How much work is it to pull this off do you think? Obviously I would have to somehow close the garage doors off. I would need ch/a out there also... Not sure how much that would run but I'm not sure what else or what other costs would be associated in pulling this off..

Any ideas?

Definately not the cheaper route but you could kick the ole lady out of the house.

lol... not the first Ive heard that

the doors will seal off easy enough, have done it for a bunch of folks. as for the air/heat if your ductwork is in the attic then your good to add on, if its in the slab it aint gonna work unless you tear up a floor to tap into the system. if its in the floor look at a wall unit that runs seperate from the house system, like they use in hotels. these are pretty efficient and the cheapest way to go in that case.
look in the attic and I bet your ceiling is not insulated nor are the walls typically in a garage, you would need to rip out the sheetrock and insulate rerock the walls and add it to the ceiling.
it won't matter too much but garage floors are usually sloped 1/4" in 10 feet to drain spills etc. you can level the floor with some self leveling compound if you want to or need to depending on the furnishings etc.

Your A/C unit for the house must be able to handle your addition of another room. If not you will be needing another unit just for that area. Depending on how you want to wall off your garage door, you might be able to get out for under $5K. If you are thinking about changing the wiring/lighting/plumbing to accomodate added fixtures or sinks, that will probably run over $10K.

I know my friend who is a home builder/remodeler charges $30K to add on a 30x20 garage addition. That includes everything.

insulation/redo sheetrock/wall unit/tile or carpet/paint and trim can be done for about 5-6k if you do most of it yourself.
lannie robinson does sheetrock (he is in the OT) talk to AC man (in the classifieds) about the ac work and have him come look at it.

Leave the garage doors on and just frame your inside wall just inside, this wat the city doesn't see it as an addition and go up on your tazes.

I enclosed mine with a brick and stone fireplace with pittsburg glass block windows to allow light in around it.

Depending on how much you want to spend. Is your garage attatched? I would start by tacking 3/4 in insulation to the wall inside the door Make sure your door is secure by a bolt and not connected to a opener! Install a 2x4 to the top of the frame arround the garage door and frame in some studs. Sheetrock the wall. This allows for the home to still look as though it has a garage from the outside and insulates the old door area.

next step is to blow in more insulation into the area between the ceiling and the roof. Most homes do not have it when it was built.

If you have a exit door to the side of the garage the best climate control is a window unit from Sears that has a heat strip in it. You can turn it on and off separate from the main part of the house.

You can get fancy by leveling the floor, But it shouldn't have too much of an incline. Depending on what you want use a thick pad before the carpet. If you are going with another type floor consider something with a backing.

If you want more info you'll have to wait because it's "eating time"!

dang thanks yall... sounds like I need to save up some more dough.. for us dummy po-po's it sounds alot easier than it really is...

Mine was about $2400 doing all the brick work myself. Ceramic tiled floor, built a wall for the laundry room and insulation.

I was hoping to stay around that amount... I guess I would like to close the garage off.. And I would need to do pretty much everything else as far as insulation and getting ch/a in there too, which I already have for the house...

Think every step through and compare the money. Take your time doing it. It is fun and will never be complete because you will always think of something elase you need/want.

Look around and shop sales etc at Lowes and Home depot. I've saved a ton of money by asking about damaged goods etc that would work for me. I gave $150. buck for a freezer that would have cost over 500 just because it has a dent on it side.

Are you a Vet. Remember Lowes and Home Depot will give a 10% discount witch saves a lot of money.

not a vet but i remember they ran that promotion once and noticed my badge in my wallet and hooked me up... ive got a credit card up there at lowes which i usually get no interest on when I buy things even when im not supposed to... first things first... cleaning out the garage.

Louie, I converted my garage into a Mom-in-law/apartment about 7 years ago. We added a bathroom with shower, a sort of "kitchen" area, closet and the rest of it the bedroom. Didn't spend any where near $5000. The HVAC is a 110v unit in the wall for AC. We did use ceramic heaters until this year when we got a new AC unit that is big enough for this added area.

Our daughter and her family moved back in for a long while... ... so, my wife and I had to live in our apt. for about two years. It is soooo comfortable, we still spend about 3/4 of our time in here.

If you are only wanting one large room with maybe some electrical or computer lines added, and your doing most of the work...I'd bet you go get it done for way under $2000...EASILY!!

yea. my garage is 25X20. My 65" tv will prolly end up our there with the video games. Prolly a pool table and dart board. I am gonna want it insulated. No need for kitchen stuff... I cant see it costing more than a couple grand really... Once I get it cleaned out if I ever get started I will start pricing things.

here ya go louie, you said you have 2 garage doors?
they should be 8'widex7'tall.

20 studs
4 4x8x1/2" sheetrock
2 rolls of 3 1/2" insulation

depending on how you frame in the doors trim (if recessed) or just tape and mud them if the sheetrock comes out flush to the rest.

spend the 100.00 or so for the epoxy paint for the floor, frame and insulate the doors, heat the garage overnight and paint the floors first (follow directions for cleaning if oil or spots are there). this will kill any residual "gas" smell etc. it also may be the floor you decide to keep.

it will take 2 1/2 batts of insulation (@ 8' per batt, look on the bags for the uncut)to go across the ceiling. the joists are usually on 2' centers in the garage so check first then get the 6" batts. 25'will be approx. 13 spaces so @ 2.5 batts per you need 33 batts. use this to price rolls. they will tell you how many are in a bag (I can't remember right now)when you put the batts in lay them paper up and staple to the top of the joists. this should provide a dead air space which is good insulation too. you may want to cover with plywood after to protect (maybe but don't have to).

some area rugs for the painted floor, about 5 gals of paint for the walls and ceiling, and you have a basic room.

this should allow you to price some of what you need to do the basic finish out.



oh and if you decide to take the doors off, CALL A DOOR COMPANY. the springs can kill you if they get away from you. seriously