Converting the Garage into living space

[samclem]

Lawrence,
- You've got drywall up in the garage, but is there insulation behind it? If not, consider blowing in some densepack cellulose. You live in a fairly mild climate, so you could get by without it, but it would make the room a lot more comfortable.

Regarding heating/cooling: Consider a system that is independent of your home's system. It would then have its own thermostat (the temp in that garage/playroom will likely be very different from the temp where your present thermostat is). It also would avoid the need to run more supply/return air ducts to the new room, and the possibility of overtaxing your present system. A single-unit through-the-wall heat pump would work well in San Diego. These are the kind of units you often see in motel rooms--you might even find a used unit for cheap. When hotels upgrade they typically take out all the units, even the ones that are still working fine. OTOH, a newer unit will use less energy. Unless you've got brick cladding on the outside wall, this is a fairly easy addition (you'll need to add a 220VAC circuit for it, but the CB panel is probably in the garage anyway, right?.)

I definitely think your house will look better if you keep the garage door in place so that it appears to still be a garage.

I'd have a hard time living without the storage space offered by a garage, even if I was okay with parking the cars outside. If you are the same way, maybe consider adding a temporary wall and spilt the room so that you've still got storage. Do the tykes really need a 24' by 24' playroom? Something a little smaller and more cozy might actually suit them better and be more fun than something more cavernous. Skating, playing with friends, etc--in SD, that's what the driveway is for!

 

[laurence]

I will definitely look into that densepack cellulose. As far as a heating system, I think I'll see if we can survive without it at first, we need to keep costs to a minimum. I will price it out, though.

Our plans for storage is to buy one of those big sheds from Rubbermaid or the like. We bought the model home, so the side yards are a lot bigger to give the illusion that these houses aren't stacked right on top of each other when you tour them. Ours are double the size of the other homes.

We probably won't undertake this project until the new year. But I'll post a pic or two when it's done!

 

[Orchidflower]

I have actual experience with this as I purchased a bungalow in Houston/Bellaire already made with a converted garage room. Same exact layout you are describing.
In Houston, you really don't need a garage as your car will start all year long.
The ONLY negative was that there was no insulation in the converted garage room. However, this did not bother anyone as--when we used it as a den--in the dead of winter when it was down jacket time, I used a small electric heater in there. Enough heat was thrown out of this little what? $40 heater that nothing else was needed.
Insulation was blown into the entire house, but they could not do the garage conversion for some reason I forgot.
In summer, it had a small $100+ air conditioner, which was enough to cool it down (plus, had ac throughout the house then, too).
I did have a closet made, tho, for his clothing and storage stuff in the room when he got about 14.
We used this converted garage room first for a den, then it became my son's room at 12; so, I could take his smaller bedroom and turn that into an office for myself. It was totally on the other side of the house, so you did not have two tv's competing or music competing. It was ideal for us.
I say: DO IT! You will get alot of use out of the extra room, and, when I bought this house, I would not have purchased it if it did not have the extra room. A 2 bedroom--since I worked out of the house--just did not cut it for us as we needed more space.
I do agree with keeping the garage door look on the house, I think. Mine was made to look like an extension of the house, but it might have been more interesting to retain the door look.
Just my opinion.
One thing I did do though, that was smart, was use commercial grade tiling from Lowe's for the floor. Looked like slate, and, not only was pretty, but would last a long time. The brown wood panelled walls I had painted white, which opened up the room like mad. The washer/dryer cutout in the room had louvered doors to close over them, so it looked more formal. After adding art, tv, a cocktail table in front of my son's waterbed, it really was a big bedroom of 13'X19', and kinda like his own little bachelor pad. The big plus is he had his own side door, so he could go in and out and not make noise when I was working. Worked for us.
If I had kept the house after my son left, I was going to turn his converted garage room into a dining room/workout room for myself/den type thing. But I sold...and left eventually.

 

[laurence]

We're in a 3 bedroom and are open to a total of 4 kids, so while sharing bedrooms is no problem, 4 kids worth of stuff could really use the extra room. Heck, with just two kids we're starting to hurt. It would be nice to have an area that most of the toys live in.

 

[Orchidflower]

I had a checkerboard floor put in my kitchen with vinyl tile. Little pebbles or things from your shoes stuck in the black tiles, the white tiles got long black lines if anyone had shoes on with black rubber heels. Both were a pain, and I had the tile ripped up after about 2 years, so it was a total waste of money. Never again.

 

[laurence]

Thanks for the tip, Orchidflower! We've found some carpet on line that looks to be a winner, water barrier, mold/mildew resistant, looks like carpet in an elementary school. Putting that over some thick rubber tile should minimize the bruises and broken bones.

 

[laurence]

O.K., after pricing out flooring for a 20' by 20' garage, we've taken a turn. Putting two sets of flooring down was going to be too much. So we are going to use this:

Exercise & Gym Flooring - Flooring at The Home Depot


Since we plan on setting up a treadmill and a t.v. for workout videos anyway, this will be ideal flooring. We'll get a fun area rug to throw down in one corner for story time.

I thought our sideyard could handle the rubbermaid shed we wanted, but because we have a winding concrete path down the middle, we can't fit it in. So I'll have to go with a smaller 8' by 3' shed.

Anyone have tips on how to securly partition the recess with the water heater? We'd like to have it behind a lockable partition that still opens up for access to tools etc.

 

[haha]

O.K., after pricing out flooring for a 20' by 20' garage, we've taken a turn. Putting two sets of flooring down was going to be too much. So we are going to use this:

Exercise & Gym Flooring - Flooring at The Home Depot

I use this stuff in my LR to put my dumbells on, and my drum set. It is quite good, though not much to look at. It is comfy and durable. The kind I have has corner pieces without interlock on two sides, or edge pieces without interlock on one side.

Ha

 

[samclem]

Anyone have tips on how to securly partition the recess with the water heater? We'd like to have it behind a lockable partition that still opens up for access to tools etc.

Maybe just build a non-load bearing wall. A few studs and drywall and you are on your way. Be sure to put a few vents in it so that there's combustion air for the WH, and put a door placed so you can replace the WH when the time comes. Put a lock on the door to keep the tykes away from the sharp tools and the insecticides, etc. Don't store anything flammable in there.

 

[calmloki]

Maybe just build a non-load bearing wall. A few studs and drywall and you are on your way. Be sure to put a few vents in it so that there's combustion air for the WH, and put a door placed so you can replace the WH when the time comes. Put a lock on the door to keep the tykes away from the sharp tools and the insecticides, etc. Don't store anything flammable in there.

On various houses and apartments we just screw the door on - a chunk of finished plywood and 6 drywall screws works just fine - if you do need to access the water heater for replacement you want as much room to get it in and out of the opening as possible. Another option is to use a flat door blank and paint it wall color. Here's an understair storage area using a door blank and push-to-release magnetic catches in our home:

Wouldn't use the magnetic catches in your application because they intrude into the access opening and are not anti-kid-access.