Future Garage Bedroom/Bath?

15 years ago

We are close to finalizing our house plans to build a 2600 SF house. It will be 3 bedroom for DH and I and two teenage kids. This is a downsize retirement home so plan to be there long term. It is on 1 acre of unrestricted land. We don't want to build it larger as we won't need space when kids are gone.

The issue is that my mother might possibly need to move in (late 80s) before the kids are gone. We've thought of various alternatives (building a 4 bedroom house, buying a trailer for our oldest son to sleep in if she moves in and takes his room, building a guest house, etc.).

The new possibility would be build out a bedroom and bath (shower, toilet, sink only) over the garage. The house will be 1 story.

Obviously we don't want to finish this out now as we may never need it. What we are thinking about is building the garage now so that we could put in a bedroom and bath above. Garage will be about 635 SF and is attached to the house. We would not want to build out all that space, just enough for a nice sized bedroom and the bath.

Has anyone done this (or a future bonus room space in the garage)? How do we do that? Do we simply build the garage large enough to allow this in future or do we actually put in the second floor and stairs now and just not finish them? Thoughts?

Featured Answer

chicagoans

15 years ago

I was thinking what energy rater said about an 80+ year old climbing stairs and also heating/cooling challenges. We have a 2nd story on our garage(detached, so slightly different.) We built an interior staircase and added an electric panel in case we want to add heat/AC in the future. Right now it's just for storage and that second floor gets HOT even when we open the windows, which are on 3 sides for a cross breeze. (For example, all the citronella candles I had stored up there melted together.)

Easier to build in stairs, HVAC, plumbing, etc. ahead of time than to retrofit. (Stairs can take up alot of room.) It might be hard to add a toilet stack after the fact and try to connect it to the sewer or septic line. (Would you have to open a hole in the garage floor?) Our zoning prohibits plumbing in a garage (to avoid multi-unit dwellings) but that may be because it's detached and of course your area might be different.

If you post your plans again someone may have some ideas for good, flexible space in the main part of the house.

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Comments (7)

lyfia
15 years ago
Could you just use one of your offices/studies as a bedroom for one of your teens? It might mean you'd have to temporarily relocate that space to another area of the house or share one for you and your DH, but this way you don't have to add anything else in. That is assuming that it would be a short term arrangement.

Another option is to add a small guest house if when this happens and it is for the longer term. In the time that would take you could just use the above short term arrangement.
energy_rater_la
15 years ago
your mother would live in the room(s) over
the garage? think about if it would be
or would become difficult for her to climb
stairs.

most folks I work with that plan future rooms
over garage (frog's) go ahead and do the electrical
plumbing & sheetrock as it is cheaper while these
trade are onsite building main house.
also think about wider doors ..36" for walker
or wheelchair acessability.

these rooms and rooms in attic are often hard to heat and cool. this is because they are essentially located in the hottest/coldest part of the house..the attic.
hot/cold air is on all sides, top and bottom of these areas
so they should be better insulated and air sealed than
exterior walls where temps are not as extreme.

walls should be insulated and sealed with foam/foil boards to exterior of wall in attic..to stop air movement, temp transfer and to reflect heat back into attic space. sole plates sealed to flooring,
recessed lights air tight. planning on how to heat/cool
at this stage is also a good idea.

sites like southface inst, florida solar energy center and bulding science will show diagrams of thermal/air boundries
these are very helpful in defining where & what types of insulation to use, and where and what type of air sealing should be done.
make sure that you view info for your climate

best of luck.
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beaglesdoitbetter1
15 years ago
I would not plan for your mother to move upstairs. My parents put an in-law suite on the second floor of our house and it was a huge problem after my grandmother had a stroke and her arthritis got worse and she was not easily able to get up and down the stairs. A huge problem.
david_cary
15 years ago
I was thinking one of the teens could move there. Electrical is easy to do later if you are near a breaker box with room on it. Plumbing should be roughed in. HVAC is tougher - really depends where you live. I went a little high on capacity but it was a staged system which made it okay.

Talk to your builder - he has done this before and knows how to do it. HVAC is the most complicated and expensive.
User
15 years ago
No way would I put a bedroom above the garage, even for teens. It's a lot more of a PIA to heat and cool, and it is never really that comfortable.

I know my mom would much rather live in a community than she would live with me! LOL! If your mother is living on her own now at her age and doing well, then it's doubtful that she would want to give up her independence and move in with you for any reason but poor health. Poor health isn't going to deal with a room over the garage, and may not even deal with a downstairs suite. Poor health is generally an assisted living situation. You'd really have to have room for a home health aide or be willing to do the nursing yourself if you are planning for that situation.

I think that this would have to be a "cross that bridge when we come to it" type of situation. And talk with your mom about what she thinks the next 15 years holds for her. It's nice that you are thinking of her, and helping her, but she may already have the issue planned out.
kats_meow
Original Author
15 years ago
Sorry I didn't get into details... but discussion has veered off so I'll clarify.

If this were to happen my mother would take my son's room (this is in a one story house so no stairs). My son (now 17) would take the garage bedroom. We would build in a bath with the room. I've since talked to the builder and it is fairly common in this area to do this. We have no codes or restrictions to prohibit it.

We did price building a small guest house but it is way, way, way more expensive than putting a bedroom and bath over the garage.