Most rooms in your home have a name and a designated function. If you’re lucky, your home has extra space, typically called a bonus room, to repurpose and use as you wish.
Bonus rooms give homeowners more square footage and flexibility to adapt the space that best suits their needs. If you’re thinking of renovating your home, transforming your bonus room could give you more usable living space and increase the value of your home.
Here are some ideas to get you started on your bonus room renovation, what you can expect to pay and whether it’s worth the money and effort.
— What is a bonus room?
— Options for your bonus room.
— Do you need a permit?
— How much does it cost?
— Is a bonus room transformation worth it?
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What Is a Bonus Room?
A bonus room is an extra space in your home that you can use in various ways. While the term may be used to describe any unused space, a bonus room is usually space found above the garage and accessed by a staircase or from an existing hallway on the second floor, according to the Plan Collection’s home design expert, Laurel Vernazza.
“[If] Unfinished, it is often used as storage — think Christmas ornaments and lights or seasonal gear — for the home,” Vernazza said in an email. “A finished bonus room offers an additional, flexible space for homeowners to use as they see fit.”
Options for Your Bonus Room
You can do almost anything you want with a bonus room, but it also depends on its size, shape and location, as well as your budget. You can have a room with a specified function, such as a guest bedroom, or set it up as a multipurpose room.
“You can always create a multipurpose space in the bonus room, and a common example is a home office and guest room that does double duty,” says Vivianne Chow, interior decorator and founder of Viv and Tim Home, a home decor blog. “A pullout couch or Murphy bed is a great bed solution when you have guests over, but it still enables the room to function well as a home office when not in use.”
Here are additional options for a bonus room transformation.
Media Center
Gamers, movie buffs, music lovers or a family with kids could make good use of a media center bonus room. Chow recommends investing in a great sound system, a comfortable sectional and a large screen or projector for the ultimate at-home movie theater experience. You can also bring your gaming systems for game night with the kids.
“A bonus room can be transformed into almost any useful space for the homeowner,” Vernazza says. “For instance, some homeowners may want a game room for the kids or a media center to watch movies, play video games and hang out.”
Bedroom
If you’re thinking about converting your bonus room into a bedroom, it must meet certain requirements to be classified as a bedroom when or if you decide to sell.
The definition of a bedroom can vary by state, but according to the 2021 International Residential Code, a habitable bedroom must have a minimum square footage of 70 square feet and a minimum width of 7 feet. It must also have a closet, a certain number of outlets, a door and a window big enough to meet state standards, and the home’s heating and cooling systems must connect to the room.
If the room doesn’t meet these requirements, it can’t technically be called a bedroom. However, you can still choose to use it as one.
Vernazza recommends turning it into an en suite bedroom, which has an adjoining bathroom, for visiting relatives or aging parents. But this may require you to move your plumbing. If that’s not an option, a simple guest room will do.
Craft Room
If anyone in your home is into crafts — sewing, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc. — you could turn your bonus room into a craft room. Install shelves and cabinets to keep your crafting supplies organized and ready to go, and place a large table at the center to use as a work surface.
Playroom
“If you have children, the bonus room is the perfect spot for a dedicated play area with shelves and toy storage to reduce clutter in the living room,” Chow says.
Divide the space into different areas for drawing and crafts, storytime, playing games, dressing up and more. Use toy organizers or baskets to keep toys organized and set up a small table with chairs to use during art time. You can even have a designated homework area where your children can quietly do homework and store backpacks and school supplies.
Home Office
Instead of working at the kitchen table or in a cramped corner of the living room, turn your bonus room into your ideal office space. You’ll need enough space to fit a desk and chair, but depending on the room size, you could also add filing cabinets and shelving or turn part of your office into a mini home library.
Gym
Are you constantly tripping over your fitness equipment? Convert your extra space into a home gym. “If you love working out and would like a dedicated gym area at home, you can equip the bonus room with mats, exercise equipment and mirrors,” Chow says.
Home Bar
To help you relax after a long day at work, you could turn your space into a home bar and entertainment area. Vernazza has seen a bonus room at-home sports pub complete with a wet bar, multiple flat-screen TVs, a cigar lounge and a kitchenette.
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Do You Need a Permit?
Some home renovations require permits, but laws vary by state and municipality. According to Vernazza, you’ll likely need a permit to add electrical and plumbing or do HVAC work. In this case, your contractor will obtain any required building permits from your local building department. If you’re just adding shelves, painting or redoing the floors, you likely won’t need a permit.
How Much Does It Cost?
“Construction costs vary widely depending on the amenities and quality of the finishes,” Vernazza explains. “Costs also vary considerably when considering the region where the bonus room is built.”
According to Vernazza, a bonus room over a two-car garage can range from 300 to 500 square feet, depending on the roof’s pitch and the size of the garage, with construction costs ranging from $100 to $200 per square foot. “A typical bonus room over a two-car garage can range anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 — more if particularly luxurious or less if doing more of a DIY approach,” she says.
Is a Bonus Room Transformation Worth It?
The biggest benefit of repurposing a bonus room is that it creates additional space for the family. “Adding additional square footage to the home by converting an unfinished bonus room into a finished space is typically less expensive than adding space by expanding the existing footprint,” Vernazza says. “A finished bonus room increases the house’s resale value when the homeowner decides to put it on the market.”
But there are potential drawbacks. An unfinished space will require a larger investment, and you may need to extend your HVAC system into the space and add insulation, electrical, ventilation and ductwork to make the room more comfortable. If there are no windows, consider adding one for light and fire safety.
Depending on how you renovate the room, it could affect your tax liability. If your bonus room is now deemed habitable and required a permit and some level of construction, it could impact your property taxes.
As always, weigh the pros and cons before making any major changes to your home.
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How to Transform Your Bonus Room originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 01/16/24: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
