We are getting ready to remodel our garage (we’re located in the East Bay). There are a number of must-haves: drywall installation, door replacement, electrical updates, etc. Our primary goal is to have a clean, organized garage.
Long-term, we are interested in converting a section of the garage into a gym / changing room for our backyard pool.
What's the best way to approach this remodel? How feasible is it to "stage" the work so that we can accomplish our first goal, keeping in mind our long-term goal?
Here are some pictures of the garage in its current state:
Draw out plans for what your ideas are. Make an estimate for pricing and workload. Determine if you are interested to do this yourself and if so, get goin.
I would want to get a little more info before getting too in depth in your situation. But, overall, I can’t see any reason not to move forward with phase 1 and just jump into phase 2 whenever you’re ready. Just remember to-
get all the necessary (future), electrical outlets in before drywall installation.
Insulate the walls and ceiling prior to drywall.
Make sure you have adequate ventilation in the area to be used for your gym. If you can’t get good natural ventilation I would install a good low sone ventilation fan directly exhausted through the roof. Poor ventilation could result in excessive moisture condensation on the windows and walls which could lead to funky smells and mold issues.
Also be careful to choose the right paint for the walls and ceiling in the gym for the best moisture resistance and be sure to install adequate backing for screwing or bolting in heavy equipment like large wall hangings, grab bars, lockers,TV mounting brackets, and exercise equipment.
And I would definitely pre-wire for speakers. Speaker wire is cheap and you’ll be so glad you did it before drywall.
I’m not too far away so if you end up needing a contractor or draftsman to draw you plans let me know. Otherwise best of luck with your project. I hope this was helpful.
Hello, My name is Richard Pardue General Contractor ,I can assist you in the design and possibly provide you with the options to do the work your self or hire me Give me a call ill be more than willing to help. Vencoandpardue @Gmail. Com
Everything that has been said before my response are all good and correct.
Additional items you may want to consider:
Switch to tankless hot water heater, it will elimate your big water heater and you can gain a lot of real estate for your gymn.
Go with a sectional garare door and don’t skimp on it. Get one that has insulation, it may be a lot more expensive if you go with custom sectional wood door, but it is all worth it.
Ventilation, Ventilation, Ventilation.
Garage floor - go with Epoxy Resin Floor or special garage tiles, you can also get rubber type tiles for your gym section.
Lighting, lighting, lighting - of course, consider only energy effecient ones.
I would ad, that it would be nice to cut some electrical into the floor so your not tripping over cords powering the exercise equipment. Insulate that ceiling too. Maybe put a solatube or two in the ceiling, especially if you workout during daylight hours.
I like the idea of switching to a tankless water heater. I would suggest, moving it entirely out of the garage and mount it on an exterior wall.
Also, if you have it all planned out ahead of time, you can add blocking for joining walls.
Good luck, and feel free to contact me with any questions.
Sure, you should be able to stage the work. But do the planning work now for the gym/changing room - where will the walls be, what new electrical and plumbing (a shower?), etc. You may not need to put in all the new infrastructure now, but you should be able to avoid tearing things out later on. Get a builder’s feedback on the permitting or planning requirements for the changing room. If you live in an area governed by a homes association, check the rules - many HOA’s prohibit converting any space in the garage.
Since the long term goal is converting a section of the garage into a gym / changing room for the backyard pool, if the site conditions permit (sideyard setback, backyard setback, etc…) it is better to add a toilet (accessible from the interior) and a shower (accessible from the exterior).
I am a designer and general contractor serving the greater Los Angeles area. I won’t be interested in doing the construction work itself. However, if you are interested in my design/drafting services you can contact me via e-mail.
it seems you have a two edged sword. If you finish out the garage you may have to take out some of your work later to accomplish you long range goal. My advice woud be to draw up your ultimate plan and survey the total cost of trade labor and permits. It seems as if you want a partial garage conversion into living space. There are code requirements to consider. To get your plan going start with rough schetches of ideas. Later on you could contact a general contractor and a draftsman to finalize the plans. A good contractor can tell you right up front what will work best. Anything is possible if your willing to pay the price. But , a realistic budget is the best way to go.
I see a lot of good advices here so I will not go into details.
But I think you should know that the 2nd stage will require a permit from the city and in most cases you will have to provide min 20’x20’ (some cities require 18’x18’) clear area inside the garage for parking or recover them with a covered one or two spaces outside.
We are Novel Remodeling and have been remodeling garages for the passed 20 years. The organizational aspect of the garage is very important. If you cannot get it
Here is a few ideas on how to organize your garage:
http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/garage/storage/ideas-for-garage-organization/#page=1
Depending on your style, flooring can help unify the garage. Poxy chip flooring looks great as a flooring option for garages. If you are going to use it for storage and etc, shelves are a necessity. There are racks and shelves you can hang on your walls to keep your tools organized and avoid clutter. In addition to racks and shelves, cabinets can be installed as well. Keep things organized and room for your cars to actually be parked in your garage.
Here are more images to look through and choose from:
http://www.houzz.com/garage-flooring
If you are interested in our services feel free to contact us:
Jim Griffen
Novel Remodeling
http://www.novelremodeling.com
855-45-NOVEL
Hi Carolynn, I think tere is already a lot of good information here for you however, have you thought of a second story to this structure ? It looks as if you have a lot of stuff to figure out what to do with if this is turned into a work-out, bath, changing room, ect.
1.I would get a plan of what it is you really want
2.You need to see if the city or county you live in has any requiremennts for this paticular project (wants and needs)
3.It looks as though you could use te trusses that exist on the second floor
4.Since all is open and not covered up it should make it easy to do the things you need to accomplish your project list
5.Water heater / outside and Tankless wether two story or not
Hire a licensed Contractor
Hire a licensed person to do your plans
Use the local permit process to insure compliance with any and all work
It sill can be done in stages
Good luck with your project… Regards, Steve Cameron
Metro racks have wheels, they might be the best first investment while you experiment with organisational layout. I have a friend with little dogs who pretty much bases her life out of the garage so there’s no little angry dog surprises, it’s not insulated, she just has outdoor carpet down, it’s California, you can get away with murder as far as staying warm goes, for the most part.
Assuming the gym aspect has a schedule, like you would be using it during daylight hours mostly anyway, you may not want to overdo this project. I have done changing rooms for swimming pools outside, it’s a pool, are you getting in it when it’s cold?
Personally, I would determine gym scale and layout and possibly, after organising, purchase the highest priority equipment, April thru October, it's mostly a go even if the space isn't heated. Only you know what you need, and if you get into practising your workout schedule, you will have a lot better idea how far to take the remodel. I would consider a freestanding pellet stove to heat the space for now, it's a lot cheaper than a remodel for intermittent use, and there are some really cool pellet stoves out there. Of course, getting a ceiling in and a layer of insulation is the most important variable in the climate control. I agree with the others, don't skimp on the garage door.
Yard sale and then donate the rest to the thrift shop. So that way you made some money off the stuff in there and you get a taxe credit. Good way to pay for the remodel
The best answer is to design the project first! Many of the answers hold merit. However without a design to work from, you could be running in circles and end up spending much more than you want or achieving something you didn’t really want . Additionally, by designing the project first, you can then give the plan to a few contractors to price so you can compare apples to apples.
Early in my career, people would ask to quote a project from several contractors without a scope or design. Each would price the project according to their own view. Thus pricing and finished product would all be different. Plus, once the Architect lays out the plan, you may find that a contractor didnt take certain issues that are required by code…thus changing the model again.
Design the project, then you can price the project and you can also look at staging the project to boot.
