How to Convert a Garage Into a Living Space

Nowadays, more and more people are trying to increase their living space at home with minimum costs. Turning the unused garage into a living room, bedroom or even a play room or office is the perfect solution. It is fairly easy to do and if you are a DIY type of person, then you will have no problems converting your car space into a living one.

But first things first. Before you start the project make sure you are not going to breach any local zoning laws when it comes to garages and their conversion. Fellow Melburnians can check the City of Melbourne's web site for more information on the matter. And so should anybody else regardless of where you live, because you don't want to spend money and hours of working on your new living room just so some of your neighbours can call the authorities afterwards who may fine you if you don't have the permit.

Once you have been given the green light, determine your budget and what type of room you want to have. Most people create an additional bedroom or living room with a convertible sofa bed, but garages are also suitable for a family play room or a room where your teenage kid can feel rather independent. Gyms are also a popular choice too, but the transformation of the garage is slightly different compared to living spaces, so I'll leave them out of this.

Now, the next thing you should think of is cleaning the garage. Considering that it hasn't been used for a while, or even if it's in use is probably dirty and/or cluttered, so you will have to take care of all the junk. Some affordable waste removal companies in Melbourne suggest to take everything outside the garage. Then sweep the floor with a broom to remove most of the dirt, vacuum it (make sure you check the corners for spider webs too) and finally mop it to clean any remaining residue. After that, check if the walls and the ceiling are cracked and whether they need some repairs or not.

For the next step, I suggest you call professionals. As long as you want plumbing and electricity of course. Or, if you insist on doing it on your own, at least call an inspector to come and check it out once you finish. And since garages are typically colder than the remaining rooms in the house, you should also consider solid insulation.

Next - the floor. Do you know that insulating the floor can also save you money in the long run by lowering your electricity bill. Just measure how much insulation you need and raise the floor off the concrete slab. Then, decide on the material you will use to cover it. It should complement the rest of the room and you can go for either carpets, tiles or woods. Or combine wood flooring with a carpet in the middle, for example.

Then, frame the door. You probably won't want to keep the original garage door as it is, because it's too wide, thus frame it in with a wall. Also, you might have to place some windows if you want to catch more natural light.

After you've insulated the floor (I suggest to use drywall), installed the flooring and provided adequate electricity and plumbing, you can think of painting the walls if you wish. However, some specialists advise to first paint the walls and then install the flooring to avoid any splatters.

Pretty much these are the basic steps you need to follow in order to turn your garage into a living space. I won't go into interior design details, because the choice of furniture and appliances is entirely up to you.

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