Garages do not meet building codes for habitable space foundations, electrical, insulation, HVAC or anything else. You would need to fully rebuild the garage to move forward with this idea. That's a 300K+project.

You need an architect and an engineer involved before you start down this path of imagining something that cannot happen. At least, cannot happen without significant monetary expense.

I have a design-build contrator and this was a more economical route that what we had previously planned.

To clarify- Is the kitchen floor going to be level with the dining/living room. What do the mitered corners and lines like over the pantry refer to. Are there windows or door walls from the living room to the patio.

IN most cases garge space is not to code for any living space so has that been approved . Your contractor should be getting permits BTW There is nothing cheap about a garage conversion to living space . Stop now and get this checked out .

Random thoughts:

- Sinks do "feel better" under windows. It's one of those things engrained in us. Is it necessary? No, but I think we all like it.

- In a kitchen this size, I would not go with a 44" sink and duplicate faucets. Take a look at the sink you have now -- mine's 33" and feels plenty big. Remember that any time you say YES to something oversized /bloated, you're saying NO to simple storage.

- You want your major appliances to be no less than 4' /no more than 9' apart.

- I like the L-shaped kitchen much better. If you have cabinets on two walls, you'll have 6' in the middle, and that's "a step too far apart". I've lived with that layout, and the two sides just don't cooperate. Go to Lowes or Home Depot and walk through their sample kitchens -- their walking aisles are 3 1/2' apart. See how you feel in those spaces.

- Having the kitchen floor level with the dining room IS very important. If you're forced to "step down" every time you enter the kitchen, it'll always feel wrong.

- Yes, this is a big expense, but I don't believe it'll be 300K.

I do not love your plans at all. The pantry ruins the flow between kitchen and office and outside. It seems plunked in and a space waster. The kitchen seems hidden away on the corner and has no connection to your covered patio at all.

These are excellent points to consider, truly.

The floor in the converted space will be raised to match the main house, so the whole area will be on one level. I’m also going to revisit the sink size — a 44” double-faucet setup is a luxury, but I can see how scaling it back might give us better balance and storage.

Right now we have about 65 inches between the sink wall and the stove wall, just under 6 feet. We’ve actually enjoyed having that extra working room since we’re two very active cooks, but we also want the sink and stove to feel more connected. That sense of being on the same plane — whether straight or with a corner transition — seems important for how we cook.

Originally this was designed as a two-car garage expansion with an ensuite addition. Once we looked at the roof, truss, and footprint costs, we pared it back. Converting the existing garage ended up being the most practical choice, especially since it was such an underused space.

Attaching the current floorplan for context.

Thank you sooo much for your input :)

There’s no utility room in your new plan. Where did those important home things magically go?

Are you referring to mechanicals? Those are outside with an air handler in the attic. If referring to washer dryer area, those are on the other side of the house.

The pantry ruins the flow between kitchen and offic e and outside. It seems plunked in and a space waster.

I looked at that pantry for more than a minute, and I decided I do like it. First, it's a large pantry, and I like that. Second, it serves as a divider between the kitchen and the office. It allows the office to be an "away space" without being a true separate room.

Renovations are HARD because you can't have everything you might've chosen, if you had a blank slate.

In your current image it looks like there is a hot water heater or furnace in the utility room? The only way to get to the office is to go through the kitchen in a convoluted way too. Since you are removing walls and opening the main space up quite a bit, I would see if there are other ways you can open up the entire space and then reconfigure where the main rooms are. If the wall between the current garage and living space was not there and you had all that new square footage in a big box how would you create a plan that met your needs?

@Theresa Peterson

omg.. you hit the nail...So much compromise and then my partner has his specific requests as well.

Also the office is more like a nook for clerical duties. We are no longer working but need a bill (and taxes ugh) pay station and a place to put a printer.

The sliders facing the pantry wall, will be open to a tiny yard next to ODK. I was planning a little outdoor herb garden for the kitchen and ODK. . I like that I can put art, or a mirror to bring in light, on the pantry wall that faces the sliders.

The pantry will have swinnging, Bommer, door hinges.

The carport is a sticking point because I want access to the ODK and to bring groceries in from the car.

Appreciate your feedback:) Its still in flow and all adjustments are eraserable at this point. lol

@dan1888 the "miter" lines are for 3-D conversion with that software. They are very annoying and on just about every kitchen plan you see on this website.

Christine, are you going ahead with the complete remodel of the Master Suite and secondary Bedroom? That looks very inten$ive with the bathroom relocations.

What are the goals for the house? Existing, I see a "smallish" Family Room (but there is a Living Room too), with a Kitchen that is isolated from it and outdoor living. Apparently, you'd like a single, large, open Great Room instead? What kind of roof structure do you have, as I see a lot of "dashed lines" which usually indicate beams supporting roof framing. Is this proposed layout of the Great Room definite?

So then looking at proposed Garage, I still see a Kitchen that is isolated from outdoor living. With a pool, carport, and slab foundation, you must be in a warm climate so outdoor living would seem to be a priority. Here's what I'm leading up to: the proposed garage conversion is not very good. The flow from the carport into house, the flow from Kitchen to backyard (and "ODK"), the Pantry in the way looking like a walk-in freezer at Wendy's, the Office Area taking up valuable positioning. How does the person in the ADU get to it - walking by your big slider? Where will your Kitchen plumbing tie-in at?

There's some other things to talk about, like a slider can't be used as an entry door, or splitting the ref/frzr to make an "arch," or the Garage's stepped slab that may be about 24" lower, etc, but mainly from what I see the general concept should be evaluated first before you get into whether a 44" sink is appropriate.

You have not answered the question of do you have permits for this garage conversion . It might be cheaper than an addition but not usually . How is the plumbing being handles you need connection to th sewer or heaven forbid a septic tank Is your eletrical up to this juob so much that you have not shared , the layout is a moot point without a buget and permits .When would you posdibly use 2 faucets at the same time the sink is huge I have a 33' one in my new place and honestly find it bigger than I need Too much missinginfo to plan a kitchen

Thought I'd offer an update. Im attaching what my builder and I have come up with. It is now headed to engineering and the architect. It will then be submitted to the city for permitting.

Here is the current floorplan for comparison.

Our mechanicals are located outiside, the hot water heater will be gas tankless and the AC handler will be in an attic crawlspace.

Thx so much for all your suggestions:)

Why would the builder and you make a plan before the architect?

Thats the process of the design-build company. Its a whole in-house team not a seperate entity.

Absolutely bizarre and backwards.

NOT good on so many levels Get an architect to help you actually design this mess . Infact don't show him the mess just let them design a space .

@Patricia..Thx for the suggestion. I love the flow and am excited to upate this bungalow. What specifically do you take issue with? Thx!

An architect is a licensed professional who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings and spaces, integrating aesthetics, function, safety, and budget to create human-centered environments, working from initial concepts to final project oversight, with specializations ranging from residential to sustainable design. They prepare detailed construction documents, manage contracts, and ensure plans are followed, often using computer software and specialized knowledge.

You begin with the architect to do the design, then transition to the builder to do the actual construction.

The latest plan you show seems new and different, but not really good, especially the kitchen.