Could This Be Your Home’s Next Bonus Room?
See 6 former garages that became an office, guest cottage, home theater, hangout spot or playroom
If you had an extra room in your house, what would you do with it? Perhaps you’d like room for a home office, space for overnight guests, a work area for your hobbies or extra room for the kids to play. If you live in a mild climate, you might want to consider converting your garage instead of expanding your home’s footprint.
Ready to take the idea for a test drive? Check out these six super creative garage conversions, which prove that the sky’s the limit when it comes to remaking a parking space into the extra space of your dreams.
Ready to take the idea for a test drive? Check out these six super creative garage conversions, which prove that the sky’s the limit when it comes to remaking a parking space into the extra space of your dreams.
Architect Jarrod Denton of Signum Architecture raised the roofline to make the vaulted ceiling, creating a more spacious feel that makes the room practically unrecognizable as a converted garage. Two sets of large-scale doors — sliding glass to the left side and French doors to the right — open up the previously dark space and let in plenty of light.
Interior designers Donna McDonald and Anita Ettinger of Maquette Interior Design brought lots of gray, red and purple into the space.
Sofa: A. Rudin in Plushy gray indoor-outdoor fabric by Perennials; wallpaper: Maya Romanoff, stitched horizontal hand-painted paper in lacquered rust, installed by Marc Vallat Decorating; Roy side table: Made Goods; Gear chandelier: McEwen Lighting; handmade Nepalese wool carpet: Decorative Tibetan Rugs
Interior designers Donna McDonald and Anita Ettinger of Maquette Interior Design brought lots of gray, red and purple into the space.
Sofa: A. Rudin in Plushy gray indoor-outdoor fabric by Perennials; wallpaper: Maya Romanoff, stitched horizontal hand-painted paper in lacquered rust, installed by Marc Vallat Decorating; Roy side table: Made Goods; Gear chandelier: McEwen Lighting; handmade Nepalese wool carpet: Decorative Tibetan Rugs
Converting the garage into a lounge with doors on both sides helps with the backyard flow and creates an easy transition between indoors and out.
Fire feature: Concreteworks (Oakland, California); deck: Thermory
Learn more about this garage renovation
Fire feature: Concreteworks (Oakland, California); deck: Thermory
Learn more about this garage renovation
2. Multipurpose Space With a Bar
Location: Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, California
Size: 360 square feet (33 square meters)
After moving into a 930-square-foot cottage in San Jose, homeowners Lesley and Mike Vaux were soon looking for extra space.
They converted their crumbling detached garage into a multipurpose room, repainting the wood-plank tongue-and-groove siding, installing a carriage door and gutting the interior.
Location: Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, California
Size: 360 square feet (33 square meters)
After moving into a 930-square-foot cottage in San Jose, homeowners Lesley and Mike Vaux were soon looking for extra space.
They converted their crumbling detached garage into a multipurpose room, repainting the wood-plank tongue-and-groove siding, installing a carriage door and gutting the interior.
Dividing the garage in two allowed the homeowners to use half the space as a bar and entertaining area and the other half as a home office (recently taken over as an art and music room by the couple’s young daughter). Built-in cabinets and a deep back closet create more storage space.
Bar stools: California Stools Bars Dinettes; Acqua dual-head rotational ceiling fan: Lamps Plus; black pendant lights: Rejuvenation, with chrome lightbulbs
Bar stools: California Stools Bars Dinettes; Acqua dual-head rotational ceiling fan: Lamps Plus; black pendant lights: Rejuvenation, with chrome lightbulbs
The couple thought carefully about where they placed the dividing wall that separates the two spaces. If they ever sell the home, the future owner will be able to easily convert the bar area back into a one-car garage.
Learn more about this garage renovation
Learn more about this garage renovation
3. Luxe Home Theater
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Size: 420 square feet (39 square meters), including storage hallway
After exploring adding an entertainment room to their home, Brett Sugerman and Giselle Loor Sugerman realized that converting their garage would cost roughly half as much. After a few months of design and construction (the couple run their own design-build firm), they fully retrofitted their garage as a home theater.
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Size: 420 square feet (39 square meters), including storage hallway
After exploring adding an entertainment room to their home, Brett Sugerman and Giselle Loor Sugerman realized that converting their garage would cost roughly half as much. After a few months of design and construction (the couple run their own design-build firm), they fully retrofitted their garage as a home theater.
The space is now enjoyed daily by the couple and their kids. Replacing the garage door with a wall and adding insulation around the rest of the room helped make the space soundproof and its temperature more easily controlled.
On the raised platform at the back of the home theater, two full-size beds act as deep seating for watching movies and can also be made up as guest beds.
Learn more about this garage renovation
Learn more about this garage renovation
4. Americana Game Room
Location: Lavallette, New Jersey
Size: 625 square feet (58 square meters)
The owners of this beachside home in a borough of Ocean County, New Jersey, needed extra space for them and their four active teenagers to hang out — and to avoid bringing sand and wet swimsuits into the house. With the help of Miriam Silver Verga and Hillary Kaplan of Mimi & Hill Interiors, the couple retrofitted the garage into a bright Americana-themed backyard game room and hangout spot.
Location: Lavallette, New Jersey
Size: 625 square feet (58 square meters)
The owners of this beachside home in a borough of Ocean County, New Jersey, needed extra space for them and their four active teenagers to hang out — and to avoid bringing sand and wet swimsuits into the house. With the help of Miriam Silver Verga and Hillary Kaplan of Mimi & Hill Interiors, the couple retrofitted the garage into a bright Americana-themed backyard game room and hangout spot.
