would you close in your garage if you knew you wanted to move in a two or three years?

[Mandylubug]

We are in a 3bed 2bath home and the drive alone to dhs work is killer for him. We would love to be closer to town for the kids activities as well. That being said we will not be in the position to sale for atleast 2 or 3 years maybe longer. We currently school all over the house but mostly at the table. We don't have a separate dining room but an eat in kitchen. I want to post some visuals and we already have up a whiteboard but its really about to take over our living area once i post maps, number lines, visual aids for math.

 

We have a two car garage that we could close in to make a school room. It would also allow me to have an office to work out of part time and get my desk out of our bedroom. I am just concerned of resale value of our home amd have heard that losing the garage will lower its value...I just can't decide if it is worth it in the long run. Should I just get over the clutter and mess?

[Parrothead]

I wouldn't. No sense spending that money when you may need it to remodel a new house.

[cathmom]

No!

[Guest inoubliable]

Nope.

[Mandylubug]

Ok, so that seems the common opinion. So now, how do I attach a 30 ft numberline to sheetrock that will come down later with little damage? What do you hang posters and maps with?

[DianeW88]

Absolutely not!!!

[elegantlion]

Agreed, no. You might be able to make your garage work as a workspace without redoing it. However, I wouldn't do away with it completely.

 

- if you live in a climate with cold/hot weather, people want a garage

- my dh is a carpenter, without a garage tool storage and carrying them in your vehicle just become a pain

- it's subconsciously upsetting for some people, a home with a garage should be a garage (people can be unwilling to overlook very minute details like light fixtures, not having a garage could be upsetting)

- if creates a subconscious mindset that the house is too small. Regardless of whether it is or not for the next family, they'll wonder why you needed to expand and change areas - even if they don't consciously consider it.

- It may not count as living space in your square footage if it is not heated or cooled like the rest of the house. We had a realtor nit pick our laundry room and sunroom because they didn't have vents. So you'd have a listing without the extra square footage and no garage.

- could, again subconsciously, be seen as a declining area. A lot of starter homes were modified over the years. AT least in our area those homes are getting left behind by owners in case of renters and were not quaint areas, just too small and old.

[lmrich]

Could you work in it as is... I mean clean it out put down foam mats (like under exercise mats) and maybe a rug.

[KungFuPanda]

No way. Too much expense. I'd just reorganize the space I have. Do you NEED every poster on display at all times? Couldn't you just have a poster area and hang all of them in one stack, maybe on some hooks, then just flip to the one you want to use? Do you NEED a giant number line? Those changes seem easier than remodeling your garage. Maybe something like this?

 

[sgo95]

No matter the climate, I would vastly prefer not to buy a house without a two-car garage.

 

Ok, so that seems the common opinion. So now, how do I attach a 30 ft numberline to sheetrock that will come down later with little damage? What do you hang posters and maps with?

 

 

You obviously can want what you want, but I'm curious, why do you need a 30ft numberline? What if you drew it out on the driveway or sidewalk in front of your house? That way you could actually physically engage with the numberline as well.

 

ETA: What about a hallway? That may be a good space for posters, timelines, numberlines, etc..

[Mandylubug]

No way. Too much expense. I'd just reorganize the space I have. Do you NEED every poster on display at all times? Couldn't you just have a poster area and hang all of them in one stack, maybe on some hooks, then just flip to the one you want to use? Do you NEED a giant number line? Those changes seem easier than remodeling your garage. Maybe something like this?

 

 

 

 

well, of course, I don't need a giant number line but it would help during our R&S Math lessons when I tell them to look at the number line. The one I have printed out for them is tiny, they have to get up out of their seats to be able to see it. I am supposed to put shapes over certain numbers on it to help them with skip counting as well. I can't or I will not place with adhesive a numberline to my good dining room table. We already have a poster up for the times tables; I have the bee number families on my pantry door and side of fridge. I am wanting a world map, us map and another poster laminated so I can put fact families on display for the girls lessons as well and not have them taking up my space on my white board. Not to mention I was wanting to put word family posters/start a word wall, etc.. My kids do really well with visual reminders and it would just be great to have them up and not have to dig through my mess to pull out my visuals for them. I am open to other suggestions, though.

[QueenCat]

NO

[Jean in Newcastle]

Another no.

