Bedroom Attic Remodel: Return on Investment

Window seat in attic bedroom | Attic remodel
Image: Five Gables Inn/East Boothbay, ME

An attic bedroom conversion returns 53% of your investment when you sell.

An attic bedroom can become the extra room under your roof that hosts teenagers, guests, or even the masters of the house.

An attic bedroom remodel is a good way to add space without adding on, which would be a much bigger investment of time and money.

Attic Bedroom Investment

Attics are penny-wise candidates for remodeling projects because the basic structure -- a roof and floor -- already exist. Although the pitch of the roof usually dictates sloping interior walls and restricted headroom, people often find these quirky characteristics charming and desirable.

According to the "Remodeling Impact Report" from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, the national median cost of an attic bedroom remodel is $100,000, and you'll recover 75% of that cost at resale.

Although payback is important, an attic conversion rates especially high when it comes to personal satisfaction. Of homeowners responding to the report, the majority said they were pleased with their attic remodeling, resulting in a joy score of 10 -- a rating based on those who said they were happy or satisfied with their project, with 10 being the highest rating and one the lowest.

Attic Bedroom Requirements

An attic bedroom has special requirements:

  • Stairway from the floor below
  • Adequate insulation
  • Interior walls
  • Dormer windows for air, daylight, and emergency egress

The cost of these projects, plus standard costs for installing heating and cooling systems, finishing surfaces, and adding a bathroom, is about $192 per square foot.

15-foot-by-16-foot Attic Bedroom Remodel Plus Bath:

  • National Median Project Cost: $65,000
  • Cost Recovered: $40,000
  • Percentage Recovered: 61%
  • Joy Score: 9.4

Related: Attic Bedroom: Top Features

John Riha
John Riha

John Riha has written seven books on home improvement and hundreds of articles on home-related topics. He’s been a residential builder, the editorial director of the Black & Decker Home Improvement Library, and the executive editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.