I Built An Office In My Garage (and still have room to park our van)! 

Hi

Is this why you built your room

It's an interesting idea, isn't it? I first saw this idea about 10 years ago when I stayed at a friends house who had a spare room. Until I actually looked into the garage from the roller door, I didn't realise the room I was staying in was in fact built into the garage (I arrived late at night). The internal door to the garage was now the door to the room. Ever since, I've always thought to do this in the house I bought a few years ago to create an extra room. Now that I'll be embarking on this journey, I'm starting to search around on RU-vid to see if other people have done the same and to steal some ideas from them.

Underrated house upgrade!

Same!! 💪🏼💪🏼

home school sucks

If you don’t mind me asking but how much did it cost because I been wanting to do the same

I'm looking at doing the same thing can I get your RU-vid channel to see how and materials you used please.

@@lisathompson9585 sure no prob!!! ru-vid.com/show-UCpL98tIa-qf3BJQr_juF_9w

Yeah, I think it is a perfect size for that, I could easily fit two lazy boys and a small table in between, with a large TV on the other wall, and it would be perfect viewing distance. The only thing bad in my setup is that the inside air conditioner than I'm using is pretty loud... which would not be ideal for watching TV. Could look into a split system, but they are a good bit more expensive. Depending on how your house is set up and the size of your main AC, you may be able to change your ducting to use that. For me it hasn't been too much of an issue because I use noise canceling headphones on my computer almost all of the time, but otherwise it would be kinda annoying.

@@coreyapotter I have the same ac as you. I guess I'll just have to crank the volume up

You are right! I have to open or at least crack the garage door in the summer if I want to run the AC.

Not just that.. you are throwing CO2 gases in the garage is really dangerous.. you mind want to reroute the ace vent to the outside wall.. other than that.. good work

@@ethan1627 C02 gases? That is not accurate. Electric air conditioners do not produce C02. The venting/placement has more to do with efficiency. The garage is open 99% of the time, so it really isn't much different than venting on the outside wall. Thanks for the concern though!

One thing holding me back from doing this is understanding what I can and can’t do based on local regulations/permits, etc. (i.e. if a room is heated/cooled it may need to be insulated, including the floor).

@@Rick-rn2ur Probably best to enquire with the relevant council department. Or, engage a professional builder who will do all this for you, lodge plans, obtain building approval, etc.

I did think about that for sure, but the slope of the floor would have been tricky to deal with even going as thin as possible. Also there was a brick line around the floor that I wanted to cover. The sub floor also gave me a bit more "spring" since I do alot of standing at my desk, and made it easy to run one of the wires to my switch without having to tear up my wall. Since the ceiling was about 10ft, I didn't mind bringing the floor up 6-8 inches. Lots of different ways to do it though, and mine were far from perfect, but it has been holding up great, and I'm loving using it!

@@coreyapotter I'm glad it works for you, and since it is your office, your opinion is the only one that should count.

Unfortunately no, I never recorded it like that. I did rough plans and just bought what I needed as I needed it. Mostly 2x4s, drywall, some subfloor and vinyl flooring, and electrical components like wires and outlets. There are lots of things to consider, and while this one isn't meant to be a "here's how to do this" video... there are lots of those on RU-vid, and I found many of them helpful in my build process!

This is not nice but its awesome 🤩😎

Thanks! Took about 2 weeks from when I started to when I started working in the office!

Yes, I took it into consideration. There were several options, and this was the easiest for me. I didn't need that extra floor space and I don't mind the step. Raising the exterior door would have been a major job, including reframing an exterior wall, cutting through siding, and potentially rerouting electrical wires. Just not worth it. I could have made less of a step, but the slope of the floor was pretty significant and I chose this height because I was able to set the frame of the floor on the level bricks around the edge of the garage. Anyway, there are many ways to do any project, and I picked the options that worked for my needs. I'll likely be tearing it out before selling the house, so really it didn't have to be perfect.

Nothing too fancy. There was a layer of bricks around the base of the garage that were already level, and at about the right height for my subfloor. I leveled some boards that were laid on top of those bricks, put another board directly on the floor, then measured the height every 18 inches and cut a support (each getting a bit longer as the slope increased). You can see them clearly at 4:04 in the video!

@@coreyapotter Thanks for your reply. Regarding the supports, did you slightly taper them (the bottom side) to account for the slope angle? Or, are they flat both ends? Also, when you installed the front facing wall (I assume this was levelled straight), was there a slight gap/rise on the back edge of the floor beam (facing the garage door) on account of the slope or did you secure the beam flat to the floor?

I would highly recommend getting the permits if you ever plan to sell the house or if you want to be sure your homeowners insurance will cover any incidents (for example, if an electrical fire burns down your house and it originated in this unpermitted room, your insurance may not pay). It does slow things down a bit, but in the long run I think it is worth it.

@@coreyapotter I spoke with a builder who suggested the same - get the permits if/when you the sell the home, just make sure you've got adequate drawings/plans and a documented process of how you built it. But for sure, the other issue can be insurance if a claim involves/results from the addition. As it's not an approved structure, they will be sure to scrutinise this.

That's something you'll need to verify with your local laws, it varies by location.

Yes, you will likely need a permit/inspection if you live in city limits or want to maintain homeowners insurance.

