Put on the addition. I have found (last four houses) that is better to build new than renovate.

Renovations: something always rears its ugly head and one thing leads to another. You are confined to a certain size. Then there is the window issue, insulation, new wiring/plumbing...on and on...oh, and trying to design something so it doesn't look like a garage made over.

My two car garage cost almost $60,000.00 because I wanted windows that matched the house, special (two) garage doors, a door, garage door openers.

Get some quotes from builders in your area. I am just telling you my personal experience.

You might also evaluate whether it would be cheaper to buy a house with the master suite rather than renovate.

Thank you, I appreciate that insight. My husband is a Plumber by trade, and my family is full of the other pro's that will be needed. We aren't worried so much about the work, and what we might run into.....just trying to decide what the best bang for our buck will be and also what will add more value to our home. I do share that worry tho, about how to make the garage door not look like a garage door was there if we convert that space.

My curb appeal worry with an addition is what material to use on the outside, b/b ? I don't want it to look like we just added a box on one end of the house.

Where we live, the market is high....we could make some $$ if we sold....but its then finding somewhere to go! Right now, the best option for us is to stay put and try and make it work.

Here is the street view of our house. Could the Garage ever look like it wasn't previously a Garage?

I would do the addition as opposed to the conversion.

Don't convert that garage to master suite. It will always look like a garage conversion. The driveway would still be leading up to it. Put on an addition.

nnigrt...right! Forgot about the cost of removing driveway.

I would compare costs and pro's/con's of both and you may be surprised how a list can help. Would it make sense to build up over the garage and create a side split - my sister did this and it worked out really well for so many reasons. Hope this helps in regards to using garage - ours was converted but has a step down..so consider if needed, if ok with that. Our garage door was replaced with a wall of French doors and also have a door at the back for easy access out back. In regards to the driveway, it's an easy fix if you use the area near the house as a patio adding boulders and landscaping, etc and you'll end up with no resemblance to a garage - it will even add to the house's curb appeal. If you have an architect come up with the 3 different scenarios and their costs, that will be your best bet.

You might want to consider the insulation, heating and plumbing in your existing garage. If you've got all of that and don't see a great need to it in a garage addition, converting the existing garage and building a new one would be far cheaper. If your garage-bedroom would need significant upgrades in this area, there's no advantage to upgrading the garage.

You could make the room not look like a garage conversion if you swap out the doors for something like a nano wall and move the driveway.

Some simple design studies by an architect would help you make the decision........Why not ask a local architect for a price to do some quick studies for you ? It should be reasonable........

It sounds like one of the most important aspects of your design will be how to get access to your back yard from the entertainment area of the house and still get a nice master suite plus a new garage.