converting part of garage space

last year

I’m doing a Kitchen Reno. My attached garage is currently next to my kitchen with an entry door to the kitchen from the garage. The current elevation change from kitchen floor to garage floor is 20” so we have a landing with railing and three steps. We are thinking of using this space to build a pantry instead that has an entry from the kitchen and then another entry from within that goes into the garage. I’m wondering how involved it would be to raise the floor this much? The space would be 5x8.
Would that involve pouring concrete over the current garage floor which is just foundation (no basement beneath) as well as joists to build a subfloor? Or would they need to do something with the foundation? Haven’t gotten a chance to go in depth about it with my contractor so before I have the architect include it in the plans I’d like to get a sense of how complicated that would be so I can decide whether I want to continue down the road. Thanks!

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Comments (6)

chispa
last year
How much garage space do you actually have?

Are you going to lose a parking spot? Would be ok if it is a 3-car garage, but not if it is a 2-car garage.
dan1888
last year
Nothing special just like an interior wall in a house using a slab and no crawlspace or basement. Usually, pressure treated for the bottom plate in the wall construction or a material to isolate the wood from the moisture coming up through the slab.
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Chrissy C
Original Author
last year
I use it for my car about five times a year. It’s about a 1.5 car garage but with the need to have a step landing which I have that takes up the space I would use for the pantry it becomes a 1 car garage. So making the pantry space doesn’t really cause me to lose garage space. I’m really more looking for construction advice on the necessary base/ foundational requirements to create a 20inch base so that the new room is the same elevation as the living space in the house. Then I’d have steps that go down into the garage from inside the pantry.
dan1888
last year
Zero foundation is necessary for anything you want to build. You can likely reuse the stairs you already have. You'll notice there's no special foundation under the existing landing and stairs. Nothing is holding up a roof.
Chrissy C
Original Author
last year
Good point. Thanks!
AnnKH
last year
Make sure the door to the garage and drywall on the new space will give you a proper fire separation