Garage Conversion

Have you been searching for extra space in your home? Are you longing for a bonus room, but have no idea where you would put it? Is an addition out of the question? If you answered yes to all three of these questions, you may want to consider converting your garage into a bonus room.

Choosing this option will have you using the structural areas you already have, so major structural changes will never be needed. All you need to do is make a few changes to the walls and floor, plus figure out your heating and cooling options.

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Take Off Your Garage Door

Most bonus rooms are completely enclosed, so a garage door will do you no good. You can easily have a wall constructed to close in this space. However, you can also choose to make this a three-season bonus room. If you decide to do that, you can have this wall screened in or build a wall with multiple windows.

Add Insulation

Garages do not have insulation, so you will want to add insulation to the walls. You can either have the insulation blown into the walls or add sheets of insulation to the walls before covering them with new drywall. Either option is doable, but the blown in insulation will keep this space larger.

Add the Extras for Your Bonus Room

You must decide how you are going to be using this bonus room before you go much further. Many bonus rooms are designed to be spaces that have a little of everything. Therefore, you may want to add a bathroom and maybe a little kitchenette area.

Install Lighting

You won’t be able to do anything in your new bonus room if you do not have the proper lighting. Most garages only have a single light and it is never enough to light up the entire space. Your new lights should match what you have in the rest of your home. You can also add lamps if you are creating smaller seating areas.

Install Heating and Cooling

Your new bonus room in your old garage is not going to do you much good if you do not have heating and cooling installed. Hopefully you can connect your bonus room to the HVAC for the rest of your home. If you cannot, you will need to install a system just for this space or upgrade the system for your entire home. We can help you decide which option is best for your needs.

Add Some Paint

You are not going to want to look at the dingy old walls of your garage, or the sterile white color of new drywall, in your new bonus room. Adding some paint can brighten up this space and make it match the décor throughout the rest of your home. You may even want to choose to do an accent wall with a different color for a little extra visual appeal.

Create a Cozy Feeling with the Floor

You may not want to keep the concrete showing in your new bonus room, because it can keep the space cooler than it should be. However, tearing up the concrete can be very expensive. We recommend installing carpet or laminate over the concrete to make the space warmer.

Add Furniture

Now that you have completed all this work during the transformation of your garage to a new bonus room, it is finally time to add furniture. The furniture you will be using in this space will be dependent on what you are using your bonus room for.

Family rooms will require lots of seating, while a game room will require a few comfortable chairs scattered around individual games. Of course, a game room will also need a table with chairs for those family board game nights.

These are the eight things you must do when you want your garage to be your home’s next bonus room. As you can see, it is not that difficult to transform this space into one you will use quite often and fall in love with.

Contact Shai at Green Advisor, Inc. for your home and landscape renovation needs 888-869-0987.

How Your Garage Can Be Your Home’s Next Bonus Room