Spending more time at home during the recent lockdowns has led many homeowners to find ways to extend or renovate their living space. According to the Mortgage Advice Bureau, 23% of the homeowners they interviewed chose garage conversions.
If you’re one of them, here are the 8 garage conversion ideas to add more living space to your home.
Transform A Detached Garage Into An Annexe
Transforming a detached garage into a separate annexe is a worthwhile idea for parents who want to give their old kids the privacy of having their own space to learn about living independently but still living close to them.
An annexe also increases 20% to 30% the value of the house.
But be mindful of getting permission from the local authority before starting the project.
Create A Home Cinema Garage
Giving your family a separately entertaining space while still at home is a great idea. And, there's nothing better than taking advantage of the garage space. Why? – you might ask.
It is because you get the freedom of furniture placement and lighting layout for this room and can add as many outlets as wanted to meet the requirements of your new entertaining system.
Besides, this is a great chance to upgrade the soundproofing capability of your garage – which means the entire house won’t need to be subjected to while any member of your family enjoys their favorite film.
A Sub Bedroom
A garage conversion might be a perfect place for a sub bedroom where your guests can rest with privacy.
You should determine the area and the existing layout of the room to then consider how to convert it into a sub bedroom:
- Is there anything you can change to add extra convenience to the room?
- Which furniture and utensils to add?
- Should you change the existing layout?
- Your budget?
Don’t forget about the lighting and air ventilation of the room. Adding some new windows, an AC, or an indoor air exhaustion fan is a good idea.
A Home Gym
Transforming your garage into a home gym where you can exercise and retain your body shape is a good idea especially during the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
It is also perfect for people who live far from the local fitness center or those who search for alternatives to keep fit during the winter.
While a home gym can be placed anywhere in the house, it usually eats up your living space. Not saying that some fitness equipment creates noise while operating, which might impact other members.
From that point, a garage conversion home gym is best.
Home Office
If you need somewhere quiet, well-organized around the house to focus on your work, a garage conversion home office will be definitely a good choice.
A detached garage is isolated from the main living space and also has a separate entrance, which is perfect for work-related people to get in and out without disturbing other family members.
If your work is noisy, make sure to soundproof the room, aside from adding lighting and other appliances, such as a coffee machine, desk and chair, power outlets, a sink, and a toilet.
Utility Room
If your garage is adjacent to kitchens, how about adjusting it to a boot room or utility room?
For your information, a utility room is for storing infrequently-used kitchen equipment or any kitchen tool – which means it helps keep your kitchen neater and functioning better.
A boot room is where you can hang bags, coats, muddy shoes, and other stuff that are brought from outdoors with you. The place is also for drying dogs after a walk. In general, it is used for keeping the main living space clean and less messy.
Garage conversion utility/boot room will be more functional if it is added with a downstairs toilet (if you still haven’t had one) or incorporated with a back door.
A Reading Room/Home Library
If you or your kids are a real bookworm, why not transform the garage into a cozy, inviting reading nook?
Getting a space dedicated to storing favorite books and enjoying them during free time is wonderful while it doesn’t impact the existing layout of the main living space.
Before adding shelves and other furniture, make sure to check the room’s humidity levels. It should be airy and dry to not ruin your books over time.
To create a reading zone, consider adding a table and chair or a bunk bed if you like lounging. Don’t forget about lighting, beverages, and toilets.
Pantry Room
Another great idea for those garages adjacent to kitchens is to convert it into a pantry room – a place where kitchenware, foods, and beverages are stored to provide an ancillary capacity to the kitchen.
There are a lot of ways to organize kitchenware, foods, and beverages in a pantry room, depending on the kinds of stuff plus quantities of each that you have.
It is also based on your preference – how do you want to access this space?
Conclusion
Do you like the 8 garage conversion ideas to add more living space to your home as listed above? Which one do you intend to try? I’d like to hear more from you, so please let me know your thoughts through the comment section.
Thanks for reading!
