Advice on which would make the best investment (in Maryland)

[Kyle Tipton]

I recently purchased a SFH in Maryland about 30 mins outside DC. Shortly after moving in, I realized my crawl space/ unfinished basement had some issue with foundation and floor support. The area of interest is under my garage and currently not finished (dirt floor). But is big enough to finish. So my question and advice i seek is whether or not i just fix the issue and move on or do i fix the issue and finish the area making it livable and usable space (est. the additional space to be aprox. 2 bedrooms and maybe a media room due to windows)? The caveat to that, is with repair, I'm upwards of 70k which seems really high for the added square footage. Idk if I can get a good ROI. So that's the front story.

So based off of the GC estimates my two options are:

1 - 40k - 50k and the area is solid and will out last the house itself. Zero living space added. Just fixing the issue and making it safe.

2 - 80k and i finish the area and make it usable sq footage. It'll add approximately 700 to 750 sq foot to the house. It will make it somewhat an awkward layout, but none the less would add usable space. Taking me from a 4 /3 to a 6/3 and possibly a media/office. I don't want to add another bathroom or small kitchen due to location and being on a septic. I fear that would definitely push my ROI way down.

Is anyone in the DC or Maryland area that can tell me what they would do? Is the juice worth the squeeze?

This is my first time dealing with a basement and it’s put me a little outside of my element. My previous two homes were slabs and much easier to work with. So i have my first lesson learned already, buy what you know. Lol

Thanks, for any input, it’s greatly appreciated!

[William D.]

I think a lot depends on the area, have you run comps on the 6 BR option? I would consider the addition of the BR's as a $40K investment, as the $40/$50K foundation is required either way. Although having them under the garage might subtract value too.