[Chelli]

Well, I'll be the voice of dissent then. :tongue_smilie:

 

My dh and I have kicked the idea around about our garage. If we did it, we would put a wall behind the garage door motor and track (so about half of the garage would be walled in. The front part of the garage we could still use for tool and mower storage. The back part of the garage would become the school room. I would put down a carpet remnant rug and put a heat/cooling unit in the window. The back of the garage already has a really nice built in wood storage area with shelving and doors.

 

What dh and I like about our idea is that when we sell, it would take a couple of hours to knock down the wall, roll up the rug, and remove the heating/cooling unit. Then you have a garage again because nothing permanent has been done.

[T'smom]

You might want to search pinterest for mini offices. There are lots of ideas for keeping visual aids handy. They wouldn't be large, but the kids would have them in hand, so they might not need to be. You'd still probably want some things on the wall, but not as much.

[Orthodox6]

I am not dismissing the experienced posters who precede me. Good points have been made. I do offer, however, a voice of dissent, depending upon your neighborhood. I live near a neighborhood where many of the houses have had the garage converted into additional living space. They all look nice, and the conversions enable buyers to have more living space in a lower-cost neighborhood. If you end up as the only house in the neighborhood from which the garage has been sacrificed, the idea diminishes in appeal.

 

If you have room to park outside, I would work with the existing garage. With additional lighting (which would please many buyers), portable A/C unit (if needed) and/or portable heater, you can create a useful school area without overhauling the garage. On a good-weather day, raise the garage door to admit still more light. Storage units for school supplies can be chosen in a style that is "normal" for a garage, and which can remain with the house when you move.

 

Different teaching styles, of course. In eighteen years of homeschool, I never have hung up a poster, a timeline, or a numberline. We did not need such large versions of accessories. Moderate-sized items could be affixed to a cubicle wall. Those portable cubicles/dividers are sold by office furnishings suppliers. This could provide privacy for students to study, take tests, etc.

[Mandylubug]

Five years ago, I kept children in my home for income. We utilized the garage as extra living space, had carpet tiles placed and a window unit added. We also closed in one fourth (studs, sheetrock, door, the works, etc. with a window unit) for DHs work office... neither worked for us due to the high temperatures and humidity in GA. Our electricity bill sky rocketed with the window units, water leaked under the garage door and the carpet tiles near the door mildewed. So, I do know that if we go this route; we have to go all the way, having it closed off correctly, adding an additional a/c unit to our existing one (it already struggles as it is so it needs help anyway).

[Chelli]

Five years ago, I kept children in my home for income. We utilized the garage as extra living space, had carpet tiles placed and a window unit added. We also closed in one fourth (studs, sheetrock, door, the works, etc. with a window unit) for DHs work office... neither worked for us due to the high temperatures and humidity in GA. Our electricity bill sky rocketed with the window units, water leaked under the garage door and the carpet tiles near the door mildewed. So, I do know that if we go this route; we have to go all the way, having it closed off correctly, adding an additional a/c unit to our existing one (it already struggles as it is so it needs help anyway).

 

If this was the case, then I wouldn't do it just because we couldn't afford it. But I wouldn't go to all that trouble because I wanted a number line and/or to hang posters. I would probably make a number line on our hardwood floor using masking tape and put posters on three metal rings and store under the couch or bed.

[lmrich]

Go to Ikea. Laminate your posters or better yet find placemats with that information.

[Parrothead]

well, of course, I don't need a giant number line but it would help during our R&S Math lessons when I tell them to look at the number line. The one I have printed out for them is tiny, they have to get up out of their seats to be able to see it. I am supposed to put shapes over certain numbers on it to help them with skip counting as well. I can't or I will not place with adhesive a numberline to my good dining room table. We already have a poster up for the times tables; I have the bee number families on my pantry door and side of fridge. I am wanting a world map, us map and another poster laminated so I can put fact families on display for the girls lessons as well and not have them taking up my space on my white board. Not to mention I was wanting to put word family posters/start a word wall, etc.. My kids do really well with visual reminders and it would just be great to have them up and not have to dig through my mess to pull out my visuals for them. I am open to other suggestions, though.

How about personal number lines? You could orientate (is that even a word?) a paper to be landscape then type the numbers 1-30 with the dots above. Then print it out and cut it in half. You could probably do two sets on one page. If you laminate it you can use dry erase markers on the laminate.

