House bump outs offer a tantalizing solution to that age-old conflict of space and money: you want more space in your house, but it costs more money than you can afford. When you want multi-room space—bedroom, bathroom, and living room or office, for instance—you build a full-blown addition. However, full-blown additions blow your finances to smithereens. Expect to pay six figures for even a modest addition.
If you need less space (or cannot afford a full addition), try a room addition—one room tacked onto the side of the house, typically one bedroom or one bathroom. If you do not need that much space and/or money is tight, a bump out might just be the right improvement, especially if you need only a little more space in a specific room, like a bathroom or kitchen.
Everything You Need to Know About Bump Outs
What Is a Bump Out?
A bump out is an extra space that is far smaller than a full addition and often does not even rise to the size of a room addition.
There are two schools of thought about bump outs:
- Full Rooms: Home renovation writer Michael Litchfield in his book “In-Laws, Outlaws, and Granny Flats” defines bump outs as essentially in-law suites (full rooms) that are attached to the house.1
- Less Than Rooms: Another definition is followed in the book “Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Room Additions,” which considers a bump-out to be an addition to an existing room but not a room itself.2
