Pros and Cons of Converting Garage to Living Space

Among all the existing living spaces, the garage is the most underrated. The vast majority of homeowners think that garages can only serve as a parking space for a car or as a storage space for unnecessary things. However, any professional architect will dispel this myth in a couple of minutes. They will also give a dozen examples of how you can use this square footage for entertainment, household, or work purposes if you convert the existing structure into a technological and cozy living space.

Today, we will talk about possible options for transforming your garage, the unprecedented advantages that this construction project will bring to you, the main steps of implementing such an idea, and its possible disadvantages.

Garage Conversions: Incredible Privileges

Considering that the property owner can convert an old garage into a living space of any configuration, listing all the advantages will take us at least 2-3 hours. For this reason, we decided to highlight five perfect garage conversion privileges.

Increased property value

First, any homeowner is interested in the financial side, and we can say from the doorstep that garage conversion is the most valuable investment among all drafts. When you add square footage in the format of a cozy and technologically advanced residential area, you automatically upgrade the property value, increase the site attractiveness in the eyes of potential buyers, and also get a real opportunity to cover all construction costs ASAP by generating rental income.

Extra living space

The second obvious, but no less valuable advantage is the solution of 90%+ of household problems. The converted garage can become a classic living space with all the necessary amenities, including a spacious bedroom, a safe bathroom, and a compact laundry room. In turn, the extra bedroom is a guaranteed comfort when receiving guests. All this together also gives you a chance to move age-related parents closer to yourself.

Home office

All people working in the online format have one clear idea, namely that the main house is the worst place to work. Constant noises, screams, and distracting sounds only knock down concentration and contribute to a deterioration in performance. The converted garage is the exact opposite of this description, as this space has excellent sound insulation of walls and flooring, storage space for your work supplies, furniture arrangement suitable for your needs, and a balance between the work environment and various perks for rest, whether it’s speakers for meditation or table soccer.

Family room

Extra square footage can bring not only practical or financial benefits, but also simply give positive emotions and energize. To get this, you can equip an old garage for a family space. Such a remodeling project in the family room format can contain many unique structures for a cool pastime, from a home theater and karaoke to a board game area and mini golf.

Art studio construction

In the previous paragraph, we did not mention the art studio option, since this additional room deserves a separate focus. Among all garage conversion ideas, this one almost always remains in the shadows and in vain because the space for creativity and any hobby is primarily relaxation from the work routine. It is also a great practice for taking care of your mental health. In addition, this is the best platform for the self-development of your children.

At least two more ideas deserve your close attention, in particular, the creation of a kid’s playroom and an option with a man cave, which you can equip to suit your personal preferences. Even if it is the installation of a huge bar with a billiard table or a mini-basketball court.

Garage Conversions & Crucial Weaknesses

Reflecting on the issue of converting a garage into a living space, property owners often make a list of the pros and cons of this solution. Without guile, we note that the column with minuses is rarely empty, so let’s highlight this side of the garage conversion project.

We highlight three main disadvantages of converting your garage into a different form of living space:

1. Deprivation of parking space. The appearance of an extra room for various household tasks means the appearance of another issue, namely, the deprivation of a parking zone for your car. On the one hand, you can use the driveway zone or completely abandon the vehicle, as property owners do in certain areas. On the other hand, if you expand your family, you will definitely need a car, but there will no longer be a place to park it.
2. Complex legal formulations. Garage conversion is one of the most difficult projects to implement in terms of its legalization. You should coordinate the transformation of literally every component of the garage, from walls to ceiling height to living area zoning, with the local department, which carefully monitors compliance with the rules.
3. Tax changes. If you want to convert a garage, then be prepared that with a change in the configuration of the residential area, taxes may also change. Of course, when you get more living space, this moment is not so important, but it is better to know about it in advance.

As you can see, none of these points are critical. You either cover the disadvantage with plenty of privileges that await you after the completion of remodeling work, or you can deal with them during the construction process, which makes the garage conversion draft even more unique.

Garage Conversion Main Transformation Steps

From the construction point of view, garage conversion is a unique project, as specialists do not build a project as usual with the new foundation but transform the existing structure into a new living space.

This fact automatically makes the process of implementing such an idea special, which means it makes sense to introduce you to its main stages:

• Any garage conversion draft begins with fitting the basic elements to the living space standards, in particular, changing the ceiling and floor height. Here, we also note that a conventional concrete garage floor has little in common with a cozy residential area, so discuss with your designer the options for the most suitable floor covering.
• A sufficient amount of natural light is a prerequisite for creating a cozy and warm atmosphere. Unfortunately, garages do not have this quality, so adding windows is just as crucial as ensuring fire safety or compliance with building regulations. The cool thing is that you can pick any window shape you like for the new living space.
• Changing the garage door is one of the most global changes. Classic garage doors differ in all respects from doors in houses, apartments, or ADUs. The implementation of the garage conversion draft with the preservation of the garage door configuration is possible only in the case of a partial structure; in other cases, it is impossible to do without installing a new door.
• In most cases, among all the life support systems in the detached garage, only the electrical system works well. However, for a comfortable stay, you still need at least modern plumbing, high-quality insulation/heating, and properly functioning ventilation.

When it comes to converting your garage into a living area, it is critically important to comply with the legal norms of this remodeling draft. For 99% of homeowners, this task is impossible because there are hundreds of rules and formulations, so we recommend contacting construction lawyers who know all the pitfalls of this issue and will help you issue the necessary building permits.