Wow, I can't even begin to imagine in a space that size, with that much stuff in it. How long will you will be willing to climb over the cedar chest to get into and out of bed, even in the dark in the middle of the night? The recliners, if drawn to scale, don't even fit in the room, and still the aisles around them are so small you'll be turning your body sideways and doing all sorts of funny steps to get through. A 37" TV 18" from the foot of my chair would bug my eyes out. You have privacy screen that you'll have to squeeze to get around, and you'll forever be knocking it over on yourselves. You want extra seating for guests, but you have nowhere to put it. Even imagining a space like that gives me the heebee-jeebees.

I'd back up and try to define, more specifically, how much time you're likely to spend in this space, and what sorts of activities you'll need to do in it. What do you really need to store here? Clearly you need a sleeping area, and a bathroom unless there's one just inside the door to the main house. You need clothes storage and a place to dress. A kitchenette would be nice, I'd imagine. Can a TV be positioned to be seen from the bed, instead of requiring its own seating? Would a central, all-purpose table be acceptable for crafts, snacking and conversation? Your bathroom is bigger than it has to be, and a separate work room seems like an impractical luxury. Just some ideas...

This area seems small enough that you could mock up the space somewhere, even if you have to do it out in the yard of wherever you're currently living - drive some stakes in the ground and string ropes or caution tape between them to show where walls and furnishings might be, to get a better sense of how big (or not) the space really is. If you need this space to serve a lot of different purposes, I would do it by making each area do double and triple duty rather than miniaturizing the rooms you're used to doing them in. As it is, it looks as if you're trying to cram in all the stuff you associate with everything you'd like to do here, but you're leaving no space to actually do much of anything.

I am trying to get an idea of the current raw space:

- What is the ceiling height? What is the current ceiling finish?
- Is the back door the main entrance now, and could it remain so?
- It looks like you added the pocket door? Is this so that you have easier access to the main house?
- I don't quite understand item 1 - 'our entrance'. Is this outdoors? Could the 7.5' south wall be extended to the west wall labelled item 2?
- If the main house bathroom is behind your built-ins, I would think your bathroom plumbing would be much less expensive there than where it is.
- What locale are you in re: weather (building codes, insulation needs, etc)?
- Are the walls finished? If not, you will lose space in the finish, especially if you need to add insulation.
- How high off the floor are the windows, and how tall are they?
- Have you checked with your local building dept to find out what is required for converting a garage into a living space (even if it's not considered a separate apt)?
- Is the workroom a necessity for your business / state of mind?

Lots of questions, but you have a pretty difficult problem to solve.

I just noticed that your overall measurements are to the outside, not inside, walls. That would mean your interior is even smaller (sorry).

Living in such a small space does boggle the mind, but people in Manhattan manage (and they even have to squeeze in a kitchen). You may want to check out a terrific book on topic by Marisa Bartolucci -- the title says it all -- Living Large in Small Spaces: Expressing Personal Style in 100 to 1,000 Square Feet'. Unlike many books on small space living, the interiors are not all minimalist or ultra modern. Some of the design solutions are downright offbeat -- but they work.

Post #3 (guess I should have organized my thoughts better!)

As jon1270 pointed out, you allowed space for stuff, but not for yourselves! Figure a about 3 sq ft for your person. So you need about 3' to pass by furniture, get out of bed, go thru' a doorway etc. As drawn, you don't have room to get out of bed on even one side. And do to obstructions, you do not have room to enter the bathroom or main entrance.

A couple of other questions -- obviously, you would spend time here at night, but would you also spend a lot of time during the day in the space? Since only part of the space has windows, is it more important to you to have natural lighting in your workroom or your bedroom?

Wow! I am so glad I sent this in to you. I knew we needed another set of eyes; someone who was objective. You brought up a lot of questions, and I will try to answer/explain some of the situations.

