Bath Additions Can Pay For Themselves

The average home has two and a half baths: one for the master bedroom, one to serve the other bedrooms and a half on the main level. Because this tally has become the norm, many home buyers don't even look at a home on the market with just one bath. If you're one of them, you could be missing out on a great opportunity.

Buying a home then adding a bath can make economic sense. Whether you add a bathroom or remodel one, you're likely to recoup 82% of your investment at sale time, according to Remodeling Magazine. That's one of the highest average pay-backs for any home remodeling project you could undertake.

With that in mind, you may want to expand the pool of homes you'll consider buying. Take a serious look those with fewer baths than you would really like, particularly if you're competing for homes in an active market. According to Remodeling Magazine, the national average price of adding a bath is $14,216, and that expense could be rolled into the cost of the home.

In some areas of the country, it actually pays to remodel or add a full bath. In San Francisco, for instance, homeowners are likely to recoup 173% of their investment in an additional bathroom, the magazine reported.

After the kitchen, the bathroom has the highest cost per square foot to remodel, yet it also dates more rapidly (décor-wise). A recent survey showed that about 30% of Americans would consider spending $10,000 or more to create a dream bath.