Tips from the pros for converting your garage
WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE BOUCHARD
If you have a garage but, like many Mainers, aren’t using it for your vehicles, maybe it’s time to clear out the sporting equipment, trash, and recycling receptacles, gardening tools, kids’ toys, and who knows how many years of accumulated stuff you don’t use anymore to convert your garage into living space to use for yourself or to rent out
A garage can be converted into a variety of living spaces — from a home office to a bedroom for guests or your teenager, to a full-blown studio apartment. How simple or difficult the project is and what it’ll cost you depends on what you want to do, whether you’ll be doing it by yourself, and what your budget is, said Ryan Francis, owner of Maine Construction Group in Eddington and Mike Jastram, owner of Belfast Carpentry in Belfast.
Let’s talk money first. A full garage conversion — that is plumbing, electrical, sheet rocking, insulation, painting, flooring, windows and doors, heating and cooling, and fixtures — will likely cost at least $50,000, Jastram said. And it could be much more if structural changes need to be made, such as if you want to leave the garage space for your car and add a floor above it for the new living space.
Converting your garage could also be less if you’re doing something simple, say, creating additional storage space. Doing it yourself versus hiring tradespeople also could reduce the cost. And a garage conversion is a great DIY project, Jastram said.
“It would be a great project to cut your teeth on if you have never done anything like that before because it’s all inside (work),” he said.
That said, if you are inexperienced, there are some things you should leave to the professionals.
“You should hire someone to do the electric,” he said. “That’s one thing where the details are not obvious and they can and will kill you or someone else.”
When considering a garage conversion project, there are three areas you should look at before you run to your local hardware store and start buying 2x4s, Francis said.
The first is egress. Building codes vary depending on where you’re building, but no matter where you are, there has to be at least two ways of getting out of the converted space in the event of an emergency, such as a fire, Francis said. That means doors and windows of an appropriate size.
The second is plumbing. Plumbing can be tricky in a garage conversion.
“Electricians can run their wires kind of however they need to,” Francis said. “They can go up, down, around, and through stuff.”
But plumbing is not so flexible, so it’s best to get a plumber to assess your garage and what you want to do before you start.
The third area to examine is your garage structure, Francis said, especially if you’re planning on adding a second floor. Typically, garages are not built to support an upper floor, so you will probably have to add extra support framing, he said.
Before you get started, it’s also sensible to check with your local code enforcement officer or a general contractor about building codes and permitting, Francis and Jastram said.
And one more important thing: Know your budget.
“It just lets you pick and choose what is and isn’t possible in a known space,” Jastram said. “If you don’t have a budget, you’re just wandering in the darkness planning wise until you run out of money and you have a half-done project and you’re in it for $75K.”
