Spencerport, NY · Member since 2014 · 26 posts · 7 votes
Those who are much more experienced, i’m seeking your wisdom.
I'm looking at a property in St. Petersburgh that is already zoned as a STR and has a history of positive reviews.
Good location but it’s only a 2 bed, 1 bath.
It has a second living room in the back of the house that is plenty large enough to convert to a 3rd bedroom which I believe will increase the STR potential, as the area has a lot of vacationers and families who would need a 3rd bedroom.
QUESTION; Is there any pitfalls in getting a permit to convert a 2nd living room into a bedroom that I don’t know about? Or is the building permit for such an endeavor fairly straight forward?
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
It depends on the original framing design. If the walls you are moving/adding are non-structural, then that will be easy....the only thing needing to be permitted will be the electrical that you add to the walls. You will need a window meeting egress code.
Having 3 BRs and only 1BA is going to be a negative IMO. you could have 6 or more people fighting for that 1 bath....
So since you are converting a living room, that says that you have enough space to possibly add another bathroom...? That would be huge for your ability to make $$....although you will need a different permit to do this, and it will of course cost more......but well worth it I think.
It depends on the original framing design. If the walls you are moving/adding are non-structural, then that will be easy....the only thing needing to be permitted will be the electrical that you add to the walls. You will need a window meeting egress code.
Having 3 BRs and only 1BA is going to be a negative IMO. you could have 6 or more people fighting for that 1 bath....
So since you are converting a living room, that says that you have enough space to possibly add another bathroom...? That would be huge for your ability to make $$....although you will need a different permit to do this, and it will of course cost more......but well worth it I think.
The 2nd living room has an exterior door, so I assume that means it wouldn’t need an egress window?
The living room is large enough for a small bathroom too - 15x20. Just not sure if I want to spend what it would cost to do the plumbing. It’s on a slab so I imagine it would be very costly.
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y
I wouldn't mess with putting up a wall. Just hang up some curtains to make a partition. I've got 5 guys staying in a 3 BR 1Bath house right now. 1 in each bedroom, 1 in an office room, and the last guy brought his own bed and set it up in the living room.
Another time I had 9 guys staying in a 3BR 1Bath house. 2 guys in each bedroom, 2 guys on 2 sofas in the living room, 1 guy in a closet. They were very happy with this arrangement. It was 5 minutes away from their work, and they work 12 hour shifts. They had been staying in a motel 60 miles away.
It depends on the original framing design. If the walls you are moving/adding are non-structural, then that will be easy....the only thing needing to be permitted will be the electrical that you add to the walls. You will need a window meeting egress code.
Having 3 BRs and only 1BA is going to be a negative IMO. you could have 6 or more people fighting for that 1 bath....
So since you are converting a living room, that says that you have enough space to possibly add another bathroom...? That would be huge for your ability to make $$....although you will need a different permit to do this, and it will of course cost more......but well worth it I think.
The 2nd living room has an exterior door, so I assume that means it wouldn’t need an egress window?
The living room is large enough for a small bathroom too - 15x20. Just not sure if I want to spend what it would cost to do the plumbing. It’s on a slab so I imagine it would be very costly.
The door would have to be between 32 - 48" and be outward-opening. I would still check out prices for a bath...that would be a huge add....