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Building a Home

Where Do I put Bonus Room?

9 years ago

We are building a 2000 sq ft one story beach house with hip roof. We want to add a bonus room with loft, bathroom, and bedroom if we stay within our budget but may not be able to complete it during construction. If not, we will include a closet where the stairs will go and add rough in plumbing etc to make it easier for the future.

Where should the room be, over the garage or above the living room? We could locate it either place but were wondering which location would be most cost effective. We are in Eastern Canada so heating is more important then air conditioning.

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Comments (3)

LOTO
9 years ago
We finished the room above the garage for our bonus room and the kids love it. We really insulated it well and don't have any issues with this room being hotter/colder than the rest of our home and we can't even hear the kids when they are up there.
Our plans originally called for a hip roof but we went to a gable and that helped in the headroom.
chicagoans
9 years ago
I think it will be easier to heat if it's over the living room, since the space below it will also be heated. Even if the garage will be heated as much as the house, if you build above the garage you still may need to insulate against car fumes etc., which may require insulating and dry walling the garage. You will want to include fire and carbon monoxide sensors in the garage and finished space above the garage (it's a good idea to do this anyway.) Also think about access/egress and whether stairs take up space in the house or in the garage.

Are there any codes in your area that place limitations on building over the garage? Because a garage might be used to store hazardous materials, there might be some special construction considerations.
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Hi, Looks like a great plan. Here are my thoughts --- I can't mark it up, don't have the software, but here is what I see.... 1.) The entry to your closet wastes a wall because your door to the closet is in the way and hugs the exterior wall. So, to fix that, push the vanities down toward the exterior wall and put the doorway between the 2 sinks. This allows you to bring the potty room more into the master bath (up next to the shower (it would turn 90 degrees counter clockwise. If you do this, it frees up a bit more space in the laundry area (from plan 2) --- you could square off your closet (take the laundry sink out of the closet square) and then have a long wall of laundry cabinetry with W/D and sink all along a straight wall that uses the previous master potty space. Did I lose you yet? I believe once several of these steps happen, you'll gain a bit more closet space, your master bath will be just as pretty, but it will be a bit more efficient, you'll get a nice mudroom, and you'll get rid of a couple of those wall jogs....Your stair location will work great the way you have it shown in plan 2. Good luck, can't wait to see it!
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What is the point of a full bath on a floor where essentially only guests will need access? I don't understand the need for a shower/tub there. Point being, with a half bath, you can include the laundry facility in the same space as the half bath and still have the sun porch. We once had a split entry with the family room downstairs and the laundry/half bath located next to the FR. Was not a problem(other than having the laundry room on a different floor than the living area.)
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Start by throwing away everything in that room that you don't love! Take all the stuff off the walls and remove the curtain. Then clean those floors well. Now take a fresh look at it. Where can you set up your office/computer? Where can the play area be arranged? Can the food bins move to the laundry room? Is that the best spot for the cat tower? Where can people sit together for some conversation, helping with homework, reading a book? How many lamps can you manage to add in this room (not the torchiere, please) for a soft welcoming look?
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josey11
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the input. I am leaning towards building the bonus room as a small second floor and using the space above the garage for cold storage.

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