Before and After: 3 Garages Transformed Into Living Spaces
See how pros turned homeowners’ detached garages into finished spaces outfitted for living, working and playing
Sure, you could keep a car in your detached garage. But if you park in your driveway anyway, how much more useful and fun would it be if that garage were a guesthouse, office, workout room, party pad or art studio instead? Get inspired by how remodeling pros transformed each of these underused spaces by adding bathrooms, built-ins and house-worthy finishes (including furnishings from Houzz). Then tell us in the Comments what creative ideas you have for overhauling an “extra” building — real or wished-for — on your property!
After: The new 769-square-foot (71-square-meter) guesthouse is on the left of this photo and the main house is on the right.
A new open-air carport and storage structure sits behind and to the left of the guesthouse (out of view in this picture).
The team maintained many of the existing garage’s midcentury modern features while adding numerous improvements. For example, the garage door was replaced by a wall of glass that faces a new outdoor terrace designed with Lynch Landscape & Tree Service.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A new open-air carport and storage structure sits behind and to the left of the guesthouse (out of view in this picture).
The team maintained many of the existing garage’s midcentury modern features while adding numerous improvements. For example, the garage door was replaced by a wall of glass that faces a new outdoor terrace designed with Lynch Landscape & Tree Service.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Fortunately, the structure’s original Douglas fir roof decking was intact. Inside the guesthouse, the team kept the wood ceiling but replaced the plywood trusses with steel cable trusses, which both carry the load of the roof and lend the structure a lighter, modern industrial look. The team also insulated the concrete floor and installed porcelain planks over it.
Custom vertical-grain quartersawn white oak cabinets are topped with white engineered quartz. The surface functions as a work-from-home desk as well as a kitchen counter — there’s an integrated sink and undercounter refrigerator too.
Custom vertical-grain quartersawn white oak cabinets are topped with white engineered quartz. The surface functions as a work-from-home desk as well as a kitchen counter — there’s an integrated sink and undercounter refrigerator too.
The guesthouse bathroom has a curbless shower and multitone green wall tile (Cadence Jade from Nemo Tile + Stone) that blends into the greenery outside.
A space-saving Murphy bed with storage on either side works great for the grandparents’ extended stays. It can fold up quickly to convert the space into an exercise room.
Read more about this project
Read more about this project
“After” photos by Danny Piassick
2. From Storage Space to Play Place
Before: A Dallas couple who prefer to park in their driveway had been using their 450-square-foot (42-square-meter) garage for storage. But they had their sights set on turning it into a studio with a kitchenette and powder room. To get the bright and cheerful look they wanted, they reached out to Mary Anne Smiley Interiors, which had recently helped them remodel their house.
Here’s the garage as it looked at the start of the renovation process, with a door and window that faced the back of the main house and plywood covering the space where the garage door had been.
2. From Storage Space to Play Place
Before: A Dallas couple who prefer to park in their driveway had been using their 450-square-foot (42-square-meter) garage for storage. But they had their sights set on turning it into a studio with a kitchenette and powder room. To get the bright and cheerful look they wanted, they reached out to Mary Anne Smiley Interiors, which had recently helped them remodel their house.
Here’s the garage as it looked at the start of the renovation process, with a door and window that faced the back of the main house and plywood covering the space where the garage door had been.
After: Dani Burbidge (project lead) and Mary Anne Smiley replaced the windows and door with a large glass slider to let in light and allow the homeowners to open the space to the outdoors. In place of the hedges, there’s a new stained wood step and simple pea gravel leading to the backyard.
The designers matched the garage color to the exterior of the main house and found a sconce (the Mid Century 12-inch wall-mount from Troy Lighting) that’s similar in color to the house’s bright blue front door.
The designers matched the garage color to the exterior of the main house and found a sconce (the Mid Century 12-inch wall-mount from Troy Lighting) that’s similar in color to the house’s bright blue front door.
Before: Like many outbuildings that are used for storage, the existing garage had some wall cabinets for organization, an extra refrigerator and a jumble of seasonal and rarely used items.
How to Pare Down and Pack Up for a Garage Makeover
How to Pare Down and Pack Up for a Garage Makeover
After: Smiley and Burbidge raised the ceiling to about 13½ feet at the tallest point. They also replaced the dark wood cabinets with white MDF and had a mini-split air conditioner installed (critical in Dallas’ hot climate). Then they covered the original concrete floors with durable, washable white floor paint and the interior walls in Pure White by Sherwin-Williams.
A kaleidoscopic rug, four green vinyl counter stools (Eliza in lime green) purchased on Houzz and a green engineered resin countertop pop against all that white.
