc. There are very few reno's like this that actually end up adding more value then spent. Yes total gut flips and dumps that get turned around can do it when you do the labor yourself, but otherwise they don't.

Figure out what renovation/change would give you the most current/future benefit/enjoyment/happiness from, then if you're stuck between 2 run them past that local real estate pro and see which is more desirable to future buyers.

In general, adding bathrooms and bedrooms helps sell houses better then a lot of other things, so a 1/2 bath is more likely to benefit long term value then a lot of other things

There is no investment or cost on my part, a local electrician who just purchased my outdoor Hot Tub has an interest in the Sauna and he's got a Brother who owns a remodeling company specializing in baths and renos that would change whatever I want it to be. The brother appears to be a straight shooter and has a strong recommendation for work in this area. The electrician would be given the Sauna in exchange and he would pay his brother for the work.
I think that an 8'x8' area of floorspace in my garage along with a half bath would be a fair deal. There is an 8' X 8' area adjacent to where the sauna is now, giving me a very large 8' deep area to the back wall of the garage and 16' across for anything one might want to place or store there. The only thing in that open area now is the Hot Water Heater in the corner. My current mini-split would not cool the new bathroom tho or heat it w/o leaving the door to it open.

 

[rayra]

An additional half bath will have far more and far broader appeal than the sauna. But 'ROI' is the wrong way to look at it, IMAO. At least not in a dollar for dollar way. Instead think of it as 'ease of sale'.

 

[Youngandfree]

Have the half bath open into the garage so you don't have to go into the house to do your business.

 

[finn]

I wouldn’t waste time and money adding a bathroom to an attached garage. Most buyers are going to look at that as weird, rather than a desirable feature.

if I had no use for the sauna, I would pull it out, and move on.

 

[Bill T]

Just a thought... a bath with an entry through the garage might have value, with all of the sand and salt from the beaches a shower would be a real bonus. Just saying... there are a lot of folks who buy real estate in Myrtle for vaction homes and rentals.

 

[mrbill55]

When my house was built, an Electric Sauna was installed into the garage along with a shower. My laundry was designed originally to bump out about 8' into the garage. That room was extended and a shower/stall and the sauna were installed jutting about 8' further attached to the laundry room bumpout.

I have no use for the sauna, none. I'm debating on taking it out and making my laundry room bumpout back to it's design w/o the shower/sauna. The garage enters the house throu the laundry room. the wall surrounding the sauna has it's own entrance from garage, once in the drying area area the sauna has its own door to go inside it and cook yourself.

One of my friends said that I should make the shower/entry area to the sauna room itself a half bath, remove the sauna and walls surrounding it and get back more floorspace in the garage which I don't really need as it was oversized during construction. I currently have (I believe) 1480 sg ft home with 3BR and 2 full baths, does it make sense to put a toilet and sink in as shower and drain are there.

Would I see an ROI on that or am I better off to just clear it out and do nothing? The all wood electric sauna was well over 13K new, but I was told there is no more $$$ in having a sauna in the eventual sale of my house in the future to downsize.

Curious to see what the collective minds here think. 30 years ago, I'd have killed for a sink and toilet in the garage, but that was a different life.

EDIT to add while my garage is large enough to work on a car and there is plenty of room to park two large vehicles and do a motor swap or maybe a restoration there is no way, that I'm aware of to put a lift in which the peaked overhead and storage area above the garage.
I have no limitations of an HOA either.
I built this as my retirement home and tinker space.

As a retired realtor of sorts licensed for 40 years, started with homes, then moved on to commercial/industrial/land....You are on the right track as far as ROI, the sauna offers no real value to the future value or sale of your home, but the additional 1/2 bath will. Proper layout is the key if you are gutting the room in question, as you still want proper access and flow of the floor plan.


Bill S.

 

[PoorUB]

I do not think you will get your money back on a third bathroom. The sauna is defiantly no increase in value either. A buddy just bought a house with a sauna and is in the process of ripping it out.

I wonder if there is any ROI on ripping it all out and just keeping the laundry room in that area and returning the rest to storage, or garage space if you have to pay someone to do the work. If the guy will take the sauna in exchange for labor I would rip it all out and just put in a nice laundry room, perhaps with storage.

Also, the guy is willing to do the work, but you have to pay for materials? Even then I question the ROI. Bathrooms are not cheap.

Also, can you trust the guy to get it done? I see him ripping out the sauna, starting the remodel, then never coming back.

 

[75gmck25]

The sauna is not worth anything for resale, unless you find exactly the right person. As already mentioned, a bathroom will add value if the access is reasonable, and it would be great if its accessed without going through the garage.

Another use you could add to replace the sauna area is a bathroom area that includes a large utility sink and/or dog wash station, and it fits better with being placed near the garage area. People are looking for the ability to cleanup (from gardening, mechanical work, etc.) without messing up the main bathrooms, and this area would fit the bill.

There are many spouses who would love it if their husbands or wives could clean up after a dirty job in the garage, but never have to track dirt or mess up the shower and fixtures in the main bathrooms.

