Converting a garage to another space expands the potential of a home to host, provide an extra recreational area, or even obtain another source of income. It doesn’t take as much time as you think to convert this space into something attractive and habitable. Here are some ways you can turn this space into a functional room that you can live, work, and play in.
Garages for Extra Living Space
In recent years, it has been a growing trend to return to the multi-generational family household unit. With economic times being tough after the pandemic’s onset, people need to depend on each other more than ever for an affordable place to live, childcare help, and emotional support. It has been more common after 2020 to see younger people move in with aging relatives or for siblings to move into a home together to split costs while times are tough.
One solution that has proven to be more affordable than buying a separate home or condo is to convert a garage space into another apartment-style living space. This option has provided families extra space for relatives or an extra source of income through in-house rentals.
The Basic Costs
You can turn a garage into a simple living space for as little as $5,000 if there is already plumbing and electricity installed. However, if this garage is something like an external unit without any utilities, you can expect to spend up to $25,000 for a one-car garage. A two-car garage can cost up to 50,000 if you need to install utilities. However, compared to the cost of renting an apartment or buying a home, this is a steal of a deal.
How to Convert a Garage to a Room
If you want to convert a garage with all the bells and whistles, this process may take 4-6 weeks and require these steps:
- Apply insulation over the concrete slab
- Insulate the walls and ceiling
- Install heating and cooling by tying into the house’s main system or installing something independent like a mini-split.
- Get an electricity upgrade so your house can handle a larger electrical load
- Open up any wall partitions
- Replace garage doors with insulated stud walls
- Add windows and doors where appropriate
- Install a private bathroom
- Install a kitchen space
Not all garage upgrades have to be this elaborate. If the living space is meant to be just a recreation spot or if the tenant can use your home’s main kitchen and bathrooms, then the costs go down significantly.
If you need a garage as soon as possible, these affordable hacks will get you something habitable for far less upfront cost:
- Install interlocking rubber garage floor tiles. These are simple to place over the concrete slab. It won’t do a perfect job at insulating, but it will be better than bare concrete. Put a few area rugs or interlocking floating laminate flooring over it to help.
- Insulate the ceiling with foam boards or radiant insulation. If you have time, install drywall as well.
- If you have a few sources of electricity to the space, then rely on space heaters and portable air conditioner units for climate control. Be sure to pay for the electricity upgrade to make this possible.
Seal the gaps between the garage door and its opening with the appropriate weatherstripping and a universal garage door bottom.
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