Home Project Summary

Home Office

Ideas, costs, tips and plans - the information you need for a successful Home Office Addition project

February 2011

Homeowners have many important questions about their Home Office Addition Project. How much will it cost? How long will it take? What problem areas do I need to watch out for? Can I recover my Home Office Addition investment when I sell? Can I do some of the work myself? What can I do to make sure that the work is done right?

Costs, materials and best practices for the example Home Office Addition project will help you answer these questions. Use this information to develop a budget, bid requirements, hiring contracts and a project plan.

Use the following information to understand your options, make good decisions and get quality work at a fair price.

Home Office Addition - Project Overview

The approximate costs and value of a typical Home Office Addition project are summarized below. Use higher estimates for larger metropolitan areas and the lower estimates where home prices are below the national average. Adjust costs for substitutions or refinements in the last section. For size differences of up to 25%, scale total costs in direct proportion to the size of your project. Use the adjusted costs as a basis for setting a material budget and for comparing contractor bids (if you choose to have a professional perform the work).

Project description	Convert existing room to home office Provide multi-line phone, local area network and internet connectivity. Upgrade electral and lighting system. Install cabinets and upgrade flooring. Paint room.
Project size	150 square foot room
Material and labor cost	$4,185 - $4,883
Material cost	$1,944 - $2,268
Do-it-yourself assessment	The typical Home Office Addition project can be completed by a moderately skilled do-it-yourselfer; as with any project, high quality Home Office Addition requires attention to detail and careful planning.
First year Return on Investment - ROI	Actual returns vary widely and are affected by the range of home prices in your neighborhood, the overall condition of your home and sensible design choices. A good quality Home Office Addition project in the right neighborhoods can return 61% - 72% of its initial cost.
Long term Return on Investment - ROI	Results vary widely and are affected by the range of home prices in your neighborhood, the overall condition of your home and prudent design choices. A typical Home Office Addition project completed with good or better quality will return less than 60% of its initial cost.
Green rating	Home Office Addition projects can incorporate renewable or sustainable resources and environmentally friendly materials.

Home Office Addition - Proven Ideas and Project Tips

Review these tips, design suggestions, options and lessons learned before finalizing your Home Office Addition project plan.

To maximize return on the Home Office Addition project, limit cost to no more than 1% of home's total, post project value
For best home resale value, follow a consistent design and decorating theme throughout the home
For best resale value, select components, appliances, finishes and fixtures of comparable quality
Mount low profile fixtures underneath wall cabinets for inconspicuous, countertop task lighting
Understand how your project will change property taxes (assessed value) and home insurance - before the project begins
Recess speakers into walls or ceiling to share media system access and create room ambiance
Install electrical receptacles inside cabinet where electrical devices are stored

Home Office Addition - Project Plan and Details

The following list includes major work tasks commonly performed during Home Office Addition. Use this list to understand the timing and sequence of different steps in the Home Office Addition project. Click any Task name for a complete written specifications, FAQs and quality checklist for the task - this essential information will help you control Home Office Addition project cost and quality.

Task

Service Provider

Duration

Do-it-yourself difficulty

Target cost

Develop Project Budget

General Contractor

2 to 15 d

Level 2 - Challenging

$140 - $234

Specify Materials

Interior Designer