How to Make a Garage Apartment
Frequent guests, a teen that wants more independence or caring for a parent, all of these situations can warrant the need to add an extra room in the home. When you make a garage apartment, you can create this extra space without having to build an addition to your home or moving to a new home with more rooms. Garage apartments give the room's occupant the privacy and comfort he needs without being far away from you. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Concrete bonding liquid
- Concrete
- Broom
- Mop
- Bucket
- Floor cleaner
- Insulation
- Wallboard or plywood
- 2x4 wood
- Hammer
- Nails
- Saw
- Floor made from the material of your choice
- Paint in the color of your choice
- Paint roller
- Door for the bathroom
- Bathroom sink
- Vanity
- Shower
- Toilet
- Towel bar
- Mirror
- Kitchen sink
- Counter
- Kitchen cabinets
- Small refrigerator
- Light fixtures
- Window kit
- Curtain Rod
- Curtains
Instructions
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1
Clear the garage of all its contents. This includes detaching all the shelves from the walls.
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2
Dust the walls.
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3
Patch and wash the cement floor. Patch the floor by brushing a concrete bonding liquid in to the hole before pouring enough cement into it fill it. When the concrete is dry, sweep and wash the floor with a household floor cleaning solution.
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4
Install insulation over the walls before attaching wallboards or plywood over the garage's current walls.
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5
Using the two-by-fours and wallboards or plywood to build walls, create a small bathroom in the corner of the garage. Fire How, a how-to website, states creating a bathroom in the corner of a garage will allow you to have a direct line to the home's existing plumbing.
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6
Lay down a floor. The floor can be made of bamboo, wood, carpet, tile or linoleum. However, consider using a floor material that is durable and scratch resistant such as tile.
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7
Paint the walls and ceiling using the paint roller.
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8
Install the vanity, sink, toilet, shower, mirror, towel bar and door in the garage apartment's bathroom.
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9
Install the kitchen sink, counter, cabinets and refrigerator on the side of the garage opposite of the bathroom so you can still access to the home's existing plumbing.
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10
Install light fixtures such as pendent or ceiling lamps in the kitchen, bathroom and main area of the garage apartment.
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11
Install the window kit per the manufacturer's instructions, and add the curtain and curtain rods inside the garage apartment.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Unless you already know how to install electric wiring and plumbing features into a home, consider hiring a contractor. This can help prevent future leaks or fire hazards.
Purchase window kits at a home improvement store.
Some homeowners add a door that leads outside so the garage apartment's occupant does not have to go through the house or open the garage door when they want to leave the home.
Check with your local city planner if you are unsure about your zoning requirements and limits.
References
- Photo Credit Garage image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