I learned things about permits that I didn't know before I started. I'd highly recommend getting one, especially for insurance and liability reasons. For the sub-floor, I just framed it out with 2x4s and used treated lumber on anything touching concrete. For the laminate sub-floor, I just used the standard stuff they sell at Lowes, some kind of foam, I didn't really pay very close attention to what it was. I still haven't insulated the office, over a year later. I left the outer walls open so I could insulate and just haven't made it a priority because the climate is fairly moderate and so far hasn't been a problem. I did the electrical work myself, but it was relatively simple, only 3 outlets and 2 lights. Good luck on your project! Mine was just something I threw together on a whim, but I wish I had done a bit more research and planning before I started.

No, it's not an ideal plan. But I made it work for me and am still doing it this way years later. The "right" solution would be a split system above the door. Jus haven't had the time or budget to make that happen yet.

Yeah, but would also take an afternoon for me to rip it back out if we sell the house. Not to worried about that. Also in our neighborhood many of the houses only have a one car garage, so it doesn't affect the comps too much. Might even be a selling point for the right person who needs a way to work from home.

I don't have a list. Honestly, it was just me writing down some basic measurements and buying some lumber from Lowes. I used pine 2x4s, treated for anything that touched concrete, and standard for everything else. Standard materials for drywall and subfloor. I think each build will be slightly different, but if you watch some framing videos on RU-vid, you should be off to a good start.

The floor of the garage is not level, and this was an easy way to creat a level subfloor.

@@coreyapotter Oh okay, that makes sense. Could you have used some self leveling compound? I am converting my tandem garage space in the next couple weeks.

@@melvingray3245 yes, that probably could have worked, but in my case I had about 10 ft from floor to ceiling, so the subfloor made it feel more like a standard size room. Also made it easier for me to run the electricity like I wanted.

Yes, I did screw them in with some screws made for that specific application!

Yes, but this is going to be highly dependent on your location, as the laws and regulations are different in every country, state, city, county, and even HOA.

In general, you apply for a permit (I think they are $25 here), and when you are ready, the city/town/county will send an inspector to make sure you are following codes. This is pretty important for insurance reasons. If things are not inspected/approved and let's say a fire is started from faulty wiring, the insurance company may not cover your home.

It stays moderate year round here (South Carolina). A small space heater is more than enough to hear the room. Since it is in the garage (which can stay closed in the winter), there is at least some insulation there. The worst part is in the summer. The metal exterior door gets direct exposure to the sun in the hottest part of the day. That wall gets warm to the touch, so the AC has to work hard to keep up. So far it has been comfortable for about 80% of the year, and the rest is bearable. I did need a permit, although I found that out later.

In most areas, and for many homeowners insurance policies, permits or inspection is required. Also, some HOAs have rules that require you to get any construction approved by them. I learned about some of these things after the project, but in the future, I would definitely START with the permit and have it inspected right after finishing.

I hadn't insulated at the time of this video, but left the outer drywall off so I could put some in. The garage wall that isn't against the house is not insulated... but I figured it couldn't hurt to insulate the two walls I put up.

The AC worked fine with the portable unit, but wasn't really that efficient. The exterior wall with the door gets direct sun with no shade from like 2pm until sunset, so on these long summer days, it struggled a little in the evenings. Adding a small fan made a huge difference. However, I recently switched out the portable unit for a window unit. I'm still venting into the garage, but it stays open about 95% of the time I'm running the AC (I only close it during thunderstorms or late at night). I definitely don't recommend venting into the garage if you plan on closing it, even running a small window unit for an hour with the garage closed increases the garage temperature significantly. I'm sure its also against all kinds of codes/regulations... so I consider this a temporary solution for myself. That being said, the small window unit keeps the office ice cold, even on the hot evenings.

Lots of Googling and watching YT videos. I watched several videos first, then did some research to learn about the electrical codes/standards in my state. Then I just Googled for charts and diagrams once I knew what pattern I was working with. If you do a Google image search for any kind of specific setup (like "two outlets with switch on opposite end of source") You'll find tons of diagrams.

Yes.

No, lol, just a bad ladder and awkward position (hey, we aren't pros).

This one is about 8x10 ft.

less that 10x10

Lay it on me!

@@coreyapotter I saw that you put wood down on the floor to make it level because your garage wasn’t level but we are putting a Floor on so that I can insulate it. How did you frame the floor. I’m trying to figure out how much wood we need to frame it

@@DaNae2334 You can see it best at 4:03 in the video. You can secure these with concrete nails/screws. After this, I believe I laid 2x4s across, perpendicular to the floor frame pieces you see at 4:03. I think every 16 or 18 inches, I'm sure you can look up the recommended code for that. Just make sure you use treated wood on the concrete.

Lowes, a hardware store.

It cost me about $1,200 including the AC. Could have probably saved quite a bit if I had more time and could have sourced things at better rates. I also had to buy a few tools. I think I could have done the whole thing for more like $800, but I think some cases could be much more expensive as well (like if you don't have a door, or have to get fancy with your heat/AC).

No, I just did my best at measuring and estimating what I would need, then made multiple trips to Lowes (only a few miles away). It will all depend on the size, and I've noticed that garages are not very standard. The supplies are pretty basic though. Just watch some videos about framing rooms and you should be able to create a decent list!

I put the cost in the description, but in 2021, the cost would be noticeably higher in the US, since lumber prices are ~double what they were then. I'd estimate this project to cost around $2,000-$2,500 if done today.

Good thing you don't have to work here then huh? I did the best I could with the resources I had, and I'm happy with the result. This isn't supposed to be a tutorial... just my story.

Yes?