question on basement conversions

[verizonbear]

Recently moved to Maryland, thinking of buying an older "Saltbox" type house with a semi finished basement in Halethorpe. My plan would be to set this up with as a home theater with a mini kitchen ( bar sink, small refigerator, countertop size diswasher built in, micro/convection oven. My question is adding the kitchen will be value added to the house? Or just stick with doing drywally and making it a real room?

 

[mattl]

It's a toss up.  It adds value to you, so if you  stay there for any amount of time it definitely adds value.  If you go the theater route adding a small kitchen area would be a plus I think.  I think the dishwasher might be over kill but a small bar area with a micro would be  a plus in my book.

 

[yogitunes]

Check with local realtors on what will return value, or what would be a waste, and go from there, there may be things you want for personal comfort, and things that stand out.....a mini wet bar with barstools, add things like a small undercounter fridge, microwave....or even one wall of cabinets/nook for creature comforts add value.....depending on size and how much entertaining you do, size the area and set-up accordingly......adding things like an ice maker, video projector, surround sound, wether for a man-cave or family room always add value.......

we were refinancing when we changed out plans, we were just making it one big family room, and the adjuster from the bank suggested, family room, dining area, small kitchen, with 3 added bedrooms, and a full bath........nearly doubled the value of our home........

we also added a second laundry room in addition to the one on the first floor.......that was a 10,000.00 increase to value alone, and this was 2006...the extra laundry was just for me, and my little playroom....who would have thought

most perople are looking for extra space for multiple reasons, extra kitchen and laundry, guest bedrooms, even in-law quarters......all depends on what you want for now, and the future, in your home or when considering selling later on...

 

[petek]

I don't know how much $ value it would add but a little micro kitchen / kitchenette adds a lot of convenience when/if you are going to be spending time down in the basement. I wouldn't go overboard but I don't think you have to spend a lot of money to get something workable and appealing. It's too bad IKEA doesn't sell the freestanding kitchen units over here like they do in the UK and Europe. At least the didn't the last time I looked. Don't know if you have Habitat Restore around your locale but ours always has a good supply of kitchens torn out from remodels and also they often have brand new kitchen cabinetry single units etc that are donated from places like Home Depot,, stuff that probably never sold or was a mis-order or wrong sized or something.

 

[yogitunes]

What a great idea......

Habitat ReStores should be in the Maryland area....I know their in Delaware, and I have gotten alot off them inexpensively......furniture, cabinets, and appliances!

 

[hydralique]

Do check with the city to see what you're allowed to do legally. Most municipalities allow only one kitchen in a single family residence, so any secondary kitchen must come in under rules allowing wet bars or snack bars. For instance, in Los Angeles such a facility may have no more than 10 sq. ft. of countertop space and may not have built-in cooking appliances. The reason for these rules is to prevent illegal conversions of single-family residences into duplexes. Obviously you can get a permit for a legal wet bar and expand that after the fact, but bear in mind that an appraiser can't give full value to non-permitted improvements, so it may be wise to be conservative on the size and scale of the kitchen.

 

[polkanut]

Steve "Toggleswitch" had a secondary basement kitchen area in his former home, and he found it very handy/convenient to have.  Maybe he'll chime in with his much valued opinion.