(BPT) - When it comes to real estate, you've probably heard kitchens and bathrooms typically sell houses. While you may not have enough money for a kitchen remodel, adding a bathroom can be a more affordable way to enhance your property and catch buyers' attention.
By adding another bathroom to your home, you immediately increase your chances of the property getting noticed. Technology makes it simple for buyers to search properties of interest by their designated criteria. One of those is "minimum number of bathrooms." By adding to that amount in your listing, you'll be getting in front of that many more potential buyers.
Adding bathrooms to difficult spaces
Bathrooms increase a home's value and add to its functionality — both elements that buyers desire. Homeowners can begin to research opportunities to add bathrooms to their properties presale. This often means enhancing basements, garage slabs and other spaces that can be more difficult for contractors to add plumbing systems with conventional in-floor drainage.
If you have a space that would be ideal for a bathroom but appears to be impossible due to the need to break through concrete or other types of flooring, there's another solution to consider: above-floor, macerating plumbing systems. Developed a half century ago in Europe, these systems are still relatively unknown in the United States; however, they offer a vast opportunity for homeowners.
Macerating systems from makers like Saniflo reduce waste and paper from the toilet and send it under high pressure through piping directly into the septic or sewer system. No waste is stored, and the systems are low-cost compared to traditional plumbing. Systems are discreet, quiet and open the possibilities of affordable additions in less time. Learn more at Saniflo.com.
If you want to add a bathroom to prepare your home for resale, don't be limited by the seemingly impossible. Here are five “impossible” home improvement scenarios where above-floor plumbing may be the solution:
Main floor on-slab construction
Owners of slab-built homes may hesitate to cut into the concrete foundation in order to accommodate conventional plumbing. No matter how careful a contractor is when cutting into concrete, a variety of problems can arise — from unexpected obstructions to poor-fitting patches and even stress cracks. Above-floor plumbing systems eliminate the need to cut into the slab, so integrity isn't compromised.
Basements
If your home is built with a basement, bathroom additions can be problematic due to concrete and existing plumbing limitations. Above-floor, macerating plumbing is a smart solution for fast, cost-effective bathroom additions in lower-level rooms. Now you can highlight the comfortable living space and make it feel like a true entertainment center or like home to prospective buyers.
Historic homes
Opening walls or floors to accommodate piping may jeopardize important historic elements, such as original wood flooring or plaster walls. Systems like Saniflo’s macerating toilet and plumbing technology eliminate the need to cut through a floor to install new drainage, while minimizing the impact on walls as well. The system also fits easily into small areas like a closet or the dead space behind a stairway, meaning homeowners don’t have to compromise the flow of their historic homes to add a bathroom.
Raised homes
Bayou and beach towns often boast charming raised homes. Adding a bathroom to the lowest floor of a raised home can be problematic; conventional plumbing pipes may detract from the aesthetic value of the space beneath the home, which is often used for car ports, porches and decks. Above-floor plumbing eliminates the need for unsightly pipes, so you can make a great first impression to potential buyers.
Warehouse rehabs
In cities across the country, warehouses have found new life as condos and apartments. The problem is heavy brick construction can make adding traditional plumbing difficult. Above-floor plumbing eliminates the need to cut into or remove bricks, and allows renovators to install attractive, cozy bathrooms in smaller spaces. Imagine how upgrading a one-bath condo to a property with two bathrooms will enhance resale.
If you're preparing your home for the current real estate market, you want it to stand out. An extra bathroom can help you do that and attract high bids from buyers. Thanks to above-floor macerating plumbing systems, the possibilities are endless.
