getting serious about a renovation for resale

[nereo]

A bit of a lengthy post, but I'm hoping to use this as a sounding board and infrequently updated journal of my progress.
I've done lots of home projects (each seemingly a bit more complex than the last) but I've never done something specifically focused on resale value.

We have an apartment in a very desirable urban location which we bought in 2012.  It seems highly likely now that we will sell in 2-4 years.  When we purchased, we had an enclosed, un-insulated patio that had never been finished because the flippers ran out of money.  Now I want to turn it into either a 3 or 4 season space that will grab potential buyers.  Because I'm keeping an eye on resale, I don't want to spend $10k renovating it.  We do want to enjoy it the next 2-4 years that we are here, but a primary motivator is the resale - it will add another 20% of livable sqft (although whether we can claim this when selling is debatable/uncertain).  Regardless, finishing the space will give us and the future owners another large room to use.

The room:
It's large (220sf) with an entire wall of 'windows' (currently sheets of plexi that don't open) and 10' ceilings.  Originally it was a deck, but it was enclosed during the remodel and now is an 'enclosed patio/sunroom' of sorts.  One oddity - it has a staircase running through the center - it's the emergency staircase for our upstairs neighbors; they can't use it except during an emergency but I can't remove the staircase either. We don't have a yard/garden, so this is the best space to sit with windows open and have a meal semi- al fresco.

It's current state: 
Roughed in but unfinished.  All four walls have exterior vinyl siding on the inside (not very attractive) and the 'windows' are caulked-in-place pieces of 0.25" plexi that are a bit hazy and impossible to clean on the outside because they are caulked shut.  The floor is 3/4" plywood subfloor.  The ceiling and 2 of the walls are completely insulated (closed-cell spray foam), but the floor and the exterior wall have no insulation whatsoever.   The staircase is sturdy metal with wood steps, but needs some paint.  The space is well lit by a series of recessed lights.

The plan (feel free to chime in with suggestions - this is a sounding board of sorts)
*) Insulate the walls and floor with fiberglass batts (cost ~$185)
*) Insulate exerior wall with Foamular closed-cell foam boards ($80)
*) Remove vinyl siding from lower half of walls - replace with ...? Thinking Cedar t&g paneling to give it an outside, deck-like vibe. ($400)
*) Replace the plexiglass with 6 large double-hung Energy-Star windows + framing (~$1500 - each 32" x 60" - largest expense by far)
*) Add flooring - Traffic master groutable tiles in grey slate ($340 - already purchased, but returnable)
*) Paint staircase ($80)
*) Add two outlets along interior walls (currently there is just one) ($100)

total est. budget - $2600 - 2750.

Things I'm leaning against doing
*) Replacing soffit ceiling with sheetrock (The soffit is at least in good shape and a uniform white)
*) installing floor-board heaters - even insulated we're thinking of this as a 3-season type space (would cost several hundred to install)

I'll update with some sketches and maybe some photos soon.

[zolotiyeruki]

I remember you asking about insulation options for the floor several months ago, but I couldn't find the thread, and I don't remember what your deck looks like.

Rigid foam boards on the outside wall are probably more expense than they're worth, for a 3-season room.  Unless you have some reason driving you towards using them (like thin walls where you'd need a higher r-value per inch), I'd stick to batt insulation.

If you're going to put electrical outlets out there, you may need to consult with your local government about whether it will be classified as an indoor or outdoor space.  Each will have different requirements--outside will require GFCI outlets and such, inside may require smoke detectors.

If you have a nearby Habitat for Humanity ReStore, you may be able to get windows (and other materials) for cheaper.

Why would you only replace half the wall covering with T&G cedar?  Why not the whole thing?

[nereo]

thanks for the questions zolotiyerkuki.  A few answers:

I remember you asking about insulation options for the floor several months ago, but I couldn't find the thread, and I don't remember what your deck looks like.

I'm actually attempting to do this in sketchup... just for S&G; if that doesn't work I'll just sketch it out and post here.  Perhaps this should have been in the journal section.  Meh.  Floor is 3/4" ply on top of 2x6 joists that sit on top of the original decking which are build on top of 2x10 joists.  Strange way of building it, I know... but the original deck was a 6" step down, and the renovators/flippers wanted it to be at the same level, so they just built a platform to raise it up to the level of the door jamb.

Rigid foam boards on the outside wall are probably more expense than they're worth, for a 3-season room.  Unless you have some reason driving you towards using them (like thin walls where you'd need a higher r-value per inch), I'd stick to batt insulation.

I agree, and the reasons is for what you stated - the exterior wall is 4" thick with metal sheathing on the exterior side.  I don't have much depth to work with there for batts, so that's why I'm leaning towards rigid foam boards.  Also, because the majority of that wall will be the 6 large windows, there is only ~100sqft of wall left to insulate with foam board. Plus, if I understand it correctly rigid foam boards sealed with Great Stuff eliminates the need for a moisture barrier on that side, correct?  that saves me from having to remove the exterior siding and taking on Tyvek wrap.  Please correct me if I'm wrong, I"m a bit uncertain on that last point.

