The ability to bring groceries into the kitchen directly from the garage is a big plus, especially when weather an issue. Is there no other way to add storage in the kitchen?

We would be able to add some storage but we lose out on a big opportunity to reconfigure the kitchen in a much better way. The difference in options for reconfiguring the range, fridge and cabinet/counter layout is the difference between “making do” with slight improvements and making a very nice and significantly more optimal and desirable kitchen.

When you say remove, do you mean close it in? My first thought on reading that was just to remove the door and leave an opening. A floor plan would help with answers.

The carport is open air. It’s not enclosed, just a roof.

D M, I mean remove the door and put in an insulated wall as you would any exterior wall. I wish I had a floor plan, but I don’t currently have that.

Check your local building code. I personally would never cover up an egress for safety reasons.

I get that. But there is a sliding glass door about 8 feet from this door that goes outside.

I’m not sure I understand. Why would it have to be converted to a livable space? And what do you mean get rid of stuff? Sorry, just not sure I understand.

Sliding doors are often not “countable” for egress, due to the narrower available width. A 72” sliding door does not give 36” of egress due to the overlapping door - we learned this ourselves during our reno and plans had to be modified.
You say you just moved into the home. Put a cart or shelving unit in front of this door and see how it goes for a year, and four full seasons of weather - it will go quickly and you may find yourself wishing you had that access. Or that you don’t even notice it’s gone.
In the meantime, post measured floor plans and see if different solutions can be seen by others here.

I cannot even fathom a situation in which this is your best option. If you have an overhead garage door... how would insulation occur? The heat loss from opening that garage door in the cold weather would be one factor you must consider.

I have lived in a home with 4 kids and a tiny kitchen with no pantry. You can make do with a cabinet for larger items in the garage, and perhaps a narrow rolling cart in the kitchen. You have to shop more and can't stock up. I have lived like that, and it is do-able, though I couldn't wait to move into a home with a bigger kitchen.

The reference to "getting rid of stuff" is because it sounds like you have already outgrown your kitchen for the way you use it.

It sounds to me as if you chose the wrong home. Everyone makes mistakes.

In addition to the other reasons people have given you about code violations and dangers, you are probably devaluing your home by removing a such a door.

Mrs. S. The living situation was because I moved for work and the house was provided to me for relocation purposes with permission to modify it to our liking. I’m not sure what you mean about the overhead door as that’s in the garage. I am not converting the garage into livable space, I am merely wanting to delete direct access to the garage from the kitchen.

I would replace the door exiting the kitchen that goes to the garage with a wall. And the range would sit in the place where that door currently is.

Can you post a floor plan? Overhead view showing all measurements and adjacent rooms. Then the gurus here can help you best.

Do you have the option to move the door? Just because you weren’t provided a floor plan, doesn’t mean you can draw one. Get a tape measure, paper, and pencil, and have at it - it would be helpful on a lot of levels. Both for your current predicament, as well as finalizing a floor plan later. There may be other options than removing the door, which will most likely hurt the value of your home in the long term.

Well, you said you wanted to remove the door. To anyone reading that, you seem to mean you want to take it off the hinges so you have a door-sized hole in the wall.

Now, I am starting to understand you mean you want to wall off that opening from the kitchen to garage.

No. It is a terrible idea due to the fire risks that others have mentioned to you!

You don't even own this home and you want to spend money on construction to alter the fire egress ??

I can't understand wanting to spend money and headache on a home you don't own.

I can't understand wanting to close off a doorway to the exterior (garage), for function.

I can't understand not being able to "make-do" in a home temporarily (You haven't stated any circumstances that are unique to you---I assume others have lived in this home and muddled through ok).

I can't understand anyone wanting to park their car in a carport rather than a garage in winter weather.(though I'm from SoCal, so maybe I don't get that part of it).

To me, this idea is terrible, all the way around.

I understand very clearly what you’re contemplating, and i don’t see any code or safety issues with it (none that can’t be easily addressed, at least) What I do see is, in the event your house goes on the market, it being remembered by potential home buyers as “that weird house that had no way to get into the garage from the house even though the garage is attached,” and leave them wondering what other “weird” things you did that they’d discover if they purchased the house and that will need fixing in addition to the remodel of an otherwise beautiful, perfectly functioning kitchen that’ll be needed in order just to make it a normal house.

Believe me, there’s a much better way to arrive at a terrific kitchen than what you’re proposing; you just can’t see it.

I can try to make out the floor plan but I wouldn’t have time for a few days. I did mention the door going from the garage directly into the house. And in another previous comment I mentioned the wall. This is a long term situation and this house has not been used for this before. This is at least 3 year contract at which point I may purchase the home and I get reimbursement for any money put into the home. That’s all not truly important though, as I have no issue putting money in a home even if it were a temporary situation. Money and labor is not a concern of mine. So let’s set aside the issue of desire to do so. The weather doesn’t bother me personally since the front door isn’t far from the carport, but that’s definitely why I was looking for others thoughts on that. For me I’d rather have a much better kitchen than access to the house from the garage.

Thanks Sammy, I appreciate the input. And I don’t disagree, it’s always assumed you’ll have direct access into the house from the garage.

Wait, you don’t own the home? And you want to completely ruin it? You’d get evicted before a month was out if I were the landlord.

