| Are you jealous of your car? Does it have a bigger | | | | far back. Because the garage is part of the house, all |
| room than you do? Kick it into the street and give your | | | | you'll need to do is extend these systems into the |
| family something they can really use. Garage | | | | room. |
| conversions are the easiest and cheapest way to add | | | | Of course, just because most of the work is already |
| living space to your home and instantly improve your | | | | done, don't assume the job will be easy. Carefully |
| family's quality of life. | | | | weigh the pros and cons of hiring contractors to |
| When you need more space, there are a whole host | | | | complete the work before you hitch up your tool belt |
| of reasons to convert your garage instead of building | | | | and go charging ahead. Professionals can save you. |
| a brand new addition. One of the most appealing of | | | | Here's a brief outline of what you'll need to accomplish |
| these is that the renovation won't disrupt your existing | | | | for a basic garage conversion: |
| living space while it's underway. Not so with a new | | | | - Remove the garage door and frame in the opening |
| addition or attic conversion where contractors need to | | | | - Install insulation between the studs, cover with a |
| be traipsing in and out of your house or up and down | | | | vapor barrier and then finish with drywall or paneling |
| the stairs for days on end. | | | | - Install an insulated sub floor. |
| If maintaining order while you're making your home | | | | - Create an insulated ceiling or loft |
| bigger isn't a big selling point for you, how about this: | | | | - Add windows |
| Most of the work is already done. Simple. If your | | | | - Extend plumbing and electrical wiring into the room (if |
| garage has a good foundation, roof and good siding | | | | necessary) |
| you're over halfway there before you even start. No | | | | A good contractor can work within a budget and keep |
| excavator, no concrete, no beams, no shingles, no | | | | the project on schedule but most importantly, they can |
| drainage. It's easy to see why this is usually a much | | | | offer a wealth of experience and skill could save your |
| speedier and cheaper route to increasing the square | | | | sanity. If you want to save a bit of money on overall |
| footage of your home when compared to building a | | | | costs, you can take care of some of the grunt work, |
| new addition or buying a bigger house. If you're really | | | | prep and finishing touches yourself. Now, where are |
| lucky, you'll also have plumbing and electricity already | | | | you going to park the car? |
| installed, but not having them installed won't put you too | | | | |