The designers used outdoor furniture to make an easy-to-clean and relatively water-resistant seating area. The American flag hides a Murphy bed that can be pulled out to accommodate guests.
Paint: Athens Blue, Atlantis Blue, Blue Suede Shoes, Delano Waters and Strawberry Red, all by Benjamin Moore; Cayman rug: Home Decorators Collection; bathroom mirror: Serena & Lily; sectional, chair and coffee table set: Modway; pillows: One Kings Lane; tray: Serena & Lily; mounted carnival wheel: JohnnyUNamath on Etsy
Learn more about this garage renovation
Paint: Athens Blue, Atlantis Blue, Blue Suede Shoes, Delano Waters and Strawberry Red, all by Benjamin Moore; Cayman rug: Home Decorators Collection; bathroom mirror: Serena & Lily; sectional, chair and coffee table set: Modway; pillows: One Kings Lane; tray: Serena & Lily; mounted carnival wheel: JohnnyUNamath on Etsy
Learn more about this garage renovation
5. Eclectic Home Office
Location: Vancouver, Washington
Size: 100 square feet (9 square meters)
Interior designer Andrea McLean helped her client transform what was once a dusty, detached garage into a bright home studio. The homeowner works as a teacher and wanted a calm, peaceful space that could be used for reading, writing and lesson planning.
Location: Vancouver, Washington
Size: 100 square feet (9 square meters)
Interior designer Andrea McLean helped her client transform what was once a dusty, detached garage into a bright home studio. The homeowner works as a teacher and wanted a calm, peaceful space that could be used for reading, writing and lesson planning.
The renovation included gutting the garage and installing new framing, better insulation, drywall and a heated tile floor. Now the studio is a bright, airy space with a desk, bookshelves and storage. The floor-to-ceiling windows, salvaged from a neighbor’s remodel and reworked to form a glass wall, create a smooth transition to the garden.
Learn more about this garage renovation
Learn more about this garage renovation
6. Colorful Learning and Play Space
Location: San Diego
Size: Three-car garage
When homeowner Janelle Garchie retired from practicing law, she wanted to spend more time with her young granddaughters in a way that was meaningful and productive. One messy paint experience involving a certain granddaughter in her kitchen was enough to have Garchie call an interior designer to help transform her garage into a mess-friendly project space.
Location: San Diego
Size: Three-car garage
When homeowner Janelle Garchie retired from practicing law, she wanted to spend more time with her young granddaughters in a way that was meaningful and productive. One messy paint experience involving a certain granddaughter in her kitchen was enough to have Garchie call an interior designer to help transform her garage into a mess-friendly project space.
Post-renovation, the now brightly colored garage is set up as a kid-friendly discovery lab. Classroom-style cabinets and countertops are packed with science experiment kits, arts and crafts supplies and tablets for math lessons. The garage also has a full-size skeleton and clothesline-style strings across the walls for hanging up the girls’ art.
The entire space is designed to be easy to clean up, with an epoxy-sealed floor that can be hosed down and a washable indoor-outdoor rug under the table.
Learn more about this garage renovation
Learn more about this garage renovation
Considerations for Converting a Garage
Climate: Is a garage conversion right for your region? If you live in an area with snowy or wet winters or very hot summers, it might be more important to have your vehicles protected from the elements than to have the extra living space.
Regulations: Whether you can convert your garage depends on your local ordinances and building codes. Some counties require room for at least one car inside the garage, which could affect your design plans. Before you start a project, it’s best to set up a meeting with a licensed contractor or architect who is familiar with local regulations.
Building considerations: Converting a non-living space into a comfortable room will require a few extra steps. You may need to provide heating or cooling, run gas or water lines from the house or install additional plumbing. Also, you’ll need to consider what to do with the garage door opening. The simplest solution? Keep the existing door in place, if you don’t mind how it looks, and retrofit it to be weather-tight. Other ideas: Replace the door with French doors, large windows or a sliding barn-style door.
More
More Living Space: Converting a Garage
Find a contractor, architect and more in your area
Climate: Is a garage conversion right for your region? If you live in an area with snowy or wet winters or very hot summers, it might be more important to have your vehicles protected from the elements than to have the extra living space.
Regulations: Whether you can convert your garage depends on your local ordinances and building codes. Some counties require room for at least one car inside the garage, which could affect your design plans. Before you start a project, it’s best to set up a meeting with a licensed contractor or architect who is familiar with local regulations.
Building considerations: Converting a non-living space into a comfortable room will require a few extra steps. You may need to provide heating or cooling, run gas or water lines from the house or install additional plumbing. Also, you’ll need to consider what to do with the garage door opening. The simplest solution? Keep the existing door in place, if you don’t mind how it looks, and retrofit it to be weather-tight. Other ideas: Replace the door with French doors, large windows or a sliding barn-style door.
More
More Living Space: Converting a Garage
Find a contractor, architect and more in your area
Location: Calistoga, California
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
It’s hard to believe this stylish living space in Northern California, complete with vaulted ceiling and comfortable furnishings, was once a seldom-used two-car garage. Homeowners Betsy and John Kane-Hartnett weren’t wild about the placement of their detached garage, which was plunked between the pool and a courtyard.
They built a new detached garage on another part of the property and converted the existing one into a living space that complemented their outdoor areas.