Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Houston
 [Register]
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 08-10-2016, 02:56 PM
 
32 posts, read 26,480 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

We are looking at converting our stand alone garage into an apartment. Does anyone have any recommendations on companies to use? I tried seaching on Angie's List without much success. We need someone to help us with plans & permits as well as the construction. This is allowed in our neighborhood located near the Heights.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-10-2016, 03:40 PM
 
1,416 posts, read 4,439,525 times
Reputation: 1128
Are you tearing down the old garage, or taking the existing shell? If the former, Harvard Heights is a good place to start (Harvard Heights Construction). If the latter, then it sounds like you just need a general contractor to get started.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-10-2016, 03:50 PM
 
5,976 posts, read 15,273,721 times
Reputation: 6711
Default Addition?

What is your budget (No need to answer, this is rhetorical to get you to consider)? How old is the current garage, and is it a two car garage? If ample budget, have you considered building new on top of your current garage? This way you will still be able to park your vehicles. You will have to reinforce the walls, but you may need to do that anyway to properly convert the garage.

An architect will need to do an as-is survey, and then design the apartment. Then you will need a structural engineer to go over the plans and design the framing/support accordingly. The structural engineer is more expensive than an architect for small jobs like this. The structural engineer will also need to do an electrical survey, and plumbing stack drawings. You will also need a licensed plumber, and a Master Electrician to do the electrical. If you've not dealt with the City of Houston permitting office, you are in for a treat!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-10-2016, 03:56 PM
 
32 posts, read 26,480 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelguy_73 View Post
Are you tearing down the old garage, or taking the existing shell? If the former, Harvard Heights is a good place to start (Harvard Heights Construction). If the latter, then it sounds like you just need a general contractor to get started.
We are looking to use the existing shell. Hoping to save some money by using existing walls and slab.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-10-2016, 04:07 PM
 
32 posts, read 26,480 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp View Post
What is your budget (No need to answer, this is rhetorical to get you to consider)? How old is the current garage, and is it a two car garage? If ample budget, have you considered building new on top of your current garage? This way you will still be able to park your vehicles. You will have to reinforce the walls, but you may need to do that anyway to properly convert the garage.

An architect will need to do an as-is survey, and then design the apartment. Then you will need a structural engineer to go over the plans and design the framing/support accordingly. The structural engineer is more expensive than an architect for small jobs like this. The structural engineer will also need to do an electrical survey, and plumbing stack drawings. You will also need a licensed plumber, and a Master Electrician to do the electrical. If you've not dealt with the City of Houston permitting office, you are in for a treat!

The garage is 20 X 21. We have figured around $35k for everything. Our house already has an attached garage so we will not be losing garage space. We would prefer to do a apartment on top of our garage, however we do not think it would be in our budget to do so.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-10-2016, 04:07 PM
 
7,542 posts, read 11,576,646 times
Reputation: 4078
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelguy_73 View Post
Are you tearing down the old garage, or taking the existing shell? If the former, Harvard Heights is a good place to start (Harvard Heights Construction). If the latter, then it sounds like you just need a general contractor to get started.
Here some examples of there work


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3hF7yQXv8Q

They did this one in my neighborhood a few years ago 1/2 mile from my house


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWPgYfOXnQs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmqtG1e5c4U


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v28KISDaY4o


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMgqgxX8pv8


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poRpImXjktY
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Houston
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:41 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top