realtor suggested garage conversion!

[grey56]

I did a poll on here about my DH's grand idea to convert our two-car garage into a family room.  This would solve our home's biggest downfall, which is that the only set of stairs to the finished basement is through the garage.  However, the votes were unanimous - do not convert a garage in New England.

Anyway, the realtor, who we love and trust, actually agreed with DH!  She said that converting the garage to a nice big family room, perhaps with another bathroom while we're at it, would be a great return on investment.  There is space in front of the current garage to build another garage.  She said all could be done for ~$45K.  We could put in sliding glass doors that would open to the stone patio we installed last summer.  We could put the dog out by opening a door, instead of having to take him out through the garage (it was 13 degrees this AM!).  Lots of plusses.

But my view is....we already HAVE a garage.  I'm spending $25K to convert it, then another $20K to build a new one.  In the end, I'll have a new family room that cost me $45K, even though it only looks like a $25K family room, KWIM?  The garage would be a wash, old or new doesn't matter.

We do plan to live here for several more years (LO is only 1.5yo now, we may or may not have a second child).  The school district is #4 in the state.  My ILs live 5 mins away (good and bad, haha!).   

What do you all think?

[thatgirl]

It sounds like a good idea that would serve you and your family well.
I would get a few bids before even thinking any more about it, in my area that project would easily be twice what the realtor suggested.
Once you have real numbers your decision my be made for you.
If your DH plans to finance the project, no go, plan to save the funds plus 20% for overages.

Good luck!

[Deleted]

I still would not. Just for the fact I still can't imagine it would ever look right. Also where I live 45k is a lot for a garage and a glorified living room. Didn't you say it wasn't space you really needed in your OP anyways? I'd spend that money remodeling what you have to maybe get the steps inside with a cool kitchen and sun room to go along with it before I'd tear my house apart for a garage.

[pickel]

I agree with justdairy. I would not either. No garage would definitely be a deal breaker and that's a lot of money you are spending when you could spend it on other areas. I have yet to see a garage conversion actually look like it was supposed to be a living area. Maybe get a second opinion?

[pamela]

I would base my decision on how frequently you, and any future buyers, would use the finished basement with the addition of another living room. Seems to me like with that added living space, the finished basement becomes less important. Is there no way to finish off the access path from the house to the stairs and leave the rest of the garage as is?

[julygal]

I agree I have yet to see a garage conversion that doesn't look like it used to be the garage. Not knowing how it is all laid out and where the stairs to the basement are in relation to where the door to the rest of the house is, I would bring out a contractor or architect and see what they can do to enclose the existing stairs into the house and perhaps add a half bath in that space, especially if you have room to expand the garage forward to make up for what you lost by enclosing the stairs. Hope that makes sense.

[boiler717]

Feb 5, 2013 8:28:46 GMT -5 julygal said:

I agree I have yet to see a garage conversion that doesn't look like it used to be the garage. Not knowing how it is all laid out and where the stairs to the basement are in relation to where the door to the rest of the house is, I would bring out a contractor or architect and see what they can do to enclose the existing stairs into the house and perhaps add a half bath in that space, especially if you have room to expand the garage forward to make up for what you lost by enclosing the stairs. Hope that makes sense.

I agree with this

[grey56]

See, I am with you all - still not sold on it. So what if I have to go into the garage to let the dog out? Not everyone has a dog, this would not be a big deal to non-dog-owners.

My idea was to enclose part of the garage into a mudroom, perhaps a half bath, etc. and incorporate the stairs there. The garage is quite long so it might be ok as-is.

The kitchen is also original to the house, so we will be renovating that regardless. There are literally 2.5 linear feet of counter and it's usually covered with drying dishes.

[pitterwoo]

yeah, it still sounds like there are better areas to focus on for now. if I had nothing else to do and the cash was lying around, fine. But if it's not needed space, I'd probably come up with something I want to spend it on more, like LO's college savings or something.

[FoxInFiji]

$45K is a lot of money. For that I would add an addition onto the back of the house to improve the flow and add backyard access. An addition is a lot easier to blend with the rest of the house and you still get to keep your garage.

[susieq]

What about only converting half of the space? Our first house was like that. It had a small utility area with 1/2 bath and a door leading to the back porch. The rest of the room was used like a rec room. There was a small wood fireplace and enough room for a pool table (this was before kids) and pub table.

Our current house had the garage converted into a kitchen by the previous owners. I dont think it looks bad. They did add another garage but it is a free standing structure. I would prefer it attached but it did not sway my decision to purchase.

[tarheels]

Feb 5, 2013 7:26:54 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

I still would not. Just for the fact I still can't imagine it would ever look right. Also where I live 45k is a lot for a garage and a glorified living room. Didn't you say it wasn't space you really needed in your OP anyways? I'd spend that money remodeling what you have to maybe get the steps inside with a cool kitchen and sun room to go along with it before I'd tear my house apart for a garage.

This.

[sjh722]

I agree with pp - every garage conversion I've seen looks like a converted garage.

For that amount of money, I'd explore a different addition that would fit more with the character of your home + preserve the attached garage.

[ohjessica]

We have a split level and our garage is right off the office area. We want to convert it into a room because we are running out of space. Even though many of the houses in our area have converted the garage into rooms (and they don't look like conversions, just because of the way the houses are set up), my husband is hesitant. The garages are super small and you wouldn't even be able to fit a modern car into it much less an SUV, but he still thinks it would be a bad idea. Because we need the room, we are debating converting it but covering the existing garage door with a false wall so it can be easily converted back into a garage if a future homeowner decided to. I've only done some light reading on the pros and cons of the false wall, but it might be something you can look into as well.

[sailorgray]

I was looking for something else and came across this, so thought I would share. It's from Sacramento and, if I remember correctly, you are in New England, right? Anyway...

sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2012/07/24/how-do-garage-conversions-impact-property-value/

[grey56]

Ooh, good link. I laughed at the sassy comment - some guy is saying that if you convert 1/3 of your 3-car garage, then that's ok. Sir, if you have a 3-car garage, I imagine your house is nice and big too.

Ultimately, we have to look at how long we plan to stay here. We just moved into this house 2 years ago, knowing that we'd reno the kitchen. We have been saving for that to pay in cash (we had an issue with our last house, where DH took out a HELOC to pay the contractor, who took the money and never did any work). Obviously, this changes that plan since it would be more money.

Our realtor did say that an option is to move to a house with the space we need. We just love our current house's location, yard, etc. It's a lot to think about.

Thanks for all the comments.

[timetomove]

we actually just did this - except it was a 1 car garage and I'm in N.E.

It actually doesn't look like a former garage at all and it's one of my favorite rooms (probably b/c i picked everything from flooring to curtains).

the only issue is that we haven't had the time or the $$ to tear the pavement up outside in the driveway.

[grey56]

We are on a septic, and the tanks are right behind the kitchen and dining room. We are on a little over half an acre, but most of that is the side yard (same side as the garage). We spend most time out in the side yard. The back yard is our dog's domain. We have considered going in every direction, and this one seems to be the only feasible option.

My DH and I are still discussing. We're expecting quite a bit of snow this weekend. We'll see how much we love our garage then. ;-)