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Remodeling a garage to a room is often a cost-effective way to add living space to your home.
1. Because the foundation, roof and exterior walls are already built, you will not incur these costs.
2. You will be able to remodel the area with little disruption to the rest of your home.
3. You may already have the electrical wiring in place (most garages have lights and at least one electrical outlet) as well as plumbing.
4. Depending upon local building codes, you may not need a building permit for your project.
Why would you need a building permit? This can vary from one location to another, but the primary issues are:
* Structural soundness
* Exits
* Heating and cooling
* Windows
* Ventilation
* Insulation
* Plumbing
* Electrical
In some areas, failure to build to local code can require that you restore the space to its original condition before you sell the house.
The best place to start remodeling a garage to a room is to determine what you have to work with in terms of floor, walls, access, etc. You will likely have a cement slab floor and an adequate roof. If there are no windows, you will need to decide whether to install them, how many to install, and where you will place them. If your garage has finished walls you will need to determine whether the walls are insulated. If they are not insulated, you will need to make decisions about how you will insulate. You will need to plan for heating and cooling and adequate lighting and electrical outlets. Do you need plumbing in the room? If so, you will need to determine whether there is or is not plumbing in the area and what changes are required.
Your next decision will be whether to use the entire garage for your new room or only part of it. If you have a two-car garage, you might decide to finish only half of it into living space. In this case, you might want to pay extra attention to soundproofing.
Converted garages can serve a variety of functions. Garages can be converted into everything from a kitchen to a living room or a family room, den, home theater, home office or an extra bedroom. You might discover enough “attic” space to finish two rooms (one above the other) or to open the ceiling and design your new room with a vaulted ceiling.
The next decisions will determine the appearance of the finished room.
1. What kind of flooring will you use? You will find that a slab is conducive to almost any kind of flooring you choose to install. Be sure to seal the slab before you begin installation of any flooring materials. And, if you install carpet, you might want to invest in double padding to make the room more comfortable. You can also build a traditional joist floor over the garage slab to match the floor level in the rest of your home.
2. What kind of ceiling do you want? Depending upon the planned use of the space, you might choose a vaulted, exposed beam ceiling, a pitched ceiling, a tray ceiling, a drywall ceiling, or a drop ceiling.
3. Finally, you will need to decide on the walls. You can choose paneling or sheetrock, or you might want to consider constructing the walls of insulated board. If the room will be used as a playroom or a home office, this might be just the solution you need.
Finally, you will need to decide whether to do the work yourself or hire a contractor. You might decide to hire a contractor for some of the work, like electrical, plumbing, etc. and do the rest yourself. Either way, you’ll find that the cost of converting your garage to living space is far less than adding a room to your home.
To get a quick estimate of the cost for this project check out www.remodelestimates.com, and to help you organize your project invest in an organizer like the one at www.remodelingorganizer.com.
A garage conversion is a great remodeling project. It’s the perfect way to get the space you need at the lowest possible cost. Enjoy!
Copyright 2007 by ABCD Publishing
Dan Fritschen, the remodel-or-move guru is President and Publisher at ABCD Publishing and operates three very popular websites — www.remodelormove.com, which helps homeowners make this important decision on the basis of knowledge and reliable cost estimates, and www.remodelestimates, which offers a variety of articles on various aspects of remodeling and remodeling cost estimate calculators, as well as referrals to great contractors throughout the nation, and www.remodelingorganizer.com). He is the author of three books on home remodeling.
Get general drywall installation tips and techniques in this free DIY garage remodel video. Expert: teacherjon Bio: Jon holds a Bachelors of Science in Education and Human Sciences degree, with an endorsement in Industrial Technology Education from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Filmmaker: Jon Olson
What is the easiest way to add more living space to your house? The answer is to remodel your garage. A very cost-effective way to expand the area for your home is to remodel all or part your garage to fit your needs.
You can greatly expand your home’s living area especially if you do not need to use your garage to park your car and are using your driveway instead. Remodeling your garage can help you become more organized by not storing all of your belongs there.
Your garage offers a perfect place to have your workshop, studio or home office. Many people also find that their garage can also be used for a gym or for another room designed for specific activities. However, remodeling your garage does not necessarily mean that you have to sacrifice your storage area or your parking area. Garages today have become multifunctional, allowing vehicles, general storage, a workshop and even a home office all in the same area.
Because many garages are connected to the house they can benefit from using the same utilities as a home: telephone wires, heating, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing. All you need is a little imagination, a set budget and a plan.
If you think that by remodeling, you may be losing too much storage area, you can always build a small storage room behind your garage to keep gardening equipment, tools and other things.
Also, when remodeling your garage you should consider an addition above the garage. Adding a room for an office or a room for one of your children above the existing garage can increase the value of your home without major changes to the floor plan.
If you want to remodel your garage but don’t know precisely what you want or need, you should consider doing some of the following:
1. Change your garage into a laundry if you don’t have one. This, of course, can only be done if you have the ability to add plumbing to the area.
2. Add a music studio. This will keep the “noise” out of the main part of the house. The garage is the place where many garage bands started. Consider soundproofing to avoid your neighbors’ disapproval.
3. Use a part of your garage for a gym. If you have a lot of equipment and nowhere to use it in the house, the garage is an excellent area to put it.
Even if you still need to part your car in the garage, you can still take a portion of it to use for other activities. All it takes is creativity, planning and hard work.
Jude Wright is the webmistress of 40 websites, most of which relate to home management. This Network of sites is based at HouseCareInfo.com where you’ll find everything about home remodeling.