[Χά�ων]

 

 

If this was the case, then I wouldn't do it just because we couldn't afford it. But I wouldn't go to all that trouble because I wanted a number line and/or to hang posters. I would probably make a number line on our hardwood floor using masking tape and put posters on three metal rings and store under the couch or bed.

 

FYI Masking tape, if left for long periods of time, will not come up without damaging the floor. I put tape down to keep DS from ramming me while I was cooking. Once he stopped I pulled up the tape to find a ruined floor. :/

[Chelli]

FYI Masking tape, if left for long periods of time, will not come up without damaging the floor. I put tape down to keep DS from ramming me while I was cooking. Once he stopped I pulled up the tape to find a ruined floor. :/

 

I had some down on our hardwood for a year and it came up with no problems. :confused1:

[linders]

No way. We turned down several otherwise good houses 3 years ago because of lack of garage.

[gardenmom5]

How about if you insulate and wallboard it - but leave the garage door? (is it an insulated door?). that would add value, make it useable as a school room, and still be viable as a garage when you go to sell it. You could put down some cheap carpeting or similar that would insulate the floor.

 

You can add space heaters to keep warm. (and on hot summer days - you can open the door to cool down.)

[LucyStoner]

Only if this is common for your area. There are many areas here where the garages are all or nearly all converted to new master suites or whatnot. Most with siding on the outside so it looks (sorta) like there never was a garage. These were mostly tiny 2 and 3 bedroom homes built just after WWII for vets using their G-I loans. We would certainly buy one of these houses if we were in the market, especially if there was a yard enough for a small shed (which is all my garages have EVER been used for wherever we have lived- camping gear and bikes etc). Garages are not a huge deal because we don't have much of a winter or a very hot summer (few people in these areas even have ac). But if you live where garages are an A-1 priority for buyers (snow, 90+ degree summers etc), I would make due with what you have now, going as far as redecorating my dining area and eating in a school type room if that is what you really need. We have a timeline and a number chart in our hallway- my kids are visual learners.

[Erica in OR]

If you're looking for something to try on the walls to hang the numberline and such, our church uses the 3M Command Hook products to hang large posters in the fellowship hall on the painted/textured sheetrock walls.

 

Erica in OR

[1bassoon]

For a while, I taught science classes in my garage. I used some kind of amazing tape - I think it's actually called Mavalous tape (?) - I got it at a teacher supply store and that stuff stuck EVERYthing to my cinderblock walls. Good stuff.

[skeeterbug]

To hang things in our house, we are renting, I use sticky tac (bluetac?), 3M poster hanging strips, and mavalus tape (bought from RR). All can be removed with no damage.

[akmommy]

We did it. We had been thinking about it for a while and then the garage door broke. We built a wall that fit snugly inside the opening for the garage door and bolted it in. Then we painted the outside to match the house, then we taped and painted the inside. You could tell on both sides it was a conversion but we were fine with it. We didn't know we'd be moving very soon after, but knew resale was a concern.

[TranquilMind]

We are in a 3bed 2bath home and the drive alone to dhs work is killer for him. We would love to be closer to town for the kids activities as well. That being said we will not be in the position to sale for atleast 2 or 3 years maybe longer. We currently school all over the house but mostly at the table. We don't have a separate dining room but an eat in kitchen. I want to post some visuals and we already have up a whiteboard but its really about to take over our living area once i post maps, number lines, visual aids for math.

 

We have a two car garage that we could close in to make a school room. It would also allow me to have an office to work out of part time and get my desk out of our bedroom. I am just concerned of resale value of our home amd have heard that losing the garage will lower its value...I just can't decide if it is worth it in the long run. Should I just get over the clutter and mess?

 

No. It will reduce the value of your home.

 

Can you build a sunroom off the back?

[TeachingMyTwo]

I would probably attempt to use it without making permanent changes that would affect resale value. A space heater would help keep it warm, and they are fairly safe now days from what I understand. Foam and a big piece of carpet on the floor, etc.

[Unicorn.]

All of our posters, timelines, etc are in the hallway. I used adhesive Velcro to attach them to the wall. I attached 1 1/2 inch strips at each corner, and in the middle of the top of each poster, then stuck it to the wall. The hook part is on the poster, and I can easily change them out if I need to. You could just use thumbtacks, though!

[Laurie4b]

Timelines & numberlines can be made accordian style, then can be folded into a book size to store.

