Anyone converted an attached garage to a living space? Any unexpected issues?

Submitted ⁨⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨theshoeshiner@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

I’m planning on converting a 21x21 garage to a living room in the next couple years. I’ve got pretty much everything figured out I believe, and it seems a bit simpler than the bonus room conversion I finished earlier this year.

Has anyone done this, and have any tips / unexpected things I might encounter?

Thing’s Ive investigated / confirmed / planned so far:

Leveling the graded concrete floor
Filling the entrance hole with an exterior rated wall + windows
Insulating the preexisting exterior wall segments
HVAC connection
Additional electrical outlets
Framing an entrance to the space in the adjacent load bearing wall

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protist@mander.xyz ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Do you live in an area that requires permits? There are a ton of unpermitted garage conversions in my area that are not up to code, some of which have become serious headaches for the owner if code compliance comes knocking or when trying to sell.

Is your HVAC rated for the additional sq ft? Are there any ventilation concerns? (eg gas furnace or water heater)

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- theshoeshiner@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I’ll definitely be getting permits and inspections. Went through that process when converting the bonus room and it wasn’t as painful as I was expecting.
  
  The HVAC question is something I’ll definitely have to look into. I added ~250sqft when I finished my bonus room, and although the system has operated fine with the additional load, adding another 400sqft might put us outside it’s abilities.
  
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netburnr@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Make sure your garage door seals or your going to have nonstop bugs.

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Erro@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
A ductless mini split system might be a great choice for your new space. Super efficient, quiet, and reasonably priced - especially when you save on not adding duct work. Good luck and post some pics when you get a chance.

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pdavis@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If you leave the driveway in front of where the garage door is, you may want to think about a curb stop or two so no cars accidentally accelerate into your new living room. You also mentioned leveling the graded garage floor so you are probably fine on this point, but, you will just want to make sure that outside the new wall water doesn’t run back and stand.

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- theshoeshiner@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Yea I’ll definitely chop up the parking pad, don’t want cars directly in front of the window. I’ll probably leave a narrow portion as a walkway from the new garage to the front door.
  
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