The main complaint of people who have a single-car garage is that there is not enough room to open the doors. This is why so many of them park their vehicle out on the street or in the driveway. To them the garage is wasted space. They caught in a quandary of not wanting to alter the space as it might ruin the garage or, on the other hand, having a cluttered garage that's too small to park the car.

When you think of it old single-car garages were almost always a waste of space because most of them were built before the cars got bigger. Then, in the 1950's, the cars could barely fit in them. Many of these were converted to other space at the time but there are many still around. Then came the double car garage but the spaces around the vehicles were not that much bigger. It wasn't until the 1970's that garages were built so that the occupants of the car did not have to squeeze themselves to get in an out of the vehicle.

Many Reasons For a Garage Conversion

The idea of converting garages is not a new one but the demand for garages in home resales made the real estate market frown on them. However, with the demand for extra space in homes in good locations that thinking is beginning to change.

1. Better than Moving: For those who like the neighborhood but need extra space getting an extra 150-300 square feet of living space is a great way to go.

2. Cost: Next to a basement remodel a garage renovation into a living space is the cheapest form of remodel.

3 Room Extension: The kitchen or living room can be made bigger.

4. Apartment: For a mature member of the family or for extra income.

5. Home Business: Not only is the space great for a hairdressing salon or other type of home business the clients have an exterior entrance.

6. Extra Storage: In many cases a 2 -car garage can be converted to a 1-car garage plus an organized storage area.

The Conversion

The Floor Insulation: One of the first consideration when converting the garage into a usable living space is the concrete floor. Unless you are going to put in radiant floor heat, which is advisable, the floor will have to be framed and insulated. Many contractors suggest pressure-treated 2' X 6' against the cement and then rigid foam insulation. If you are going to use fiberglass batts then vapor seal should go down against the concrete before anything is built. Another flooring product is the 2' X 2' wood tile with a rigid foam backing. These tiles interlock and can be glued together.

Heat: Radiant floor heat is great for concrete floors because it turns the whole pad into a heat source. Even if a portion of the heat is lost to the ground the economic benefits are still great. However, since a cement pad is a great foundation you can place rigid foam insulation and vapor seal over the original pad and pour a new floor with hydronic or electric infloor hardware.

Leveling: Most floors were built with a slight slope toward the outside for drainage so the floor will have to be leveled. For wood-frame flooring the studs will have to either be ripped from largest to smallest or regular studs will have to be shimmed to accept a level floor.

Utilities: When planning the floor you can arrange for the plumbing, electrical and HVAC to go in. Even the drains can be installed during this process but you may have to cut the floor to attach it to the main sewer line.

The Walls

Furring the Walls: During the construction phase many contractors do not pay too much attention to the garage. Sometimes the walls may not be straight or may sit back on the footing. In other cases they may not have more than R-9 insulation value because of thin walls. To fix this chose a stud size that will compensate for the problem – 2 X 4, 2 X 6 - and have them notched on the bottom. This is called furring. When placed against the wall they may have top be shimmed to attain the plumb attitude. Now you can top off the insulation before drywalling, either with batts of foam spray. You will have 2 walls but the insulation factor will be immense.

Obstacles: These include electrical panels, pipes, water heater and other infrastructure that was placed into the garage to allow more living space in the home. You can box in the panel and the water heater, placing a hinged door on each for easy access. If the water heater is there then there is most likely a drain nearby. Make sure this area is sealed off so any leaks will not go underneath the new floor.

The Garage Door Opening

This is the exterior part of the project that will have to be replaced because it is a dead give-away that there used to be garage there. This may not bother many people but realtors have proven that it draws attention to the fact that there used to be a garage there and may turn off potential clients or result in a lower sale price. There is a good chance that the exterior can't be matched perfectly so look for a feature wall like brick or stone that can be used as a trim elsewhere to balance out the look. Be sure to include adding windows into your equation.

Permits

It is important to get the proper clearance for a garage conversion as the space has been designated in the home plans as such. There may also be covenants about parking on the driveway that should be considered. Any infractions may result in the homeowner having to restore the garage area back to the original condition.