5 Things You Should Know When Converting Your Garage

Oct 20, 2021

5 Things You Should Know When Converting Your Garage 

Converting your garage into an ADU is different than just building a brand new ADU behind your home. Converting your garage requires you to adjust your living routine since workers will be in your home. Perhaps the more important thing to consider is how you can adjust your daily routine. Here are the other five things you should consider when converting your garage.

 

1. Storage Space 

Since you will be using our home’s designated storage room for other purposes, you should plan ahead where you can store your belongings. A shed is the easiest solution, but you have to consider its cost as well. An easy-to-build wooden shed from Home Depot can run as low as $1,300 to above $12,000. These prices are just for wooden sheds alone, you also have to consider if you’d like to install insulation, electrical wiring, windows, and more. 

 

2. Floor Plan 
In regard to the conversion, you should plan out ideas of how you’d like to arrange the floor plan of your garage conversion. The standard size of a single-car garage is usually 12 feet by 16 feet. For a two-car garage, the standard size is 20 feet by 24 feet. Even with a single-car garage, you have plenty of options to arrange a bathroom, closet space, or even kitchenette. The question is which is most cost-efficient for you according to the current floorplan of your home and garage. 

3. Electrical Wiring & Plumbing 

In relation to the floor plan layout, knowing how the electrical wiring and plumbing of your home is laid will give you a good indication of how to plan your project. A contractor will be able to pinpoint immediately where you can access plumbing and electrical components. Additionally, you have to consider how much more energy your home’s circuit breaker can take on. Depending on how much your energy garage conversion may need, you may also need to upgrade your home’s main panel.

 

4. Garage Door

To be sealed or unsealed. You can decide to seal your garage door, take it out to create a new wall, or even keep it. Realistically, keeping the door and being able to retract is a more dangerous option and also inconvenient. Keeping your door on is probably most cost-efficient but not a lot by comparison. You can easily seal the garage door by inserting a new frame but it will look and feel more like a room. Additionally, it is easier to customize the location of outlets, windows, or other features on that particular side. 

5. Floor Height 
Usually, garage floors tend to be lower than other rooms in the house. Depending on the factors of your home, you may need to match the height of your home. Thereby, you must also factor in the height of your garage to meet the minimum wall height of your conversion.