Many people like adding a garage when building their houses. Also, when buying property, some prefer homes with this space. This area allows one to have a convenient parking spot for their vehicles and enough room for keeping their tools and other items they rarely use.
If you have a garage, you must organize it properly to avoid clutter and access things quickly. You can look for garage storage ideas to implement online or talk to a friend with a well-kept space.
The advantage of having this space is you can use it for several other functions besides parking and storing items. One of the things you could do is convert it into a living area. But how do you do this? In this article, you’ll learn how to successfully turn your garage into a comfortable living space. Read on to find out more.
Steps To Change Your Garage Space Into A Living Area
If you’re looking to add more living space to your home without increasing your house’s size, transforming your garage into a room could be an option to consider. Compared to building a new structure from scratch, this can be a much cheaper and easier undertaking that takes less time.
That said, there are some steps you must first take before starting your project. For instance, you have to find out if your local government requires you to get a permit for the task. This is mostly to ensure that your new living space adheres to the local building codes. If you live in a community managed by a homeowner’s association (HOA), you must check if the organization approves of your project. Besides that, you must also provide an alternative parking space for your car or a storage area for your tools and other items currently in your garage.
Once everything is in order, you can begin the process of converting your garage into a new living space. Here are five steps that could help you change your garage into a comfortable living area:
-
Raise The Floor
Your garage floor may be lower than your house’s. This is quite common in many other homes for various reasons. For instance, this prevents spillages made in the garage from entering your house. Additionally, it ensures that heavy gas vapours moving at a low level don’t enter your living area.
To fully merge your garage with the rest of the house, consider raising its floor. To do so, you could consider using thick sheets of insulation materials, deck mud, or framed wooden subfloors. Once that is done, add a covering to make your space more appealing. You could use tiles, engineered wood or laminate, or any other flooring material of your choice.
-
Insulate The Walls And Door
You might find that only the garage’s ceiling and the walls it shares with a house are insulated in some cases. The other walls and the door might have no or inadequate heat and cold-proofing materials. Therefore, after raising your garage’s floor height, the next step will be insulating your walls and door. This way, your new room won’t lose heat during the cold seasons and will stay cool when it’s scorching outside.
In this step, you might need to hire a contractor if you aren’t skilled in the task. The expert will help you choose an insulation material suitable for your room and ensure they do an excellent job with zero or minimal errors.
-
Add A Window
Many garages are built without windows for security concerns. If yours doesn’t have any, it may be best to add at least one. It’ll let in fresh air and light into your newly converted space.
This task can be simple, with proper guidance. What you’ll need to do is first buy the right materials and purchase or rent a carpenter’s square, tape measure, screwdriver, and other necessary tools. After that, take measurements at least twice before making a hole in your wall. Next, create an opening and ensure it’ll sufficiently fit your window’s header and frame. Once that’s done, you can frame and install your window. If you’ve got a tight schedule or want a quick and efficient job done, it may be recommendable to hire a professional.
-
Hide Any Functional Areas
You could have previously used your garage for storage, laundry, or to put your water heater or furnace. If there aren’t other areas in the house you could transfer such functions, consider hiding them. You can do this by adding non-load-bearing interior walls or building closets to conceal your appliances.
-
Spruce Up The New Room’s Interior
After completing the first four steps provided above, the next thing will be sprucing up the new room. You can start by adding well-controlled light switches then painting the space with colours that match the rest of the house. After that, purchase furniture for your room. In this step, you can consider buying pieces with designs and shades that compliment or are similar to the ones in the rest of your home. You can also decorate your new space with art pieces to make it livelier or install the internet and add a music system and television for entertainment.
Conclusion
Converting your garage into a livable space is a less expensive way to expand your home. In this article, you’ve learned how to accomplish this in five steps. If some tasks seem complex to you, consider consulting or hiring a professional.
