Turning a framed porch into an extra room may be a relative simple matter of replacing screens with windows. Turn a brick patio into living space, on the other hand, maybe as much work as adding an entire new room. The less structure present in the porch or patio, the more challenging your remodeling project will be.
Even of the porch has an adequate foundation, you still may have to deal with building up the floor, installing insulation, supplying ventilation, plus bringing in electric circuitry, heating ducts, and possibly plumbing. And you’ll want to finish the exterior to match the house.
Patio conversion is more difficult than porch conversion. The foundation may not be up to code, and if it isn’t, you will be virtually starting from scratch and adding a new room.
Basement conversions
If you’re lucky enough to have a basement area with headroom of 7-1/2 feet, you could be the proud owner of a basement recreation room such as those shown on pages 34 and 35. If the basement ceiling height is below code, perhaps you could plan for no habitable space, such as a workshop or studio.
Dingy walls expose wiring, heating ducts, and plumbing pipes, not to mention problems with leakage, seepage and condensation –you may be faced with some or all of these when converting a basement to useable space. Problems with water are the ones most likely to require professional advice assistance. You face a leakage problem if there a cracks in the masonry walls or concrete floor. You have to deal with a seepage problem if water is soaking into the pores of the masonry. Waterproofing the inside of the basement without the eliminating excess water in the ground around it probably will not cure the trouble.