 

[dcg9381]

Curious to see what the collective minds here think. 30 years ago, I'd have killed for a sink and toilet in the garage, but that was a different life.

I'd need to see a floor plan. If I want a Sauna in Texas, I just walk outside. I've known a few people who would want this as a selling point, but it's single digit percentage. Personally, I'd be highly offended by anything that takes up that much space in a perfectly good garage.

If it's electric, it can likely be an EV drop, which is a marketability issue.

I think garage shower and "pet shower" would be better for marketing over sauna also.

 

[Zeke]

The nice thing about a 1/2 bath off the garage is if anyone other than family needs a bathroom, you have one. If you're having an outdoor gathering or you have a work crew, they don't go inside the house. I have a 3/4 bath next to the laundry in a detached. I tell the guys to use the garage and tell the women to go inside. Everyone is happy.

Seems like being older with older friends they need a bathroom more often. Never a problem even if I'm in the front yard.

 

[Hank11]

I think you may be about to spend a lot of money and only maybe benefit from it some indefinite time in the future. The sauna sounds like a great store room with shelves.

 

[walta]

The numbers say every remodeling project has a negative ROI!

If your plan is to be in the house more than 5 years any remodeling project will look old and old and outdated to the next owner and add almost zero value. The next owner does not care if the bathroom they are going to gut and remodel is original or redone a few years ago it just old and ugly.

Adding a bath or redoing the kitchen might get you back 80% if you sell within the first year.

Yes the flippers do find value in a can of paint countertops and trim.

Remodel the house to fit your wants needs and enjoy them. If you have a plan to sell it do the flipper stuff just before it goes on the market.


Walta

 

[jar944]

Remodel the house to fit your wants needs and enjoy them. If you have a plan to sell it do the flipper stuff just before it goes on the market.


Walta

Mostly this.

Though a 2.5/3 bath is usually considerably more desirable than a 2 bath.

 

[mike93lx]

Mostly this.

Though a 2.5/3 bath is usually considerably more desirable than a 2 bath.

Even if it isn't the best layout, it gets you to show up in more searches when you do sell

 

[bobg03]

I'm appreciating all the thoughts, by all means keep them coming as it's obvious we all think differently and I'm certainly open to any and all thoughts.

There are no plans to sell in the foreseeable future, but someday I may decide to get into a small condo closer to the beach if my future health dictates the need.

The sauna was installed during construction and most people would never even know what's behind the interior door on the backwall of the garage if they didn't look in to see the front of the sauna and it's entry door inside the drying area before you reach the shower. As I said this was planned in the build and the garage was oversized more than he originally planned, so room isn't an issue and the extra shower is already there.

The garages here typicaly can only hold two mid size cars with no room btw them or along the outside walls, even with the sauna extension I can fit two extended cab trucks side by side and still have room along the side walls for plenty of storage.

I feel another bathroom is not a needed item now or in the future.

So I have 3 choices to contemplate,
1) leave as is and if the time comes I would sell as it was built originally leaving the sauna there.
2) Remove the sauna/shower and dryng area to make it how he originally designed the house with a smaller bump out which would require no changes in side the house.
3) remove the sauna and extend the laundry room 6-8 feet out, making the laundry room being able to double as a pantry. I have plenty of cabinet space in the kitchen but storage is a good thing too.

 

[Old Moparz]

I am at a point where I do not want anymore projects, expenses or the headaches that go with it. I would leave the sauna as is, put some freestanding shelving inside & use it for storage.

 

[Zeke]

I am at a point where I do not want anymore projects, expenses or the headaches that go with it. I would leave the sauna as is, put some freestanding shelving inside & use it for storage.

Or change the environmental controls and have an outstanding wine cellar. It would be a nice place for a quiet zone too.

 

[mike93lx]

Or change the environmental controls and have an outstanding wine cellar. It would be a nice place for a quiet zone too.

Humidor!

 

[duneslider]

Based on what I have seen and experienced, do with the house what makes you happy and don't worry about what may or may not mean something to others later. You bought that house even though the PO put a sauna in it, I doubt making this a bathroom will have any ROI so just do what will make you happy.

 

[bobg03]

Based on what I have seen and experienced, do with the house what makes you happy and don't worry about what may or may not mean something to others later. You bought that house even though the PO put a sauna in it, I doubt making this a bathroom will have any ROI so just do what will make you happy.

Not quite, I am the original owner and the house was built on my land for myself and my now deceased wife who was born in Finland. The sauna installed came from Canada which is exactly what her relatives in the homeland had progressed to in modern times. The builder built it and installed it during the build.

I had already oversized the garage and allowing her to get her Sauna installed in that garage got me another bump up in size. I made the first bump in size just to have an oversized garage, the second resizing before the build when she wanted the sauna gave me another bump up in size. She originally wanted a wood fired one and on her yearly trip home decided electric was the way to go.

 

[duneslider]

To keep along the sauna talk, my childhood neighbors were Finish and they installed a sauna in their basement. They eventually moved to Finland and the new owners didn't care about the Finish sauna, it is still there in the basement sitting unused nearly 40 years later (I happen to be friends with those who live there now). It was an electric sauna also, as a kid I never seemed to find much enjoyment in it but I also find hot tubs dreadful.

