Transform A Garage To A Space To Live In Which Is Cheaper Than Building On
Refashioning a garage to a room like a room additions is often a efficient way to add living space to your residence.
1. Because the foundation, roof and exterior walls are previously built, you will not incur these costs.
2. You will be able to modify the area with slight disruption to the rest of your home as with a house additions also.
3. You may previously 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? Virtually anyone building a additions to house needs a 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, malfunction 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 establish 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 have to to plan for heating and cooling and adequate lighting and electrical outlets. Do you need plumbing in the room? If so, you will have to determine whether there is or is not plumbing in the area and what changes are required.
Your next choice will be whether to use the whole garage for your fresh 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 desire to pay extra attention to soundproofing.
Changed garages can serve a variety of functions. Garages can be transformed into the whole thing 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 stop two rooms (one above the other) or to open the ceiling and design your new room with a vaulted ceiling.
The subsequent decisions will decide the appearance of the finished room.
1. Which type of flooring will you use? You will discover that a slab is favorable to just about any kind of flooring you prefer to install. Be sure to seal the slab before you begin installation of any flooring resources. And, if you
set up 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? Relying upon the planned use of the space, you might decide a vaulted, exposed beam ceiling, a pitched ceiling, a tray ceiling, a drywall ceiling, or a drop ceiling.
3. Lastly, you will need to decide on the walls. You can choose paneling or sheetrock, or you might want to consider building 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 make a decision whether to do the job yourself or hire a contractor. You might decide to appoint a contractor for some of the work, like electrical, plumbing, etc. and do the remainder yourself. Whichever way, you’ll observe that the cost of converting your garage to living space is far less than adding a room to your home.
A garage conversion is a vast remodeling project. It’s the great way to get the space you require at the minimum achievable price. Benefit from!
Posted by Carlos Sagastume on November 8, 2009. Filed under HUD Homes.
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