I am looking at buying a 3×1 double brick home with a garage or carport that is under the main roof, so I can turn it into a extra bedroom and bathroom. Does anyone have any experience with kind of extension? What pit falls did you find along the way? Did you get the result you were after in the end?
Since most of these types of homes have the kitchen or living area against the garage or carport wall, did you end up with an unusual layout, with the master bed coming off one of these rooms?
hi , my parents did this and it is an unusual long skinny room.
no one really knows what to do with it ,though if you have a big train set or a pool table it would be perfect !
i would suggest really thinking hard about where to put the door and insulation for sound and warmth ( the folks didnt and it is cold ,with a door in the middle of the room affecting the layout )
good luckHi Hughski,
It is funny what Suavemachanic said about the position of the door … I completely agree.
We currently have a renovation project at Nerang on the Gold Coast where the 4th bedroom use to be a garage underneath the roof line. It to had a hugh archway into the room from the lounge and it looked stupid as it wasted alot of the wall space in the lounge.
HAVE A LOOK … So that you can shee how we did it … if you are on Facebook, goto our Boston West page or just follow the link http://bit.ly/cEpcYU … and look at the videos on Nerang Reno Update (Day 26) and Nerang Reno Update (Day 56). You will see how we resized and repositioned the door to one side. It looks alot better now. One other thing we did this time was to render the internal walls of the 4th bedroom.
Well, I hope this all helps!
Property Trader | Boston West Pty Ltd
http://bostonwest.com.au
Email Me | Phone MePrivate money lending opportunities available paying upto 12%, secured by bricks and mortar!
Hi Hughski,
My parents did exactly what you have said but to their PPOR. They bought a 3bed brick house with double garage(separate roller doors) and built a wall blocking off half of the double garage with panels. The panels they used are installed with railing at the top and bottom and you just slide the sheets in!
The room has two doors, one in the middle on the side which goes directly to the loungeroom, and another on the rear side of the room out to the patio. It also has a kitchen sink in the corner near the outside door and has central heating (I beleive the previous owner worked a fair bit in the garage)
The roller door at the front is walled off as well, so from the inside it just looks like another room, and from the outside it looks like a double garage still! There is a gap between the wall and roller door which is a very handy storage space for boxes etc.
I shared this room with my brother for a few years as it was obviously quite a large room. If left, the room would be the coldest in winter and the hottest in summer. In saying that, the house had evaporative air con so we could direct airflow through the room quite easily and in winter the central heating worked well also.
Now that all the kids have moved out my parents use it as a spare bedroom/study. It easily fits a queen size bed, piano, large computer desk and large robes as well as having a sink with cupboards and backdoor to outside and window.
I have rambled on a bit but hopefully this has answered some of your questions!
Thanks everyone, very useful posts.
Wow Jason, you’ve got enough material on Facebook to start your own TV show!
With all of these new rooms coming directly off the living area, did anyone find it odd or difficult using it as a bedroom? It makes for a very unconventional layout…
Hughski,
People can use the room as a fourth bedroom, a rumpus room for the kids or a home office … It is actually quite a versitile space. The trick arranging the doorway and the walls inside the room to reflect its intended purpose.
Have a great weekend.
Property Trader | Boston West Pty Ltd
http://bostonwest.com.au
Email Me | Phone MePrivate money lending opportunities available paying upto 12%, secured by bricks and mortar!
Have to be careful extending into the garage, as there is one major pitfall.
Some builders choose to save money by not laying plastic under the slab in the garage/carports.
If this is the case with your property, you may find issues with rising damp, and may have issues getting certificationgood luck
Eco Builder wrote:Some builders choose to save money by not laying plastic under the slab in the garage/carports.
If this is the case with your property, you may find issues with rising damp, and may have issues getting certificationThis is not 'a cost saving measure' but it is not a requirement for a non-habitable room. Likewise, external walls may be only single brick which is also susceptible to water penetration – you don't mind in a garage but in your bedroom, it is a worry.
Very good tip Adrien, thanks. If I were to dig down the side of the slab would I see generally see the plastic sheet if it was there, or would it be hidden in the concrete?
Does 'habitable room' mean bedrooms Scott?
Thanks again for all posts everyone, it's all very useful stuff.
If you dig beside the slab, you should come across the plastic – it wraps around the slab to stop ground moisture entering the building.
A habitable room is defined in the BCA (it covers lounge room, bedrooms, dining/sun rooms, studies etc but non-habitable rooms are halls, bathrooms, kitchens, storerooms, garages and the like).
We have done these types of renovations quite a few times for ourselves and our clients, with either converting the garage into a bedroom & ensuite or two bedrooms depending on just how big the garage is. These have worked very well in terms of value add, just make sure that the work complies with the building regulations and that you cost the works accurately.
Wishing you every success, Ana
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