I still think whether you leave it a sauna, make it a bathroom, or turn it into a closet it won't make much difference when it comes time to sell it.

 

[MikeC55]

I thought the answer was always "make the garage bigger"...

 

[qdvuu]

Also, can you trust the guy to get it done? I see him ripping out the sauna, starting the remodel, then never coming back.

I had the same thought, but maybe he can have it ripped out placed in the garage and cannot be removed until the remodel is completed, with some deadline for completion "or else it goes onto CL."

If it's electric, it can likely be an EV drop, which is a marketability issue.

I think garage shower and "pet shower" would be better for marketing over sauna also.

With the way society is going, these are likely to be big selling points going forward.

 

[rayra]

The numbers say every remodeling project has a negative ROI!

If your plan is to be in the house more than 5 years any remodeling project will look old and old and outdated to the next owner and add almost zero value. The next owner does not care if the bathroom they are going to gut and remodel is original or redone a few years ago it just old and ugly.

Adding a bath or redoing the kitchen might get you back 80% if you sell within the first year.

Yes the flippers do find value in a can of paint countertops and trim.

Remodel the house to fit your wants needs and enjoy them. If you have a plan to sell it do the flipper stuff just before it goes on the market.


Walta

This is unfortunately true. I spent a lot of years working on our last house, verdant trees and shrubbery and flower beds and roses and brickwork. The new owner paid a lot for it. 3yrs later I'm getting pics sent by my old neighbors showing he's torn it all out, even the shading trees. I try not to think about it, he paid well, it's his to do with as he pleases. But man what a waste of effort it was, ultimately.

Here, these past couple years, I took a back yard full of sand and random boulders and a bare patio slab and built the stuff in teh picture below. Doubtless the next owner will tear it all out, too.

 

[bobg03]

This is unfortunately true. I spent a lot of years working on our last house, verdant trees and shrubbery and flower beds and roses and brickwork. The new owner paid a lot for it. 3yrs later I'm getting pics sent by my old neighbors showing he's torn it all out, even the shading trees. I try not to think about it, he paid well, it's his to do with as he pleases. But man what a waste of effort it was, ultimately.

Here, these past couple years, I took a back yard full of sand and random boulders and a bare patio slab and built the stuff in teh picture below. Doubtless the next owner will tear it all out, too.

I've spent time and money cleaning up already, returned some of the mulch beds to natural grass on parts of the yard, relocated some shrubs to other areas where river rock replaced the mulch, removed dome invasive plants that were installed when I built it and took down some small older trees that were dead, really gave it a clean look. I sold the hot tub that was useless to me and now have a very nice patio area out back that will be a clean slate if I ever sell. My Landscaper now takes care of all the yard aspects since it was opened up.

Will I ever sell? I really don't know, I built a custom home on my own land for less than half (including my land purchase before I built) of what it would cost today for about $215K. It's 8 years old now and similar homes in the area, like mine are going for $425 my builder told me the house alone would be close to $400k to build today if I owned the land, so I'm in good shape if I ever need to downsize. For the foreseeable future it's all on one floor and easily accessable as my mobility decreases.

I tried to plan well when I decided to buy land here back in 2011, so far I'm on track. Land was paid in cash as was about 60% of the building, the rest I got a 20 year mortgage on for after converting the construction loan when I took occupancy in 2015. I anticipate the 2.65% loan to be paid off in early 2027 for a total of 12 years on the 20 year note. I would of gotten a little further but becoming disabled 5 years before I could retire and losing an income had me paying just the mortgage and escrow for almost 2 years w/no extra. I wanted a 15 year mortgage but figured if something went wrong with my income I could still be paying less than renting would have been.

 

[duneslider]

It really is a pipe dream thinking any remodel (besides adding square feet) will net you an ROI. If there are two houses with the same square footage on the same street and one has a dog wash in the garage and one doesn't, generally speaking no one is gonna pay more for the house with the dog wash in the garage. What it becomes is a feature that helps you sell faster and more likely to get your asking price.

When I sold my house, arguably at a great time to sell, there was a nearly identical sized house down the street that was put up at the same time. Ours was considerably nicer inside due to all the work we had put into it. Ours sold in a week for asking price, the one down the street sold in a couple months for asking price.

My current house is worth less than if it had been built two streets higher up the hill. However, my house seems to have brought up the value of the houses in our culdesac, two have sold since we built and both those neighbors sold higher than comparables in the neighborhood and the new neighbors said they were willing to pay a little more due to our house looking so nice, so that is sort of interesting.

Anyway, I am still a believer that you should do what you want to do and not worry about it. It also sounds like you have a ton of equity in the house, so no matter what you decide to do you will come out way ahead if you do decide to sell. I do think it is a fact that curb-appeal will sell the house faster.

Our land was paid in full when we started to build also, and it appraised at more than double what we owe on it. Unfortunately, they also base our property tax on the value and not what we paid...but again I am glad we don't live two streets up the hill.