1. Bedroom is small because we will only be sleeping there. We dont even watch TV or read there. Dont want larger bedroom taking away space we could use elsewhere.
2. I didnt think about climbing over cedar chest or around screen. Very good points! Maybe for privacy, I could hang curtains at end of bed and tie them back when necessary. Dont have solution for cedar chest. Thought it would be convenient to keep all bedding in there. Wait! If we put a platform under mattress, with a couple of drawers that open from the end, we might be able to keep bedding there and get rid of cedar chest. That might work!
3. The recliners are a necessity, due to health problems. Plus, we just bought them a few months ago; expensive! The situation with my sister came up fast, with no clue beforehand. So, didnt know it at the time we bought them. Normally, its just the 2 of us, and my recliner is only fully reclined when I have to spend an occasional night in it. So getting around them hopefully wont be a problem. Ill see if theres somewhere else they can go.
4. The artificial fireplace was purchased last year. Again, well before situation developed. TV fits inside so we dont have to find additional space for TV. Its not uncomfortable watching it, but I didnt take into account how close it would have to be in the new place. Right now, we have almost 6 between recliner and fireplace. Ok. Thats number 3 to rethink!
5. When not working, most of our time is spent in the living room, computer room or workroom. Im an artist, so I spend my free time painting, sewing, working on a diversity of crafts or selling on eBay. DH is getting a shed, so his workbench, tools, etc. will be there, and I might be able to keep some of my stuff there, too. However, keeping my paints, sewing machine, etc. in the shed is not an option, because we live in a northern climate.
6. We will be sharing the computer room, kitchen and workroom with my sister. We will keep a microwave and under counter fridge for quick munchies. All the computer stuff and files will be kept in the closet of the computer room (we plan on building shelves all the way across the closet). She prefers we dont share a bathroom.
7. Some scenarios we thought of:
· putting bathroom running north south, instead of east west, with room for an enclosed porch. Workroom would become our bedroom, south end of living area would be small workroom, recliners/TV stay where they currently are. Costs more than we have.
· putting TV and recliners in south end of living area, with workroom at opposite end. Convert current workroom into bathroom and closet. Cost too much to cut up cement for pipes; recliners wont fit side by side in south end of living area; visitors would have to go thru bathroom to get outside.
· add on for bathroom along north wall, workroom become bedroom, TV/recliners stay the same, workroom at south end of room. This one might actually work! Could use the table to eat at. Make window seat with storage underneath. Visitors could sit there.

I never thought about it, but youre right. It does look like were trying to shrink rooms to maintain their traditional uses. We need to think outside of the boxes! And I like your idea of a mock set-up in the yard. Will definitely try that!

The garage was insulated and dry wall painted when built earlier this year. The finish is also painted. However, there are 2 drop down ladders to attic space 1 in the living area and 1 in the workroom. The ceiling is 9 and is painted. The back door leads into back yard. it will remain a back door. Item #1 is our entrance into the garage. It will replace the large garage door. And no, we cant extend the south wall to area marked #2. That is where the furnace, hot water heater, and washer/dryer are. We were told we would need to leave 3 feet from #2s door to wall for our place. We thought of not putting a wall up but we all felt a wall would be more private for all concerned. We thought a pocket door would take up less space than a regular door. And we would prefer natural lighting in the workroom instead of the bedroom. We thought we could also install some solar tubes for extra daylight.

Sorry this is so long, but this is such a major decision for us, that we don't want to make any mistakes! Thanks!!

To clarify - where is the access to #2? On the drawing, it looks like accessed from the main house? Is the 3-ft walkway a code requirement, to provide access to #2, or something else? Not to beat a dead horse, but that extra square footage / width would be really helpful.

Will you and your sister be using workroom at the same time, or is it shared, but used individually?

Sorry about the confusion. The garage is attached to the west side of my sister's house, with the front of the house facing south. #2 is the laundry area, #3 is the door into my sister's house from the garage. The doors on #2 are bifold doors; they are metal, run on a track and bend in the middle when you open them.

It was suggested we leave a 3 foot walkway around the laundry area, to allow us to carry laundry baskets, etc. The pocket door, #4 will allow entrance into our area, and access to the laundry area.

Right now, the only walls are the outer walls, the wall separating workroom from living area, and the large garage door. My sister suggested that when we replace the large garage door, we put a door (#1) in hallway next to laundry room instead of where window (#6) is. This would allow more space in our living area because we wouldn't have a doorway to deal with. We wish there was some way to enlarge the bedroom area, but we need to have a wall to allow for privacy. Hanging a curtain just won't work.

I don't think my sister and I will be using the workroom at the same time. She mostly does outside work, where I do a lot of sewing and craft work.

We might be able to switch the bedroom and workroom. And, instead of having a wall of built-ins (#14-#16), we could put the bathroom in that corner and get rid of pocket door (#4). What do you think?

I do think the workroom would be better in the south area, with bedroom in the north area.

So the bifold doors to the laundry area open into your entrance area, not the main house. Is there a sink? (thinking might be handy for your art area).

Would you consider a murphy bed (that folds up into a cabinet when not in use)?

Is the wall between workroom and living area a load-bearing wall? The 5' extension for the bathroom currently exists, or is it proposed? You mentioned "cost too much to cut up cement for pipes". Does that preclude bathroom going anywhere other than in the 5' extension?

More questions than comments, sorry!

Hello,
I think you should raise your bed as high you can (with it still being comfortable)so you can get storage under the bed. I would go with drawers that fold down rather than pull out... not much space to pull out right?
I agree you should not use the screen, a sheer curtain will still let light through but also give privacy.
Would you be willing to mount the TV to the wall? and possibly sell the faux fireplace?
Put in as much cabinet you can don't leave a foot at the top go all the way up.
I would really try to add a sunroom or screened in room that will add so much 'living space' in the summers.
I went to HGTV.com, in the search function type in 'studio'
I found many good ideas for you, here are some links. One is a dramatic transformation from garage to home the other is a great craft table that could double as an eating area.

