If you’re looking for a way to enlarge your home without shelling out for a full-scale addition, converting your garage into a living space or home office typically adds about 600 square feet (assuming it’s a two-car garage) of extra room! Read on below for all the details about this cool renovation!
Cost
Because a garage already has a foundation, walls, and a roof, using the existing structure typically costs around half of what you’d spend for an all-new addition. Different needs and features will affect the cost, so take that into account. Quality conversions may cost more, but consider that it’ll add a comfortable 600 more square feet of room!
Tasks Involved
A garage conversion is not necessarily a job to tackle on the cheap, yet it entirely depends on your needs! For example, a quality conversion may take 4-6 weeks and include:
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Raising the floor height to allow for insulation over the concrete slab,
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Fully insulating walls and ceiling,
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Providing heating and cooling for the space, either by tying into the house’s main system or adding an independent one, such as a ductless mini-split system,
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An electrical service upgrade to accommodate the larger load,
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Opening up the partition wall between your house and the garage to create an open floor plan,
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Replacing garage doors with fully insulated stud walls, and
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Adding windows and doors.
But at the end of it, you’ll receive a whole new part of the house that is built with quality in mind!
What’s the Downside?
Converting your garage to living space means giving up your indoor, weather-protected parking spaces. Sounds obvious enough, but parking outside can raise bigger problems than just needing more frequent car washes.
Exposure to the elements can lead to premature aging of your vehicles, and when it snows in the winter parking outside may complicate having your driveway plowed after snowstorms.
In addition, you may be losing storage space for landscape tools, lawn mowers, and snow blowers.
Is it worth it for you? Comment down below for your tips on converting a garage!
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