Convert garage to living space in 1100 sq ft ranch
I have read many opinions regarding garage to living space renovations on this page and understand that most people feel this is a poor decision due to loss of garage (resale) and poor flow of living space. Despite this I would like to hear recommendations and opinions on our current situation.
My family of 4 lives in a 1100sq ft raised ranch with a partially finished basement - please see floor plan. We would like to add a third BR on the main floor, mud room as well as a larger dining room to accommodate family meals.
We've had an architect as well as construction company give recommendations and quotes for ADDITIONS. We are limited due to our well location and road easement. Ultimately the addition quote for bumping out both behind and in front of the garage to create living space and keep a garage was $200,000. We are also not interest in putting a second story on the house. A $200,000 investment is not something we are interested in at this point.
If we can add more living space we would hope to stay in this house for 20+ so resale is not a huge concern.
We understand a garage to living space renovation will still be expensive but we were hoping closer to the $100,000 range. Our HVAC can handle the additional living space. We would plan on raising the floors.
We desire an open concept and hope this space could flow well with our current house If anyone has ideas for the flow (floor plan) of new space, location of doors as well as simple porch or pergola addition where old garage doors were we are all ears.
Thank you for your help, opinion, time and interest!
Above: Thinking of removing the entire grey wall to open into garage/new living space.
Ab
Comments (8)
PROSativa McGee Designs
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Adding garage AND living space over same?
Comments (5)The picture is not of our house, but of a nearby house. It is not big, but the guy did an AWESOME remodel--all top-of-the-line materials inside. We went to his open house and while we appreciated the extra space the room over the garage afforded, it's kind of awkward--second floor, no bathroom. The link is here, if you want to check out the lakefront view. I'm toying with all the possibilities before we start any construction on our home, since we are residing and I hate to get it all done and be thinking "Ah--we should have done this or that." Thanks for your feedback. Here is a link that might be useful: Lakefront Listing...See MoreIf you already owned your land, would you mind sharing price per sq ft
Comments (28)Virgil said: "More to the point, cost vary due to complexity, quality and frankly, lack of thought resulting in change orders during construction." Exactly. Are you building a basic house with clamshell molding or no molding around the windows, inexpensive carpeting throughout, minimal tile, laminate counters, etc or are you building a top of the line house with 10" crown moldings, 8" baseboard molding, calcutta marble tile in the bathrooms, Sub zero quality appliances, hand scraped hardwood floors throughout, and fireplaces in every room? Are you building in a HCOLA area or in you in a rural area where land and labor are inexpensive? A great example is my house which is custom. If I go with his basic features, which are still very nice, my cost per square foot will be $217 a square foot. Not cheap but it does include granite, tile, wood floors, a pool with hot tub, security system, a Bosch appliance package, tankless water system, semi custom cabinets, Kohler quality fixtures and many other options. However if I add every single option at the maximum price, meaning I decide I can't live without the $50 a square foot tile, or need more expensive wood flooring, the elevator, a full outdoor kitchen, upgraded moldings, a fancier staircase, etc, etc, the price could jump to as high as $279 a square foot. I can go outside my target area to an area that is 5-10 miles from where we're building and can build a house for 1/2 the price per square foot. Same zip code even. So as Virgil is saying, it really means nothing what the square foot price to build is....See MoreConverting Garage to gain more livable space
Comments (80)^In both plans immedialy above, you could change the swing on the front door so you have a better view at the entry. You could also put up a small wall, half or full, to get that foyer entry. Something interesting....See Morehow much does building 2600 sq ft home cost if I own the land
Comments (16)If you're thinking of this as investment, that looks different. The answer to your "which is better" question is "probably neither." If you build new, I can almost guarantee that you'll lose money on the resale. If you buy existing and renovate, you'll be lucky to break even. And don't forget that every renovation you spend your cash on represents cash you can't invest somewhere else. I'm not an expert on this, but based on what I've seen friends succeed and fail at, there are two ways I know of (there are no doubt others I don't) to make a profit on your personal home. 1. Ideally in a cool market, buy an existing, well maintained home with desirable design in a desirable neighborhood where homes are appreciating. Live in it and maintain it well. Don't attempt any renovations whatsoever. When values are approaching your profit goal and the market is hot, but before the decor and design you bought would be considered "dated," clean it, paint it, buy a new range and a big refrigerator, and sell it. Repeat. 2. Buy a distressed property (foreclosure, estate sale, similar) with fundamentally desirable design in a desirable neighborhood where homes are appreciating. Repair what's broken. Live in the home and maintain it well. When home values in the area are approaching your goal, no sooner, decorate and update based on what's then popular and what's selling. No layout changes, no wall teardowns, no major renovations. Sell when the market is hot. Repeat. Either way, if profit is your main motive, or even a significant one -- from the second you start house hunting, your house is never your home. It's always your potential buyer's home. Don't buy a house because you like it, buy it because your buyer will. Don't change things because you want them that way, change them because your buyer will. If you're thinking in terms of what you need or want in a house (main level bedroom/bath, open floor plan, brick facing, and so on), you're already on the wrong track. I watched that happen to a friend some years ago. She had loads of fun renovating her house, but she got almost none of her costs back when she sold it. She would've been better off to have spent the renovation money on a couple of fun vacations....See More
PROBeth H. :
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoan add on in the back (and front??) came in at 200K ?? jesus. Is that with changing current roof to accommodate new pitch and a new basement w/that? you could tear down that house to the studs and build it back up for less than that.
what was the sq ft for the addition?
why can't you bump out the back from bedroom/guest bath and make a new master suite? you could also enclose the screened in porch. (if you add on from the kitchen would you move that back as well? )
or, if you bump out the entire back end, you could move the kitchen back and increase your current family space, plus you gain a master and extra bath
seems to be enclosing the garage would give you the same space as adding on to the back bedroom/bath.
trysomethingnew15
4 years agocat_ky
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
NYCish
4 years agokrissie55
4 years agoSteph Hannum
2 years agoWe converted our garage about 20 years ago. We have a large detached garage, so that helped. I cannot imagine raising our 4 kids without that space. we also finished every inch of our basement. Our house started at about 1100 sq. feet and is now over 2700.
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