Sahamamama Posted January 28, 2013 Posted January 28, 2013 We're looking into the costs, pros & cons of a two-car garage conversion, and wondered if anyone here has converted a garage from storage space to living space. We'd convert to plain-vanilla living space, just something cozy and warm and well-lit, no specific purpose (like a hobby or workout space). If you did this, approximately what did it cost, did you do the work yourself, and what was the time frame? Quote
QueenCat Posted January 28, 2013 Posted January 28, 2013 We thought about it in a former house but chose not to after discovering how much harder it would be to sell the house if it did not have a garage. It would have ended up being the only house in the neighborhood without a garage. Quote
Um_2_4 Posted January 28, 2013 Posted January 28, 2013 We are planning to do this, but we have a 3 car garage. We will be finishing the single into a classroom, but in a way it could be used as a workshop, craft room, etc for selling purposes(linoleum floor, cabinets installed and the like). Look forward to hearing any experiences... Quote
Sahamamama Posted January 28, 2013 Author Posted January 28, 2013 We thought about it in a former house but chose not to after discovering how much harder it would be to sell the house if it did not have a garage. It would have ended up being the only house in the neighborhood without a garage. Did you price out how much the conversion was going to be? We realize that you never know where life will take you, but if we get this house (we put in an offer), it would be a keeper. The only drawback is that there wouldn't be a place for an elderly parent, not even upstairs. But there's a large garage off the family room, attached to the rest of the house. At some point, it could be converted to include an upstairs (not basement) laundry room and/or homeschooling room and/or an in-law suite (not all three, but some configuration). We just wanted to get some idea of costs, time frames, and options for converting. Inquiry stage, KWIM? All ears. Quote
Um_2_4 Posted January 28, 2013 Posted January 28, 2013 We did get 1 quote of around $2000 for the 1 car garage. And that included finishing the ceiling, walls, installing ceiling fan/lighting, flooring, building 1 wall and finishing it to divide the single car garage from the double. It is very competitive here though. Depends on your market. He said he could finish in 2-3 weeks. Dh hopes to do it himself for around $500. We'll see. :glare: Quote
QueenCat Posted January 28, 2013 Posted January 28, 2013 Did you price out how much the conversion was going to be? We realize that you never know where life will take you, but if we get this house (we put in an offer), it would be a keeper. The only drawback is that there wouldn't be a place for an elderly parent, not even upstairs. But there's a large garage off the family room, attached to the rest of the house. At some point, it could be converted to include an upstairs (not basement) laundry room and/or homeschooling room and/or an in-law suite (not all three, but some configuration). We just wanted to get some idea of costs, time frames, and options for converting. Inquiry stage, KWIM? All ears. Yes but that was about 20 years ago. Once we figured out we'd have issues selling, we stopped considering it. We knew we wouldn't be staying there for eons. Quote
Kaleidoscope Posted January 28, 2013 Posted January 28, 2013 We did this. It was a roomy 2 car garage so we were able to get a large room and a small bedroom out of it. We had to raise the floor and opted to add an ac unit so that made it cost more. I don't remember the exact cost but will see if dh remembers. We currently use the big room as a school room but I look forward to having it as just a 2nd living space. Quote
Laura Corin Posted January 29, 2013 Posted January 29, 2013 I've looked into it here. Planning permission would be a problem for us - long and complicated, so I won't go into it. Other things to think about: if you want to make it two storey, look at what kinds of attic trusses you have and whether they would need to be changed. Think about insulation: here detached garages are often made with a thin single-layer wall structure and need massive changes to allow them to be warm enough to live in. Think also about drainage. Laura Quote
Sahamamama Posted January 30, 2013 Author Posted January 30, 2013 I've looked into it here. Planning permission would be a problem for us - long and complicated, so I won't go into it. Other things to think about: if you want to make it two storey, look at what kinds of attic trusses you have and whether they would need to be changed. Think about insulation: here detached garages are often made with a thin single-layer wall structure and need massive changes to allow them to be warm enough to live in. Think also about drainage. Laura Thanks, Laura. We went back up to look at the house again today. The sellers have accepted our offer, so it's going into attorney review tomorrow. We'll see if we get the house or not. I'm not picky about the elegance of a space for homeschooling. Clean, bright, and safe will work for me, after living in this current house. At the "new" house, the garage is decent enough and large enough. We would need to (1) clean it thoroughly, (2) prime and paint it, including ceiling, walls & trim, and (3) put down a nice, thick carpet to keep our feet warm. By the time we get in, if we get in, it'll be March and warm enough. In the summer, we'll make a project of putting in a window unit AC (perhaps). In the fall, we might put in a space heater. Nothing fancy. Quote
acurtis75 Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 We have checked in to the costl we currently have a 2 car garage that is already insulated. We priced it without doing any work ourselves. My cousin is a contractor and has done a lot of stuff for us in the past so I would expect his estimate to be pretty accurate. In our case we looked at two options. Converting the existing garage into an efficiency apartment for my father-in-law who lives with us so he could have his own kitchen or building said efficiency over the current garage. The cost to do it in the current garage (including kitchen, bathroom, AC, plumbing, etc) was $10-$15k depending on the quality of flooring and fixtures. To build it over the garage was $15 -$20k. Quote
DawnM Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 I really, really, really want this done in our upstairs garage. We live on a hill, so our basement has a 2 car garage attached, then if you drive up the driveway more, there is a 1.5 car garage up there. The 1.5 is the one I want converted. I would make it into a den/office/game room, freeing up our office for an additional bedroom. DH is dead set against it. He loves parking in there......grrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!! Dawn Quote
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