Garage Conversion

Improving the Home with a Garage Conversion - Home improvements are often part of increasing the value of a home and making the resell value go up. A garage conversion can serve a dual purpose by not only providing added livable square footage to a home but also increasing the value of the home. The sheer size of many garages makes it possible to convert the garage into more than one room and thereby dramatically increase the number of livable rooms in the home.

Uses for a Garage Conversion - Converting the garage for the simple act of doing so would not make much sense, this is why it is a good idea to have a plan in mind for what the room is going to be used for and if more than one room is going to be needed.

If the room is going to be a bedroom, the room could be partitioned off with plasterboard or insulated plasterboard walls to include a private bath. This would allow the room to be the ideal place for elderly parents of an older child who wants more privacy and their own living space.

If the homeowner wants to maintain a garage, an extension could be constructed above the garage to create an office space, family room or bedroom. The ceiling of the garage would need to be inspected to insure it would be load bearing and this might require the additions of a support system to strengthen the ceiling into a floor but would ultimately make an ideal room with privacy and an individual entrance.

Size - The sheer size of a garage, some of which are designed to hold more than one vehicle, makes it possible to plan out one room at a time or to plan several rooms at one time. Self build conversions make it possible to take more time in completing the project and allow for more flexibility in altering the conversion plans during the process.

If the garage is very large the plans may start out being a single room with future plans for another room later. However, when installing certain aspects of the room, such as the wall liner system or the plasterboard ceiling it might be more economical to complete the entire space rather than come back to it later. The same could be true of insulation, regardless of whether it is thermal insulation or acoustic insulation, purchasing in a larger quantity can be more economical than purchasing smaller amounts several times.

Some of these installations can be completed without finishing off the entire room. For example, if only a portion of the garage is going to be converted to a room, the wall liner system, thermal insulation and even the chipboard flooring can be installed throughout the entire garage. Later, when the remainder is ready to be finished there will be less work to do and the job will be faster.

Ultimately, improving a home with a garage conversion will depend on what the room is going to be used for and how large the garage is in comparison to how big the room is going to be. The entire garage doesn’t have to be completed in one project, it can be subdivided into multiple projects