Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If anyone hasn't pointed it out, you may want to check with the local building codes to see if this is allowable in your area. If you are going to build an addition, you should check with your local zoning laws, if there are any, on set back and side yard requirements. You may need to go to the Zoning Boards of Adjustments or Appeals to get permission if the set back or side yard requirement can't be met in your case. It is very wise to buddy up to the building inspector and the Zoning officer in your town so you can' get their best advise on what you plan to do BEFORE you do it. Good luck..
I would never do anything of this nature without getting all the proper permits and approvals. I wold also never use an unlicensed contractor.
Well, we have been in the house for about 3 weeks now. Right now there are about 100 boxes occupying the garage so nothing is happening for a while.
We are considering going in a different direction and possibly building an addition in the back. That depends on how much it is going to cost. I'm having a few people come out to give me quotes in the near future.
An interesting note is that in the development I moved in to I would say that maybe 20% of all the houses actually use their garages for their cars. It is either used for storage or recreation.
As to the person who thinks it is tacky when cars are not put away, I could care less what you think looks tacky. So many people have more than 2 cars these days anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brien51
If anyone hasn't pointed it out, you may want to check with the local building codes to see if this is allowable in your area. If you are going to build an addition, you should check with your local zoning laws, if there are any, on set back and side yard requirements. You may need to go to the Zoning Boards of Adjustments or Appeals to get permission if the set back or side yard requirement can't be met in your case. It is very wise to buddy up to the building inspector and the Zoning officer in your town so you can' get their best advise on what you plan to do BEFORE you do it. Good luck..
Thanks for your responses. I'll surely be checking into the permits. In my neighborhood many have permanently converted one of their garages into living spaces.
We have never actually used our garage to park cars, it has always been too full of "stuff" for that. But over the years we have used it as extra living space. There is a ceiling fan there and some exercise equipment so it's good for a workout. For a few years we had a pool table in there and our teenagers hung out a lot, and for awhile a tv was hooked up and there was a Dance Dance Revolution platform out there that they used. Recently there was a love seat and dining table/chairs that were being stored and before the furniture was removed we would sometimes go out there, open the garage door, turn on the ceiling fan and sit and chat with the neighbors. A poor mans sun room I suppose. But we never pretended it was anything other than a garage and now that the kids are grown my goal is to actually park a car in there. LOL.
Hey, I wanted to do this when I first moved in. I got quotes:
1. ~35K to convert garage into a room w/ a small bath
2. ~16K to build a new garage minus electrical work which would be about 1K.
I did get a couple of really high quotes from ripoff artists such as 60K LOL. The materials I wanted were cheap and will probably be cheaper now since I hear lumber is at really low prices:
Garage - oak hardwood floors, keep existing windows, garage door replaced with bank of insulated vinyl windows. Standard sizes, spaced as needed. Insulation and new drywall, extend/raise foundation at front of garage(or whatever it is they had to do). Bathroom w/ white tile, shower, pedestal sink, new plumbing. Drywall to "smooth" entrance from kitchen to the "new" garage.
Also, you don't have to get the permits. The contractors should do that for you. If you're like me, you might just realize that with all of the other expenses for the new house, you don't have time to do this right away, but I hope the prices will help you. Also, if the state you live in is like "Tax and Spend" MD, as soon as you pull that permit, Uncle Sam will say "Your House is more valuable, SURPRISE, your taxes have doubled."
I have only seen one garage converted to a family room and it looked good. The owners took great care in matching the brick on the house when closing up the garage door. Their lot was large so they tore out the cement that lead to the previous garage, planted grass and then created a whole new driveway that went to a detached garage in the back of the property. There is no way you can tell it was ever an attached garage. I have seen so many houses where garages are converted and people leave the driveway. Or put in tiny windows which makes it even more obvious. Everyone wants a garage so I think it would hurt resale in the long run. Do you have a basement you can finish instead?
I could actually see 2 pics, need to double check the links you provide. People don't normally run 3,648 x 2,736 resolutions. Sorry but interior pics are worthless when it looks like poo from the exterior and you lose A GARAGE!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
