Thank you all for the comments. The entire right wall of the master bath is an open closet with a built in dresser, hanging rods and a bench. I think a deluxe walk in closet would be useful to store extra clothes and whatever else to help keep the open closet neat and tidy. I think it would add to resale value more than just extra garage space. A second master closet with a wow factor would be a nice bonus and hopefully seal the deal for new buyers as they went through the house and discovered it. Good guess that the rec room is used for storage now. When we bought the house we thought it would get more use, but we were not aware how hot it is in summer, and how cold in winter, or of the roof leaks. Our stored items are out of the way of the leaks we know of :) I am trying to get rid of things we truly do not need. Replacing the roof would be part of the job. A complete roof rebuild, not just the roofing material, since it is not built to be indoor space. It is built with plexiglass sections which magnify the heat..........and have deteriorated. We are aware we may need new walls and trusses to support the load of a real roof vs the plexiglass sections. I have had an architect look at the space :) But they are not signed on to do the drawings. I wanted to get other ideas first. I would like space to hold our safes and file cabinets not in the garage so they are more hidden. We were robbed once so I keep checkbooks and any personal financial documents in locked file cabinets and a freezer sized safe. I store old papers such as tax returns in a locked metal cabinet that I would want with the other papers. I know it would burn in a fire, I am more concerned about it being stolen and compromised. Do I need a file and safe room as one of the spaces? Perhaps. Or just in the big closet. I have also considered making it all or some of it a hidden room with a secret book case entry. It could be hidden from the garage, and by the time you walk around to the bedroom, you would loose track of where the walls are and it would be hidden :) The current double doors and single door at the top of the rec room are frosted glass French Doors. I like the light through them and would like to keep them. I like the idea of a new master closet more than I need it. Due to the firewall issues. I need to decide where the interior/living space ends vs garage. That is one reason I wanted to create this closet space on the interior side of the fire wall. Even if it ends up being just an unfinished not leaking storage space. lafdr

Would you husband be opposed to a tandem garage? With a good architect and builder and of course $$$ you could build on and have a side facing garage. The garage would still fit 4 cars, but just tandem through the new garage into the old garage. They can fill in the current garage door and make it look like it is part of the house and not just a filled in garage door. Remove the old driveway and re-landscape. And your house would not look like all garage.

will absolutely need gown hanging space, lots of shoes, room for tall boots (ideas?), purse storage, etc. Do you mean you have a lot of evening gowns that must be stored, or do you mean a hook to hang a night gown you're going to wear again? If you mean wear-again items, do you also need a place to hang worn-once workout clothes or jeans you're going to wear again before they're washed? Regardless, I say start by cleaning out what you haven't worn in a while, then inventory just how many "long items" and just how many "short items" you have ... then you can make an intelligent decision (rather than a guess) about how much space you need for hanging items. Shoes are space hogs in the closet, and 8x10 may not stretch as far as you need with "lots" of shoes. Things to consider: - You can get a shoe ottoman, which opens up and gives you a place to sit down and a place to store shoes inside. - You might take some of the shoes out of the closet and put them into a shoe storage item at the foot of your bed. - In so many online pictures, the homeowners use the back wall for shoes ... seems like a good idea. - As for tall boots, I'd plan to keep them under dresses ... and buy a couple dollar-store pool noodles to make them "stand up" and keep their shape. Why the double doors for a closet? Depending upon how your room is laid out, you might want your doors to open "out" into your bedroom so nothing's covering up your clothes in the room. Personally, I'm going with NO doors on my closet. Use height as much as you can. Yes. If you have high ceilings, you might look into handicapped pull-down bars. If you have the height, they'll allow you to have a third row of clothes ... way up top: For last minute touch ups my fold away ironing board could not live without it! See, this is why you have to consider your personal needs. I gave my ironing board to the Salvation Army a decade ago and haven't been sorry yet! We love having pullout valet bars in the closet especially when packing for a trip. Oh, I want valet bars! I almost always lay out my clothes the night before, and I know I'd use them. A pretty hook would do. I have an over-the-door hanger for this purpose right now, and it's okay, but it isn't pretty. Things I think you should consider: Do you intend to include drawers or shelves for your folded items ... or will you have a dresser outside the closet? Do you intend to keep a hamper in the closet? Do you need to set aside space in the closet for linens? Do you want a mirror in the room? This could go on the doors. The ceiling is a great place to bring in something decorative without wasting space. Don't forget good lighting. You might consider an automatic light, which would come on automatically when you enter the closet. On that subject, consider lighted hanging rods: What would you like to store in baskets? They're prefect for things that look messy even when they're folded neatly (like shorts, swim suits, or pajamas) ... whereas, things like jeans look neat when they're folded. Do consider picking up a bunch of matching hangers, and -- once your closet is perfect -- make a "one in, one out" rule. What accessories do you need to store? Do you wear lots of scarves, or do you want to store jewelry in the closet? Do you need to allot space for coats, or do you have a coat closet elsewhere in the house? If you're short, you might want to include a spot for a small stool. Finally, here's a website with lots of closets I find attractive: https://thehappyhousie.porch.com/20-incredible-small-walk-in-closet-ideas-makeovers/

You could try turning your shower 90 degrees and putting it on the top of your bath, flipping the closet and accessing it from the dresser location, turning the powder room 90 degrees, and having the mudroom connect to that hall. you may have space for a small closet in the mudroom or in the hall. your end up with a smaller master closet though.