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_living_area/article/0,,HGTV_3376_5313317,00.html

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_organizing_other/article/0,1801,HGTV_3138_5291624_02,00.html

Are you really set on laminate flooring? It would be cheaper and faster to stain everything, you said you would have area rugs anyway.

Where are you located? Is it near a major city?
Craigslist.com is a great website for people in your community to buy and sell anything and everything just find the city nearest you.
Also we have Habitat Restore, builders give their extras to Habitat for Humanity for a tax write off and they resell at a Very discounted price (50-75% off). Proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. We have gotten doors, tile, toilet, facets, light fixtures, sinks. They sell anything that is donated to them most of it is new sometimes it's from a homeowner remodeling.
Look online to find out if you have one in your area its the Habitat Restore.
Do you have an Ikea in your area? They have great space saving ideas, even if you don't like the style they do know how to use every inch.
I am looking forward to seeing how it all will turn out, keep posting!

We agree about the workroom being in the south area and the bedroom in the north area. Plus, it makes since to have the bedroom and clothes closets close to each other. Hopefully, Ill have room for a window seat with storage underneath in the south area. This could also be used when company come over. Ill just have to remember to keep my table cleared off!

There is no sink in the laundry area. We had thought about adding one where door #1 would go, but cant remember why we gave up on the idea. Probably so we could put door there instead of in south area.

We had thought of a murphy bed, but felt it still wouldnt give us any extra space. You have to leave the area clear that the bed opens into. Wish there was some way to lift the bed high, like a loft, for space underneath. There is the unused attic in the current workroom, but dont know if it can be made into a loft. Plus, my health is not that great for climbing stairs. However, will discuss with husband about the possibilities.

Im not sure if the workroom/living area wall is a load-bearing wall. Before the garage was added on, it was just a large one car lean-to, with a dirt floor. The only room with cement was the workroom. Garage isnt even a year old. This shows that this whole situation came about rather suddenly. Otherwise, my sister would have planned on accommodating all of this. She didnt even have heating ducts run into the garage, which we now have to do. The north wall between the possible bathroom and workroom is the current outside wall. If we can make use of that, instead of tearing it down to expand the workroom, Im sure it would be cheaper.

It was mentioned that we add on going east from the workroom, to the edge of the patio, and then south to the house. That would be an 8 x about 20 room, encompassing the outer walls of the kitchen and current bathroom. However, as nice and as much as I would like that, Im sure its going to be well over $10,000 and unaffordable.

What ever were going to do, it needs to be completed by Sept. for us to move in. Im getting so discouraged over this, that Im about ready to hang two hammocks and put everything else in storage!

Sorry about that burst! You have all been so great and I appreciate the suggestions. OK, back to the questions!!

The 5 bump out is only proposed. Nothing has been done to the garage for us to move in. Right now, its just one large room with a cement floor, the existing workroom at its north end, and the laundry area. All of the walls and ceiling are dry walled and painted white. One window on west wall, one window on north wall in workroom (both have to be replaced), and an automatic garage door. Because the cement flooring is about 8-10 inches thick, we were told it would be too expensive to rip it up to put in pipes, etc.

Id rather not sell the fireplace as it was a Christmas present, so still new. Dont know if mounting TV on wall will work, as its really heavy. I agree with you about the cabinets. I dont think there can be too many! I looked at the sites you sent on HGTV and it gave me some ideas. No, were not set on laminate flooring; just something that would be cheaper but not look or "be" cheaper. Yes, we have a craigs list in our area and I check it daily. We also have a habitat resale store and a large salvage yard full of doors, cabinets, etc. Weve already picked out a few things, but dont want to start buying blindly before we have a confirmed floor plan. Ill try to get a before picture so you have some idea of what Im working with.

Thank you all so much! You are helping me to hang on to what little sanity I have left!! lol :)

I really should figure how to post photos here -- not sure my photo link will work. If it doesn't, I'll e-mail you directly. Short of time, so I just sketched out, but I did note critical dimensions.

Since you haven't built the 5-ft addition yet, I would suggest that you make it 8-ft instead. This allows room for both of you to access your queen size bed, plus it allows for about a 9-ft closet, which I am sure you could use in such tight quarters.

The drawback to this plan, I think, is that you prefer the bathroom to be in the addition. My first go at that did not look very good, but I wanted to post something before I head out for the holiday. Have a happy 4th!

Thank you all for all your help and suggestions; especially the floor plan drawing! It never even dawned on me to put the bedroom in the work room! But it makes sense; closer to bathroom and more privacy. Thanks again! Now, maybe we can get this thing started!

I'm not sure what the situation is with your sister, but wouldn't it make more sense for her to stay in the garage area and you and your husband to stay in the main part of the house since there is 2 of you and 1 of her? Aside from the fact that 1 person needs alot less room and/or things than 2 do, you and your husband seem to be rearranging and giving up alot to relocate to help your sister. Just a thought.

You should also add your posting to the Small Homes forum.
They have great advice and ideas.

Old now, but I think I have the hang of posting photos: (just a rough sketch, tho'...)