How To Turn Your Garage Into A Cozy Extra Room With A Solid Garage Door

Renovating the rooms in your house or apartment is not uncommon but, you may think of converting your garage sometimes. This can be necessitated for many reasons. You may decide to sell your vehicle or opt for rented garages which prove to be cost effective. Sometimes, you may feel like expanding the house, but owing to monetary and other reasons adding another room may not be viable.

Converting a garage into a livable room is certainly possible, but this conversion can be quite tedious. To ensure the conversion is done properly and you do not end up drying up your bank balance- proper planning is necessary.

Uses For a Converted Garage

You can turn your existing garage into any of the following, subject to available money and legal clearance:

• An extra bedroom
• A Children playroom
• A home-office
• A home-gym
• A guest room
• An additional kitchen

Step by Step Guide To Garage Conversion

Converting an existing garage to a room is never easy and you may need the services of specialized contractor agencies to get the job done in the right manner. You also need to get a certain feasibility checking done.

The converted garage will have a drainage system which will be added to the general drainage network. If the garage is part of an apartment shared with others, you need clearance from apt entities. Before embarking into the conversion-these clauses have to be checked and resolved.

• The door– First of all, the existing garage door has to be replaced. The shutter or other types of door used in garages will not suffice if it has to be returned into a proper room- to start with! You may not actually need another door and fill the door space by setting up a wall if you want to connect the new room with the rest of the house through other sides.

Otherwise, a new door has to be set up. For aesthetic and practical purposes, the new door should resemble the existing doors in your house. A new wall has to be set up to accommodate the new door.

• The walls – Based on the design style of the existing garage, walls may have to be set up on one or more sides to make it a room. For this, checking the foundation of the garage is very important. In many such cases, a deeper foundation may have to be set up. The soil type, nearby trees, drainage possibilities have to be assessed for that. The wall beneath the ground has to be built in the best way so that it can support the wall above the ground. You may opt for solid walls or cavity walls with thermal insulation inside. The latter may be necessary for areas with extreme climate conditions. Based on the condition of the existing garage wall, that has to be replaced with a new wall or enhanced with an outer layer of insulation.
• The floor– After setting the walls up for converting your garage into a room, the floor has to be revamped. You may replace the floor if it is worn out or opt for timber flooring atop the concrete layer. Of course, based on your budget, you can opt for stone or marble flooring too. You have to think of the existing flooring in the house for the sake of aesthetic similarities and usage needs. If the garage floor is originally below that of the rest of the house, the floor level should be increased. It may be prudent to apply a damp proof coat on the floor for staying safe.
• The roof– Some garages are made under a patio or have a room above it. In that case, you need not to think of altering or enhancing the roof, but in other cases, it will be necessary. Typical garage roofs are meant for keeping rain and ice off but when that becomes a room, such roof will simply not fit the bill. You can opt for a flat roof with insulation. Or, you can go for pitch roofs with added insulation between the ceiling and roof.
• Ventilation– This is another important aspect involved in the conversion of the garage into a room. Again, the type of ventilation will depend on the intended usage of the room. Typically, a kitchen requires more ventilation than a study room. The room should have one or more window, based on the location.

Based on usage, extractor fans on the outside may have to be set up. It is better to set up windows in a way that let natural light seep in.

• Electrical setup– The converted room will have to be equipped with the required electrical wiring. Thereafter, the wiring has to be connected to the main wiring of the house. If you plan to install any high voltage appliance in the room, suitable provisions have to be made too.
• Cleaning tips and tricks -While converting the garage to the room, arrangements have to be made for cleanup and drainage. If you plan to cook occasionally in the room, a chimney has to be set up. If the surrounding is dusty, setting up an air purifier unit in the room can be of great help.

These simple tips can help you convert your garage into a cozy room without having to break the bank.