Project Description In a house with two or three bedrooms, convert unfinished space in attic to a 15-by-15-foot bedroom and a 5-by-7-foot shower bath. Add a 15-foot shed dormer and four new windows. Insulate and finish ceiling and walls. Carpet unfinished floor. Extend existing heating and central air conditioning to new space. Retain existing stairs.

Market Job Cost Resale Value Cost Recouped
National Average $35,960 $29,725 82.7%
Albany, N.Y. 35,823 27,750 77.5%
Allentown, Pa. 37,582 —* —*
Baltimore 33,466 38,875 116.2%
Boston 43,012 —* —*
Buffalo, N.Y. 65,112 —* —*
Burlington, Vt. 28,066 —* —*
Harrisburg, Pa. 35,045 19,750 56.4%
Hartford, Conn. 40,601 30,000 73.9%
Manchester, N.H. 32,912 30,750 93.4%
New York 44,513 39,092 87.8%
Philadelphia 40,916 —* —*
Pittsburgh 37,470 27,871 74.4%
Providence, R.I. 38,614 38,250 99.1%
Washington, D.C. 35,894 25,654 71.5%
Wilmington, Del. 37,860 30,667 81.0%
East Average 39,126 30,866 78.9%
Chicago 45,075 45,661 101.3%
Cincinnati 37,457 26,875 71.7%
Cleveland 39,589 22,500 56.8%
Columbus, Ohio 35,933 18,889 52.6%
Des Moines, Iowa 34,557 —* —*
Detroit 41,847 8,000 19.1%
Grand Rapids, Mich. 32,822 21,500 65.5%
Indianapolis 35,425 27,500 77.6%
Kansas City 38,117 22,600 59.3%
Madison, Wis. 38,088 28,617 75.1%
Milwaukee 39,460 39,500 100.1%
Minneapolis 43,212 39,198 90.7%
St. Louis 39,236 36,167 92.2%
Wichita, Kan. 31,274 18,667 59.7%
Midwest Average 38,007 27,359 72.0%
Atlanta 34,073 40,875 120.0%
Birmingham, Ala. 34,254 22,600 66.0%
Columbia, S.C. 26,714 27,500 102.9%
Dallas 30,755 31,875 103.6%
Houston 32,534 20,364 62.6%
Jacksonville, Fla. 29,974 19,750 65.9%
Knoxville, Tenn. 29,230 —* —*
Louisville, Ky. 33,682 30,333 90.1%
Memphis, Tenn. 30,392 28,538 93.9%
Miami 32,390 36,000 111.1%
New Orleans 31,898 44,000 137.9%
Norfolk, Va. 27,256 24,000 88.1%
Orlando, Fla. 30,536 21,692 71.0%
Raleigh, N.C. 26,890 25,600 95.2%
Richmond, Va. 28,408 20,500 72.2%
San Antonio 31,591 17,273 54.7%
Tampa, Fla. 29,552 31,400 106.3%
Tulsa, Okla. 29,811 30,000 100.6%
South Average 30,552 27,782 90.9%
Albuquerque, N.M. 31,901 21,833 68.4%
Boise, Idaho 33,508 24,000 71.6%
Colorado Springs 34,289 16,250 47.4%
Denver 34,668 22,714 65.5%
Las Vegas 40,131 29,753 74.1%
Los Angeles 42,490 27,517 64.8%
Phoenix 33,008 25,156 76.2%
Portland, Ore. 38,089 26,927 70.7%
Sacramento, Calif. 42,802 46,250 108.1%
Salt Lake City 31,376 31,922 101.7%
San Diego 40,653 47,894 117.8%
San Francisco 45,904 69,000 150.3%
Seattle 39,840 49,600 124.5%
West Average 37,589 33,755 89.8%
* Insufficient number of surveys returned