1. Porch & Patio Conversions
Turning a framed porch into an extra room may be a relatively simple matter of replacing screens with windows. Turning a brick patio into living space, on the other hand, may be as much work as adding the entire new room. The less structure present in the porch or patio, the more challenging your remodeling project will be.
Even if 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 will 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 is not, you will be virtually starting from scratch and adding a new room.
2. Basement conversions idea
If you are 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. If the basements' ceiling height is below code, perhaps you could plan for inhabitable space, such as a workshop or studio.
Dingy walls, exposes wiring, heating ducts, and plumbing pipe, not to mention problems with leakage, seepage, and condensation - you may be faced with some or all of these when converting a basement to usable space.
Problems with water are the ones most likely to require professional advice and assistance. 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 eliminating excess water in the ground around it probably will not cure the trouble.
Air is normally humid, and when humid air hits the basements' cool masonry walls and pipes it condenses, creating yet another common moisture problem. A vapor barrier and insulation with vapor-barrier backing are among the solutions. You can prevent condensation on pipes by winding insulating wrap around them.
Once you have solved the water problem, then finishing the floors, ceiling, and walls will be comparatively simple. As in other converted areas in a house, adding electricity, heating, and plumbing in a basement may require a professional.
