What could your garage become?
A guest suite. Even a single garage, at a minimum of 3m by 5.4m, is larger than the average Australian bedroom at around 3m by 3m, which leaves plenty of room to work with.
A home office or study. If your dining table is doubling as a desk, a filing cabinet and a homework station, a converted garage can take that pressure off the rest of the house, with room for multiple workstations and proper storage.
An additional lounge room. Clean out the garage, clean the floors, and add a lounge, coffee table and TV. If you still need to store items like gardening tools, flat-pack cupboards with lockable doors are an easy, affordable addition.
A kids’ playroom. Chalkboards, painting walls and craft tables, plus a chill-out corner, can turn the space into somewhere kids can make mess without it spreading through the house.
A home gym. Even a small single garage is enough space for a genuinely effective setup: a rack, bench, barbell, dumbbell station, plates and a rower will take you a long way.
A teenager’s retreat. A couple of lounges, a TV, a desk and something like a ping pong table can make the garage the room teenagers actually want to spend time in.
What to check before you start
Once you know what you want the space to become, a few things determine how straightforward the conversion will be.
Purpose and permanence
Be clear on how long you intend to keep the space this way. A conversion meant to be temporary should be easy to reverse. One meant to be permanent is worth planning properly from the outset.
Do you need building approval?
This is best answered by a town planner or certifier, since it depends on what you’re adding. Converting a garage into a rumpus room, study or lounge generally doesn’t need approval. Adding services like water or sewer, for a kitchenette, laundry or powder room, is where it gets more complicated, and approval is more likely to apply.
Flooring
Garages run hot in summer and cold in winter, and insulation is often minimal. Clear the space, sweep it, then acid wash or pressure wash the floor before choosing a finish. Epoxy, vinyl tiles and floating floors are all common options, and how long you plan to keep the conversion should guide which one you choose.
Layout
Measure the space properly and sketch a few layout options before you commit. Services, lighting, heating and cooling, and access all need to be factored in from the start.
Electrical
Decide early on lighting, data points, TV points and general power outlets. Keeping the wiring changes to a minimum will help keep the overall cost down.
Garage door
Keeping the existing door is the cheapest option, though it will let more air in and out. Replacing it with something like sliding doors improves insulation but adds a few thousand dollars. Removing the door entirely costs more again if you ever want to reinstate it.