If you're going to put electrical outlets out there, you may need to consult with your local government about whether it will be classified as an indoor or outdoor space.  Each will have different requirements--outside will require GFCI outlets and such, inside may require smoke detectors.

Outlets are the one thing I'm going to have a certified electrician handle.  I know one personally who quoted me $100 and a beer if he can do it when I pull the floor up (makes running the wires ridiculously simple).  The outlets will go on the inside wall, so they will be 9' away from the windows and moisture.  I'm guessing he'll do GFCI - no idea why he wouldn't, other than a few dollars extra cost for the electricla boxes.

If you have a nearby Habitat for Humanity ReStore, you may be able to get windows (and other materials) for cheaper.

Hmm - not a bad idea, I'll give it a shot.  As it is, the windows we've found are $175 each from a big box store that rhymes with "Moe's" (Vinyl, lowE, double-hung).  The extra ~$400 is for the framing lumber, mulling strips, flashing, and renting the scaffolding (exterior height is ~7 feet off the ground). 

Why would you only replace half the wall covering with T&G cedar?  Why not the whole thing?

I'm not 100% locked into this, but it's a mixture of asthetics and cost.  The ceiling is just under 10' high, and I can get 5' and 6' T&G cedar boards very cheap here.  My idea is that I run the boards around the sides and then (for the moment) keep the vinyl siding higher than 5'.  It will give the feeling/illusion/appearance of being in a backyard space surrounded by a cedar fence.  I originally thought about doing at least one side with decorative stone (like this), but the cost and square footage quickly eliminated this idea.  Even if I could find a tile option I liked at $2 sqft, the amount of square footage, plus the need for backer-board and mastic make any tiling of the walls up to 4-5' prohibitively expensive.  That's why steered me towards the 'cedar fence' idea.
I have no real desire to sheetrock the entire space, and since it will be used like a patio, work-shop and place where bikes and other gear will be put, I want something on the walls that will hold up better. ALways open to suggestions.

[Thegoblinchief]

I'm assuming you've done your homework on code compliance, permits (if any) required, etc. You're doing this for resale, so to list the improvement (sqft gain) you'll want to make sure it's OK'd by the inspectors.

How well does the space "flow" from the living area? If it's just a doorway with an exterior door, probably not worth making it into 4 season unless you were also widening the doorway from the main sections

[nereo]

I'm assuming you've done your homework on code compliance, permits (if any) required, etc. You're doing this for resale, so to list the improvement (sqft gain) you'll want to make sure it's OK'd by the inspectors.

I've gone through the permitting codes once but will double-check this week.  My understanding of the local codes is that no permits are necessary because I am not removing the existing walls or adding new ones.  There seems to be no permits necessary for insulating existing spaces, changing flooring or replacing windows.

How well does the space "flow" from the living area? If it's just a doorway with an exterior door, probably not worth making it into 4 season unless you were also widening the doorway from the main sections

The 'flow' isn't that great.  It's an exterior door leading out into this enclosed patio, and we quickly eliminated the possibility of widening that due to cost.  The main draw to this project is that the room already exists - it just needs some flooring, insulation and real windows.
Despite their cost, the windows are important - currently in the summer the room's a giant greenhouse heat trap since the windows plexi can't be opened, making the room all but unusable most of July-August.  Given our very cold winters here it's not usable in it's current form from November - April either.  I anticipate by adding windows and insulation the space will be quite comfortable from April - November (8 months). 

[Thegoblinchief]

Yeah, I agree. 3 season improvement is well worth it but I'd only bother with adding heat if you were also opening up the entry to the room.

[zolotiyeruki]

In my area, any change to electrical or plumbing is also cause for a permit.

WRT the vapor barrier/retarder, you only want one barrier, and you want it on the side of the wall which is more often warm and humid.  For places that get cold in the winter, that's the inside.  Rigid XPS boards, properly sealed, are a very effective vapor barrier.  If you fill the entire cavity with the foam boards, and seal them, that's fine too.

[nereo]

WRT the vapor barrier/retarder, you only want one barrier, and you want it on the side of the wall which is more often warm and humid.  For places that get cold in the winter, that's the inside.  Rigid XPS boards, properly sealed, are a very effective vapor barrier.  If you fill the entire cavity with the foam boards, and seal them, that's fine too.

Excellent - that's exactly what I'm planning on doing.

Here's the sketchup of the space at present - all dimensions are within 1" of the real life.  As I told my SO - I have no idea who that woman is.  I've never seen her before in my life!  She looks a tad thin on the last one...

The door and two smaller windows lead into the house.  The two dark grey-walls (actually beige in real life) are insulated.  The side that's brown with two enormous windows is the exterior wall - those windows are currently four sheets of plexiglass each 4' x 6'.

you can see the circuit breaker panel with the only electrical outlet below. The two new outlets will go on the light-grey interior wall (between the two windows, spaced about 4' apart).

The staircases are the really annoying feature, but I can't get rid of them for fire-code reasons.  The staircase that goes down is actually normally covered by a plywood sheet (you can walk on that 'hole').

If I get inspired I'll do a sketchup of the framing as well as one with the windows, flooring and side paneling to see how it looks... I'm learning two things here (renovation and sketchup)