FWIW a house requires 1 egress door, and that is usually always the 36" wide front door. A door through a garage does not count as egress. A garage needs fire separation, not a fire rated assembly wall, big difference. Common misconceptions.

Walling off the door would surely make future buyers wonder where the heck the door is, whether that translates to a lower value is hard to pinpoint. It would seem futile to spend a lot of money on a kitchen remodel and not try and solve the puzzle of too-little room while keeping the door.

Celadon, I don’t have a landlord per say. I was given permission to make any changes to the home as if I were the one who purchased it. These side discussions about ownership are not applicable in this situation. In my eyes, it’s not ruining anything. My family spends a lot of time in the kitchen. And I use the front house door 90% of the time. The 10% of the time that I do use the garage door is not important. I personally can go without.

If we could possibly stay on topic it would be greatly appreciated. Paperwork has all been finalized and signed. Everything there is good. I was not aware that this would continually cause the conversation to go off track or I wouldn’t have mentioned it.

could you post a picture? perhaps there is another solution. I don't think walling off the garage door is the best ideas. Since you're redoing the kitchen, could another layout work? what if you made the sliders smaller?

give us some pictures!

In response to your original question, I would suggest asking a realtor how the changes you describe would impact the value of the house. If, on the other hand, the remodel better suits your lifestyle, and resale is not an issue, by all mean proceed.

Something to consider since the kitchen and garage are right by each other. Get very tall steel shelves to store small appliances that aren't used every day as well as paper goods, and all your large size cleaning products. (Just keep small size dishwashing det. etc. under the sink.) How often do you use your slow cooker pot, Instapot/rice cooker, oversized soup pots, extra baking utensils.? What's another ten steps to get them from the g arage shelves set right by the kitchen door? With S hooks, you can hang your brooms and mops off the tall metal shelves.I see people stuff their garages will all kinds of stuff but it often doesn't cross their minds to use the closest garage wall for open storage shelves, which will be less hassle and money than what you have in mind.

If we could possibly stay on topic it would be greatly appreciated. Paperwork has all been finalized and signed. Everything there is good. I was not aware that this would continually cause the conversation to go off track or I wouldn’t have mentioned it.

@Curtis Roff: Unfortunately, this happens in 99% of the discussions that certain people involve themselves in. (And several of these “people” are actually just one person who has created multiple accounts, both with and without the “pro” designation. How’s that for creepy?) My advice would be to completely ignore the absurd/off-track/presumptive/condescending/snide/sarcastic/accusatory “noise” if you can, and only engage with those who are courteous and offer thoughtful feedback. Oh: And don’t let the PRO label fool you. True professionals don’t try to keep their identities (first AND last name, phone number, address, etc.) a secret, nor do they provide fake contact information and/or credentials on their profile page. They also don’t hide behind ironic or clever (to them) profile photos and usernames. It disgusts me that I even felt the need to write what I just did, but the behaviors exhibited by the people that prompted me to write it disgust me even more. Anyway, now that I have taken the conversation even further off-track (sorry about that), I’d be glad to help you — even if it’s through DM (as I have done with so many others whose discussions have devolved into a nonsensical mess).

You said you just moved in. When people just move in, if they aren't using their garage it's usually because it's full of stuff that hasn't been unpacked. :) Or they just haven't really gotten the chance to give everything a try. But before you kill this door, try parking in the garage, just a few months.

A functional attached garage with cars in it is a wonderful thing (if you drive) and a large part of that wonderfulness is the door into the house.

I would be willing to sacrifice moving the garage door to another room for better kitchen design, but not to eliminate it altogether.

29 responses and still no pics - come on Curtis. And....no answers that satisfy your dilemma - pics are needed.

I agree with Beth. My first thought was doing something with the sliders.

We need to see the floor plan. The kitchen and the adjoining room as well.

Donthe sliders go out to a deck or patio? I have seen kitchen doors to the yard closed off to change the configuration of the kitchen, and the. Sliders were added to the dining area as a way to get out to the patio.

Lots of options.

@Sammy, you should dox the people responding with multiple accounts. I’m serious.

And any idea on how this might impact home value?

No door directly to the garage from the house would cause me to pass on the house entirely.

Would it be possible to relocate the door to the garage to a different spot on the kitchen wall?

As others have said, it is very difficult to give useful advice without a floor plan. Even a rough one would be useful.

I would not even consider a house with an attached garage that had no direct entry into the house. That is the entire purpose of the attachment -- direct access to the house without exposure to the outside elements. You'd be killing resale.

Direct access/safety: We have owned four homes without direct access to house-garage (and didn’t have an extra door in garage to the outside) - as did all of our friends in other parts of the city as well. Codes may have changed for new builds and renovations, but it’s easy for you to research. This is your logistical first step.

Functionality: You mentioned you have another door in kitchen to outside, which is a bonus, as many homes only have an exterior door off a hallway or the front door.

The amount of time spent in the kitchen, having a good layout and better storage compared to being in the elements for less than a minute via front door isn’t a hard decision; having experienced it in Canada with three children. Not perfect, but not a big deal and it was more common than not. To say resale would be an issue, I believe a great kitchen is far more appealing and valuable.

Decide on what is most important to you and have a few contractors in to discuss options, feasibility, codes and provide quotes. Right now it’s all hypothetical. If you go the kitchen route, best of luck.