When you moved into your home, you loved having extra space to put your own mark on and grow your family.
Fast forward a few years and a couple of children and suddenly your home is becoming a bit cluttered and crowded. Moving house isn’t always an option, either because you love your neighborhood or you don’t have the budget to upscale.
Yet for many people, the answer is right there, attached to their home. The garage. It can be a cheaper option and can add value to your property if you decide to sell it.
Modern cars are so much bigger today, that they don’t even fit very well in many garages. Instead, we leave our cars on the drive and fill the garage with boxes and boxes of our possessions.
If you’re thinking about converting your garage into another, useable room, there are a few things you need to consider first.
Do you need to reconfigure your home?
How do you currently access your garage? Is it through the main garage door only, or is there a connecting door into your home? Most connecting doors tend to be in the kitchen or utility room, which isn’t the best location for a door once you’ve converted the garage.
You may need work done in other areas of your house to create new doorways. This will add to the cost of the renovation work and may require a bit of redecoration too.
Is the floor at the right level
Garage floors are often slightly lower than that of the main property. If this is the case in your home you will need to get a company in to do the concrete leveling or have a step down into the new room.
Sewerage
Some older properties have access to the sewerage through a manhole cover in the garage. This can make it extremely difficult to convert it to a usable space. It will add to the cost of the conversion and you will need to re-site the sewer access somewhere else.
Utility Supply
If your existing garage doesn’t have an adequate electricity supply. You’ll need to get it rewired in order to support the power needs of the room. Water supply is also a factor if you’re planning to build a utility room or add a downstairs bathroom.
Building Permission
Even though you aren’t extending the footprint of your home, you might need planning permission to convert it into a room for different use. Some neighborhood associations also have rules preventing the conversion of a garage too.
Conclusion
Turning that messy garage into a beautiful living space could be the perfect solution to your lack of space. Yet there are many things that can add to the renovation costs. A good architect and contractor will be able to help you plan the project and iron out any issues before they become a problem.
Once you have all of the building issues worked out, you’ll be able to concentrate on creating a beautiful new room in your family home.
Kori
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