 

They are easy to make with cardstock and tear-by-hand packing tape, but cutting regular packing tape works fine, too. Just put a couple strips of tape as "hinges" between each two sheets of cardstock. Obviously, do that on one side only. When you want the whole thing, open it up on the floor. When you're done, fold it up again, accordian-style and put in on a bookshelf. Or as someone else suggested, use individual number lines at their desks.

 

If you want to put stuff up on the walls, consider buying a cork strip or two. You screw those into the wall, then tack stuff onto the cork strip. When you move, you take down the cork strip and plug up a couple holes.

[mytwomonkeys]

we did (when we lived in a 3 bedroom/2bath as well). we did not do it permanently, but i closed it in to make it a playroom (we had a tri-level home & the bottom level was an office with an exit to the garage). from the outside it looked like a garage still. when we moved, we reverted it back. we just covered the wall with thick foam, fabric, blinds, curtains, and made it look like a big ugly window to the best of our ability. we used old fabric my mom had... added in old furniture... we painted the floor (which isn't abnormal for a garage) and added a throw rug. it served it's purpose well enough. for air, we had a window unit in one of the windows. for heat, we used a space heater. it worked out fine.

 

this picture was back in 2005. the flowery stuff is my mom's old stuff, but it was free :)

[In the Rain]

No, I wouldn't. We just moved, and my dh wouldn't even look at houses without garages. One of my kids is pretty visual too, but I've never put school stuff on the walls. We find ways to make things with paper and fold them up. Actually, I tried to put up a cool timeline, but it wouldn't stick. I have a friend who uses the Command strips to hang things on the wall.

[Hikin' Mama]

If it's going to lower your resale value, then absolutely not! Save that remodel money for the next house.

[Orthodox6]

If it's going to lower your resale value, then absolutely not! Save that remodel money for the next house.

 

Other people have advised this same thing. What, however, makes remodelling "the next house" any more an enhancement for resale than what she contemplates with her current house? :confused:

[TravelingChris]

No, many people, including us, do not use garages for cars. We use it for storage of outdoor things (camping, sleds, bikes), my dh's woodworking shop which takes up one of the two car spaces, gardening tools and equipment (lawnmover, weed whacker, chainsaw, etc), and in our specific case, homeschool science equipment like our two microscopes and all of our chemistry glass, etc). While a few of these things could go in a house, most can't. Woodworking creates sawdust. You don;t want to have equipment with gas in the house, and no one really wants to store things like bikes and tents in the main part of the house.

[BigMamaBird]

Absolutely not!

 

We live in an area that gets very cold, snowy winters. When we bought our home, Dh was most excited about getting to park his car in a garage for the first time in his life. We would not have even looked at the home if it didn't have an attached, two car garage.

 

If you want to use the garage as an extra room, by all means go ahead. Don't change it so much that it isn't immediately recognizable as a fully functioning garage.

[BigMamaBird]

we did (when we lived in a 3 bedroom/2bath as well). we did not do it permanently, but i closed it in to make it a playroom (we had a tri-level home & the bottom level was an office with an exit to the garage). from the outside it looked like a garage still. when we moved, we reverted it back. we just covered the wall with thick foam, fabric, blinds, curtains, and made it look like a big ugly window to the best of our ability. we used old fabric my mom had... added in old furniture... we painted the floor (which isn't abnormal for a garage) and added a throw rug. it served it's purpose well enough. for air, we had a window unit in one of the windows. for heat, we used a space heater. it worked out fine.

 

this picture was back in 2005. the flowery stuff is my mom's old stuff, but it was free :)

 

What a creative use of space!

 

That is awesome!

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree that it reduces home values. I would only do this in a home I was planning to live in for a long, long time.

 

Five years ago, I kept children in my home for income. We utilized the garage as extra living space, had carpet tiles placed and a window unit added. We also closed in one fourth (studs, sheetrock, door, the works, etc. with a window unit) for DHs work office... neither worked for us due to the high temperatures and humidity in GA. Our electricity bill sky rocketed with the window units, water leaked under the garage door and the carpet tiles near the door mildewed. So, I do know that if we go this route; we have to go all the way, having it closed off correctly, adding an additional a/c unit to our existing one (it already struggles as it is so it needs help anyway).

 

We looked into this for the first house that we purchased and were told it would cost $10k to make it an actual "living space" according to code.