When we moved into this house a few years ago, we never really liked our garage. It was a dingy, dark place that always ended up a mess. The floor was partially gravel. The door didn’t quite shut right and mice could get in from the farmer’s fields that surround our home quite easily. It wasn’t a very usable space for us. We never used it to park our cars in, we just used it to store our junk (and some of the junk that the previous owners left for us, lol).
I hadn’t started blogging until after all these pictures were taken. Amazingly, I can’t find any pictures of the house before the garage door was removed.
Once we found out that we were expecting baby # 6, who was born in June, we decided that we would convert that garage into 2 more bedrooms and a new laundry room. That would make our home go from a 3 bedroom house to a much needed 5 bedroom. At the time, the current laundry room was in the kitchen and any time we had excess laundry, it would end up all over the floor in the kitchen. It was time for an adjustment! We decided that we would convert the old laundry space into a new pantry for storing our extra food and small appliances which I will share more about soon as it gets finished.
Here are some pictures of the beginning of the process:
Tony says
I’m curious about a vapor barrier before putting in the joists for the sub-floor. I’m considering a similar project but wanted to see how yours turned out years later.
Sarah says
Hey Tony…. ours is still fine without the vapor barrier. We had a concrete floor underneath that never really got moisture on it and we haven’t seen anything with moisture since we completed the project. If your garage tends to have moisture, I’d definitely consider it. All in all, it was not that hard of a project and has been a huge blessing to our family through the years. If, my kids would get their rooms clean, I may be able to post an after picture.
stina says
Hi! Can you tell me what you guys did where the garage doors were? Did you have to completely replace that side of the building?
Sarah says
Hi Stina… yes, we built a frame out of 2×4’s and made a concrete footing that had bolts that we had pushed into the concrete and constructed our wall from that.
Aaron says
I’m wanting to do the same thing. Did you guys put down a vapor barrier and did you run duck work for heating and air?
Sarah says
The duct work, we did run, but have since discovered it was basically pointless, because our system was not big enough to add on 2 rooms and we didn’t want to replace the whole house system yet. So instead, we use space heaters and window air in the appropriate season and they do well with that. No Vapor Barrier though since it was over concrete and it doesn’t get moist. It’s been several years now and we’ve had no issues with that part.
Carol says
Sarah, you are very brave and I think it is a wonderful idea. Not only do they get their own rooms but they also have the opportunity to help paint and choose their own colour. These things are so important for young teenagers. Well done.
Sidetracked Sarah says
LOL, yeah, I think they're wearing the rest of the paint, lol. I'll probably show you the next step that is completed this coming week. I just need to get the pictures.
Deanna says
Awesome!!! Can't wait to see the rooms finished! Let us know if there's any paint left!