A new custom white table, which the couple use for art projects, rolls away for parties. And the new kitchenette, which has a sink, stacked stainless steel refrigerator drawers and a beverage refrigerator, makes entertaining a breeze.
A kaleidoscopic rug, four green vinyl counter stools (Eliza in lime green) purchased on Houzz and a green engineered resin countertop pop against all that white.
A new custom white table, which the couple use for art projects, rolls away for parties. And the new kitchenette, which has a sink, stacked stainless steel refrigerator drawers and a beverage refrigerator, makes entertaining a breeze.
The door at the back right of the previous photo leads to this new powder room, which features the same bright green countertops, white MDF cabinets and oversize chrome pulls used in the kitchenette. The wallpaper (George All Over by Voutsa), shares the rug’s colorful spirit.
Shop a curated selection of bathroom vanities
Shop a curated selection of bathroom vanities
Opposite the kitchenette, where the garage door used to be, the designers added an electric fireplace. The homeowners can enjoy the television and the fireplace while reclining in their matching Eames leather lounge chairs. In the corner, a floor-to-ceiling niche has shelves and a spot for the resident Chihuahua’s bed.
You can also see the couple’s Peloton bike to the left and the door to a small storage room.
You can also see the couple’s Peloton bike to the left and the door to a small storage room.
Photos by Michael Patrick Lefebvre
3. From Empty Canvas to Art Studio
Before: This 110-year-old, 800-square-foot (74-square-meter) carriage house in Massachusetts had already been partly converted into an unheated library, while the other side, pictured here, remained an unfinished garage. But the homeowners, one of whom is an artist who illustrates books, wanted to turn that side into a heated studio. So they hired Glenn and Carrie Travis of GMT Home Designs to help them carry out their vision.
First, though, they had to make the building structurally sound, since it had sagged due to rotting wood underneath it.
3. From Empty Canvas to Art Studio
Before: This 110-year-old, 800-square-foot (74-square-meter) carriage house in Massachusetts had already been partly converted into an unheated library, while the other side, pictured here, remained an unfinished garage. But the homeowners, one of whom is an artist who illustrates books, wanted to turn that side into a heated studio. So they hired Glenn and Carrie Travis of GMT Home Designs to help them carry out their vision.
First, though, they had to make the building structurally sound, since it had sagged due to rotting wood underneath it.
After: Once the building was shored up and stood straight, the team could pour a new concrete floor, add insulation to the walls and ceiling and install a new electrical system and three wall-mounted radiators to the studio side. It also added several windows to let in more natural light.
The layout was reconfigured so that one set of carriage doors (replicas, since the originals were rotted) opens to the new studio space.
The layout was reconfigured so that one set of carriage doors (replicas, since the originals were rotted) opens to the new studio space.
The homeowners love antiques and architectural salvage and sourced many of the materials and furnishings themselves. The studio now has a salvaged wood floor, shiplap walls and other vintage touches with a bit of Victorian flavor.
A cozy built-in daybed has drawers for storage.
25 Old-Fashioned House Details Worth Keeping or Reimagining
A cozy built-in daybed has drawers for storage.
25 Old-Fashioned House Details Worth Keeping or Reimagining
To the left of the work area, just out of frame in the previous photo, is a new opening that leads to this cleanup space and powder room. The original sliding barn door, which you can see in the “before” photo, was moved to this entryway.
The sink and grooved mahogany countertop are vintage. Above them, and inset into the sliding door, are salvaged leaded glass windows that maintain the structure’s historical feel.
The sink and grooved mahogany countertop are vintage. Above them, and inset into the sliding door, are salvaged leaded glass windows that maintain the structure’s historical feel.
Here’s the view of the renovated carriage house as seen from the rear of the house. A vestibule that separates the unheated library (not part of the renovation) from the heated studio is behind the second set of carriage doors.
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Read more about this project
More on Houzz
Read more before-and-after stories
Tour more guesthouses
Shop for home products
Find home professionals near you
1. From Basic Garage to Beautiful Guesthouse
Before: This Massachusetts garage-workshop sat next to a 1958 home by renowned architects Henry Hoover and Walter Hill. When the owners decided they wanted additional space to house guests and serve as a home office and yoga studio, they asked Colin Flavin of Flavin Architects, who had already helped them renovate the main home, and Perkins Custom Contracting to repurpose the garage as a new multipurpose guesthouse.
Flavin had the homeowners peruse Houzz for inspiration throughout the renovation and save what they liked on a shared Houzz ideabook.
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