2002 Cost vs. Value Report
Anytime you increase space that's centrally heated and air conditioned, you increase the per square foot value of the house," says San Antonio real estate agent Pat Clay. Homeowners usually add a family room because the family's grown or because they're dissatisfied with the configuration or size of their current first-floor layout.
Columbus, Ohio, real estate agent Mark Abbott often sees such additions in the first-belt suburbs of that city -- places "where the homes are 50 years old or older, but the community has strong integrity, so demand keeps going up."
The attraction for home buyers is not only space but openness, because many times family rooms expand off kitchens, opening up the lower floor. At $52,251, the family room addition of our project description has a resale value of $41,514, or 79% of cost.
Project description
In a style and location appropriate to the existing house, add a 16-by-25-foot room on a crawl space foundation with wood siding and a fiberglass shingle roof. Include drywall interior with batt insulation, prefinished hardwood floor, and 180 square feet of glazing including windows, atrium-style exterior doors, and two operable skylights. Tie into existing heating and cooling.
| Market | Job Cost | Resale Value | Cost Recouped |
| National Average | $52,251 | $41,514 | 79% |
| Atlanta | 46,636 | 42,664 | 91 |
| Boston | 58,537 | 69,732 | 119 |
| Buffalo, N.Y. | 50,571 | 29,300 | 58 |
| Chicago | 60,715 | 60,218 | 99 |
| Cincinnati | 51,966 | 31,500 | 61 |
| Cleveland | 54,955 | 42,489 | 77 |
| Columbus, Ohio | 49,996 | 16,250 | 33 |
| Dallas | 46,239 | 26,250 | 57 |
| Denver | 47,791 | 33,179 | 69 |
| Detroit | 53,623 | 40,478 | 75 |
| Houston | 47,498 | 31,300 | 66 |
| Indianapolis | 49,617 | 27,400 | 55 |
| Kansas City | 51,001 | 32,088 | 63 |
| Los Angeles metro | 59,665 | 69,102 | 116 |
| Los Angeles | 59,807 | 87,629 | 147 |
| Orange Cty, Calif. | 59,522 | 50,575 | 85 |
| Miami | 45,355 | 33,333 | 73 |
| Milwaukee | 55,099 | 46,806 | 85 |
| Minneapolis | 62,859 | 56,383 | 90 |
| New Orleans | 43,948 | 32,659 | 74 |
| New York metro | 56,270 | 58,964 | 105 |
| Passaic, N.J. | 57,264 | 37,250 | 65 |
| Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. | 59,522 | 56,404 | 95 |
| Fairfield-New Haven, Conn. | 52,024 | 83,238 | 160 |
| Norfolk, Va. | 39,892 | 29,100 | 73 |
| Orlando, Fla. | 45,366 | 25,579 | 56 |
| Philadelphia | 55,216 | 48,626 | 88 |
| Phoenix | 49,387 | 25,833 | 52 |
| Pittsburgh | 51,644 | 29,500 | 57 |
| Portland, Ore. | 51,931 | 34,500 | 66 |
| Providence, R.I. | 51,749 | 30,800 | 60 |
| Sacramento, Calif. | 59,066 | 41,250 | 70 |
| Salt Lake City | 44,668 | 24,280 | 54 |
| St. Louis | 56,284 | 33,500 | 60 |
| San Antonio | 44,669 | 23,667 | 53 |
| San Diego | 60,498 | 52,638 | 87 |
| San Francisco metro | 66,696 | 73,070 | 110 |
| San Francisco | 66,696 | 84,000 | 126 |
| Oakland, Calif. | 66,696 | 62,140 | 93 |
| Seattle | 54,339 | 47,931 | 88 |
| Tampa, Fla. | 43,416 | 24,250 | 56 |
| Washington metro | 45,410 | 39,119 | 86 |
| Washington, D.C. | 47,884 | 65,000 | 136 |
| Baltimore | 45,194 | 29,856 | 66 |
| Richmond, Va. | 43,152 | 22,500 | 52 |
