Whether you’re planning to create an ADU from scratch, or renovate your garage flooring and turn your already-existing garage space into something more productive like a home office, a private study or simply a place to relax and unwind, you’re in for some futuristic investment. It will not only add value to your property but also help you upgrade your living standards.
Once you decide on a garage conversion, starting from cleaning it up and throwing away extra stuff to getting essential repairs done and renovating the space, you’ll have a lot of work in your hands. Without the help of experts, you may fall short of productive ideas to get the place up and running in no time.
Here, we’re going to reduce your workload to some extent by giving you 12 amazing ideas to convert your garage into an accessory dwelling unit to meet your professional or personal needs.
1. Decide on the type of conversion
First of all, you need to assess if your garage is fit for conversion, and if it is, then what type of conversion will be right for it. If your garage is attached to the main house, converting it into an extended living space can be easier but if it’s a detached one, you may need some prior permission to change its intended use. In this case, hiring expert professionals will be of great help.
2. Create an idea about the converted space
What exactly do you want your garage to be converted into? You need to have a clear idea regarding that to help the professionals do their job properly. If your garage is old and worn out, they may need to pull it down completely to build a good foundation for an ADU. A prior idea about the converted space helps in speeding up the process.
3. Clean the space up
The next thing to do is clean up your garage space. Gather the unnecessary stuff outside and store them in the basement or the garden shed. If you don’t want to throw the garage stuff away, you can invest in some additional storage space to keep them out of sight.
4. Get sliding doors installed
Installing sliding doors at your accessory dwelling unit will help you get a fresh supply of air at all times. Slide the doors open during summer and sit on the patio to enjoy the summer blooms and the cheerful songs of birds. The sliding glass doors will also keep the space bright by allowing sunlight to enter the room.
5. A lounge for summer parties and family events
You can carpet the entire floor area to give a homely feel to space. Further, you can hold summer parties and family get-together events in this additional living space by adding a bar cart, some bar stools and an open kitchen with a barbecue. Get in touch with the experts at ActonADU to learn more about the ways you can enhance the appearance of your converted garage.
6. Lower the flooring to increase room height
Does your garage have a low ceiling, which gives out a suffocated feel when you are inside? You can ask the professionals to lower the flooring area, so that the ceiling appears higher, thus increasing the overall height of the room.
7. A guest room away from the main house
Many people aren’t comfortable hosting their guests in the main house with the rest of the family. Converting your garage space into an additional guest room in the backyard is an effective solution to this problem.
You can get it repaired, renovated and invest in some high-quality furniture to enhance its appearance. You can even add a small kitchen with some advanced appliances to provide maximum comfort to your guests.
8. Convert your garage into the kids’ playroom
Getting your kids an additional living space to play and enjoy their time is highly productive, especially if you’re in the habit of working long hours at home. This will keep their excited voices away from your workspace, giving you the peace of mind you desire so desperately. Moreover, the kids will be free to invite their friends over to their playroom in the backyard, thus having a gala time.
9. Move from the kitchen table to your spacious home-office
If you’re in the habit of working at the kitchen table most of the time due to the lack of working space at home, you can think of transforming your garage into a spacious home office. With simple furnishings and a lot of natural light to brighten up the room, you’re going to feel a lot motivated while working.
10. Adding some insulation will be good
An accessory dwelling unit calls for extra energy costs, thus an increase in overall domestic expenses. You can reduce it by adding some insulation to the converted garage. Besides helping you stay warm in winters and cooler in summers, the added insulation will also raise your property value to a great extent.
11. Paint the floor
Painting the floor is a good way to increase the resale value of your home. If you want your accessory dwelling unit to look more sophisticated, getting the floor painted will do the trick. No matter what purpose you use the living space for; the painted floors along with the interiors will make it garner praises from the onlookers.
12. Install cabinets and vertical shelves
Remember all those unusable things that you refused to throw away while cleaning your garage? You can install some cabinets and vertical shelves to keep them away from sight.
Further, it is essential to keep necessary items like first-aid box and toolbox in your converted garage, especially if you’re using it as a guestroom or a kids’ playroom. The cabinets and shelves will be able to help you keep such items within reach.
Final words
If you’re planning to convert your garage into an ADU, you should hire only licensed and experienced professionals to help you get necessary permits and turn your vague ideas into reality. You can have multiple uses of an additional living space like a family lounge, summer party house, kids’ playroom, a home office, a private study or an extra guestroom among others. Make sure you know what exact purpose you wish to serve with your converted garage to help the professionals build it for you.
