Opinions please. What do people think is a better investment: an extension to maintain 4 bedrooms and add a bath to a 1-3/4 bath home or remodel to 3 bedrooms and 2-3/4 bath and possibly a small office? Background: Family with young child live in a family neighborhood in Seattle. Our home is a 2300Sq ft. mid-century. Currently we have a large master bedroom, a smaller family bath and 2 smallish bedrooms on the main floor (one of the bedrooms is being used as an office which we store a lot in). Our attractive daylight basement has a large bedroom (used as the guest room) and 3/4 bath. We do not anticipate having more children and do not have plans to move within 10-years. We are deciding what would be a better future return option for us: 1. Remodel the 3 exisiting upstairs bedrooms and 1 bathroom into 2 bedrooms and a master bath with either a 3/4 bath or powder room + small office. Or 2. Do an extension off the smaller bedrooms to add the 2nd upstairs bath to maintain 4 bedrooms. Appreciate any ideas!

Lilac, welcome to the group. If that doorway is 70 inches WIDE, that will be too wide for a tension rod to span. However, you might think about getting a SHOWER ROD, WHICH IS ABOUT 6 FEET LONG, and a diameter of more than one inch. You could even put a sexy shower curtain on that rod and also hang the canvas drop cloths on the same rod. Shower hooks are great, or even the set of shower rings. I have used the 9 strand 100 pound stainless steel picture hanging wire to hang curtains. In my case, I bought a 100 foot roll of it, but you can get it in lengths. OR, you might go to a place like RESTORE which is a Habitat for Humanity resale place. They have many many doors that came off closets, like the bifold shutter doors. I've found many nice doors that way. If you cannot screw them to the woodwork, and you want to take any purchased items with you when you go, think about attaching the doors to a bookcase or entertainment center at the side so you can open/close the bifolds. It is possible, depending on the size of the room and the location of that wide doorway in it, that you could position an entertainment center in front of the opening, and leave only enough space to have a 28 inch entry to your bedroom. I'm assuming that closing the passage to the kitchen from the dining room will still give you another entry to your kitchen? Quite an interesting question, and you can definitely make your choice attractive. Also note, I use the regular canvas painter drop cloths, available in all sizes, very washable and quite durable, as slip cover for my furniture, bird cages, curtains, pillow covers, bed throws, and I can paint on them and make them tough and hard for small rugs at the doors. Very washable, very durable, and the cheapest thing you can buy. Sort of the color of oatmeal denim, and as durable as a canvas bag.

If you don't want to actually wall off part of the living/dining space as a bedroom, then at least claim the entire wall between stairwell and exterior patio door wall for your "bedroom". Set your bed and your wardrobe and your chest of drawers against that wall. If you don't already have a twin bed for yourself, choose a quality metal twin bed frame with castors and without headboard of foot board -- one that, with appropriate pillows/bolsters, could pass as a day bed ... one that appears to be and could be used as seating; however, do NOT let anyone get in the habit of using it as seating or you'll end up with the side edge your mattress being worn and sagging in an uncomfortable way. (Aunt had this issue with her day bed when I was a child.) If you have any difficulty with physical activity, do not skimp on your mattress and box springs -- get the best of both and have the height of your bed be what you can use comfortably, such as swing your legs over the side and stand up rather than needing to climb up out of the bed. (Been there; done that -- too low is not good.) On a tight budget, consider checking with Habitat for Humanity Restore Store for good used wood furnishings -- wardrobe and chest of drawers -- and even the metal bed frame. Would not upholstered furnishings or mattress used. You might also try checking with other local charity sponsored thrift stores and/or used/antique/consignment stores.

Hello there - Thanks for sharing those sketches to help give me a visual of circulation, etc. I recommend moving your daughter's bedroom to the third floor, alongside your current master. With resale in mind, it's always best to keep private spaces together and again to keep public spaces together. Folks enjoy gathering areas which feel separate from areas which evoke calm and quiet. So even though the master will be reduced, you're still sticking to the flow of a home that most will expect and enjoy most. Plus, that sacred trio of kitchen, dining and living is always a big selling point ;) and ought to be featured well together, without disruption of a differing function. And lastly, this keeps in tact a more so general bath for the home, allowing for both bedrooms to have their own on the third floor. That feels quite natural! Hope this helps you move forward, Ashley | mindbodyabode