I've just been offered to buy my first home (a two story 4/2 3400 sq/ft demo home from a near bankrupt builder). It's an exclusive deal at a great price. The only downside is that it currently has a one car garage - which when you're used to parking 2 cars in the garage + having a small work area/storage, it blows. There isn't access to the backyard from any street. Sadly, it's on a tight lot, so there isn't room to expand the garage out to the side (or have a driveway 'around the side of the house'. So no backyard garage. Driving around the neighborhood, and seeing the 'same' house over and over with a 2 car garage, I went online and checked floor plans offered by this builder. I discovered that the same house is offered with a 2 car garage (using 2 single external doors). In my house, instead of a odd 'lower family room' at the front of the house, I'd like to expand the garage into this space. The house is huge. I can afford to lose the 300-400 sq/ft. Its seems easier said than done. I've worked out most of this in my head, on paper, etc. There isn't much help online (most want to turn their garage into living space or build a new one).
In my head, most of the issues are solved except these four (from 'easiest' to 'deal-breakers'):
#2, 3, and 4 scare the life out of me. #2 because that is one BIG hole in an outside wall. #3 trying to work around existing pipes (frugally). and #4 because it is the stealthy deal breaker to the whole thing.
Anybody do anything like this (or even parts?) or can tell me if any of this is possible? I'm thinking I could DIY this for about 6-10k on the whole affair. I can frame walls, hang sheet rock, install garage doors, even pour concrete... but cutting into outside walls, respecting loads, garage foundation questions, etc.. its a tad overwhelming.
Thanks,
IJ
In my head, most of the issues are solved except these four (from 'easiest' to 'deal-breakers'):
- Demoing old garage/internal wall (2 story house - Load Bearing? Transferring load to new Internal Wall
)
- Requires a Structural Engineer to look at it
- Demoing an internal wall on the bottom floor of a two story house.
- Load bearing? Transferring load to new internal wall.
- Requires a Structural Engineer to look at it
- Demoing an external wall on the bottom floor of a two story house.
- Load bearing? Transferring load across the opening.
- Issue: The water meter and sewer access pipe (for unclogging the line) would be in the middle of the 2nd driveway.
- Question: Can I just put these in a box flush with the driveway?
- The garage floor is about 2 inches lower than the inside floor.
- If I can, I'm considering leaving it at two levels.
- Considering either light shaving/sanding to give floor a slope for drainage OR
- Using one of the garage flooring kits to accomplish the same thing.
- If I have to match heights:
- Fill in the garage floor to raise the height to match
- Otherwise, this project is DOA (not going to jackhammer old floor)
- In either case (if I need to) give garage new 'lip' to prevent spills.
- Requires a Structural Engineer to look at it
#2, 3, and 4 scare the life out of me. #2 because that is one BIG hole in an outside wall. #3 trying to work around existing pipes (frugally). and #4 because it is the stealthy deal breaker to the whole thing.
Anybody do anything like this (or even parts?) or can tell me if any of this is possible? I'm thinking I could DIY this for about 6-10k on the whole affair. I can frame walls, hang sheet rock, install garage doors, even pour concrete... but cutting into outside walls, respecting loads, garage foundation questions, etc.. its a tad overwhelming.
Thanks,
IJ