Federal Way is host to a very competitive real estate market. Homeowners scramble to maximize their living space and their property’s selling potential. While many focus on expansions and remodels, the most underrated strategic upgrade is perhaps the dormer bathroom.
Dormer bathrooms are built into the sloped sides of the attic or along steep rooflines. These bathrooms practically turn such underutilized spaces into a relaxing, light-filled havens of convenience and relaxation. However, in a city known for a diverse mix of mid-century and modern homes, is this investment worth it? In this article, we will discuss everything about the dormer bathroom and how it adds value to your Federal Way home.
Wait, Can You Put a Bathroom In a Dormer?
You can put a bathroom in a dormer. In fact, the dormer would be the best place to build a bathroom into your attic. The location offers plenty of advantages, especially in terms of ventilation, natural lighting, and compliance with Federal Way’s building codes. This is in contrast to sloped roofing, which creates low dead spaces that’s only useful for storage; even then, it can prove rather inefficient. We’ll talk more about these later, but first, let’s get to one pressing question from the uninitiated:
What Does Dormer Mean, Even?
A dormer is a roofed feature that projects from a house’s roof. It has a large, vertically oriented window that floods the attic with natural light and allows for sufficient airflow to come in when opened. The window itself is often referred to as a dormer, which distinguishes it from skylights built into the roof slope. This feature is commonly found in Federal Way homes, especially in neighborhoods where coastal, colonial, and contemporary architectural styles are prevalent.
Pros and Cons of a Dormer Bathroom
Now that the dormer question is out of the way, let’s talk about the upsides and downsides of installing a dormer bathroom into your attic. Here are some facts that you should consider when deciding whether or not to turn your dormer into a well-lit, cozy bathroom a couple of storeys above the ground.
Pros
- Natural light. Dormer windows effectively flood your attic with natural light. While it is not as effective as a skylight, it can provide sufficient daytime illumination to allow for high-concentration activities without the need to flip a switch. In the context of bathing rituals, such activities could include shaving, hairstyling, and skincare routines.
- Compliant head height. Dormers are built with enough space for a person to stand under. As such, these structures typically meet the 7-foot minimum vertical clearance requirement of the 2018 Washington State Residential Code (2018 WSRC). This means that you don’t need to make extensive modifications to your dormer’s structure when installing a bathroom. You simply need to set everything up from within your attic.
- Significant ROI. Adding a new bathroom to your home can get your property rank higher in the listings by virtue of bedroom-to-bathroom ratio. Additionally, it makes your house more attractive to potential homebuyers, as more bathrooms equal greater convenience to residents. On the practical side, the installation converts your dormer from dead space where things are stored to be forgotten into one of the most useful parts of your attic.
- Shower space. Attic bathrooms built under sloped roofs tend to have a vertical clearance that only accommodates a low bathtub. On the other hand, a dormer bathroom has enough standing room for a shower. This is helpful if you’re out to sell your home, as Federal Way homebuyers are more inclined to buy homes with showers—especially walk-in ones—over those with only bathtubs.
Cons
- Structural issues. Installing a dormer bathroom introduces structural problems involving the weight of the water in the bathtub. One way to resolve this is by eliminating the bathtub altogether, opting for a simple shower instead. If you insist on having a bathtub—especially if children occupy the attic—reinforcing the floors will be in order. The reworked floor and joints should be able to support between 40 and 110 gallons of water, plus the tub and the bather’s weight.
- Additional plumbing. You will need to connect new plumbing to your existing pipe network to transport water to and move wastewater out of your dormer bathroom. You may need a licensed plumber to take care of this task, as this may require cutting holes through fixed interior features like closets and floors, as well as specific pipe slopes to maximize the plumbing’s efficiency. .
- Pressure drop. Water pressure determines how well your pipes supply water to the dormer bathroom. As dormers are always located on the topmost level of the house, expect reduced pressure that can go worse during Federal Way’s winter freeze. If the water pressure is too low, you may need to install a booster pump or an unvented hot water cylinder to increase pressure in the lines when you turn on the shower or faucets.
- Probable window rework to protect user privacy. Existing dormer windows may be too low and could compromise user privacy. This calls for the modification of the window, which may require a complete, costly replacement.
How Much Is A Dormer Bathroom?
The cost of adding a bathroom to any location in your attic falls under the broad range of $8,000 to $35,000. This accounts for the specialized and unskilled labor, materials, and required features. If you still need to insall a dormer, you will need to spend between $6,000 and $35,000. The actual price tag depends on the size and type of the dormer, on top of the labor costs.
You can also do the work yourself instead of getting a bathroom remodeling professional, and pay only for the materials. However, this will require you to get multiple permits and strictly follow building codes. The city ensures compliance through a series of mandatory inspections.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, a dormer bathroom adds value to your home, much like any additional bathroom installation. Buyers love multiple bathrooms, and would appreciate one conveniently located in the attic to serve a loft bedroom or home office. By working your way through structural hurdles, you can practically turn a roofed overlook into a useful asset that boosts the value of your home.
