Garage conversion and carport - feedback - photos

My plan is:

Get an alum window that is larger than the garage arch put in where the garage door is (easy job as no cutting it will just bolt on the inside flush with the bricks like the garage door tracks do.).

The result will be what looks like an arched window.

Move the HWS outside (or box it upif I cant shift it). Paint the walls inside the garage (3 of the 4 walls are exposed brick which I will render or plasterboard at a later date before I sell). Put down carpet.

Cost will be $700 for the window, $300 for blind, $100 paint, $500 for carpet plus cost of window installation and hws moving would be $1k absolute max.

Rent for $130 to a flatmate so its a good yield.

The garage has internal access to the lounge and also a back door and back window into the garden so it will be a very large and nice room.

I dont need a garage as I have just bought a shed and I have no car anyway. When I get a car I will put it under a large canvas pergola.

Then later before I sell in 3 or more yrs I will get a carport put out the front of the ex-garage. The carport will be attached to the house and it will possibly have a covered walkway across the front of the house.

This way the arches will be quite hidden by the carport. I hate those arches (what was I thinking when I bought?).

I will then be selling a 4 bedroom house or that is to say a 3 bed house with huge storage/rumpus.

Any feedback?
 

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I will then be selling a 4 bedroom house or that is to say a 3 bed house with huge storage/rumpus. Any feedback?

1. Why sell? :(
2. The floor level of the garage may be below the dampcourse. Have you checked?
3. Carport is a good idea.
4. The $130 looks good for the room :)
Arches were the style of the day - don't sweat it ;)
 
I dont know what a dampcourse is but at the moment when the garage door is there is still a 1 inch gap at the bottom. No water comes in (dust and bugs do).
I have tested that in very furious rain. The concrete driveway is angled down away from the garage door and water doesnt rise up that far.

If you are referring to the dampcourse being some sort of legislated minimum height for a habitable space you may be correct but I am not intending to sell the house as an officially council-classified 4 bed house. I will sell it as a 3 beds and huge rumpus room.

I want to sell because I want to buy a house out in Shorncliffe and I will need to sell this place to do that.
 
I dont know what a dampcourse is..
If you are lining the interior brick walls - do not gyprock below the dampcourse as it will get wet from damp rising up from the slab etc. There is a black plastic or aluminium sheet sticking out about 1 or 2 bricks height up from slab level - see pic attached.

No water comes in. I have tested that in very furious rain. The concrete driveway is angled down away from the garage door and water doesnt rise up that far.
Good :)
 

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Here is an impression of what it would look like with venetian blinds on the inside like my main window has.

I think overall it doesnt look too bad. Once the carport is integrated into the house you will not notice so much that one window is square and the other is an arch.

By putting some planter boxes across the front (ie. continue the garden across to the right) it will also hid the fact that the arch window will not have a brick footing
 

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My plan is:


I will then be selling a 4 bedroom house or that is to say a 3 bed house with huge storage/rumpus.

Any feedback?

Sounds good Gatoblanco and should be a good equity boost when revaluing for 4 bedder.

However, I am just about to start the process of undertaking a similar activity, converting the garages of a duplex on both sides to 4 bedders / 2nd loungers, whatever.

Are you doing it in Brissie, where you are based? Certain councils may have different requirements.....

I am doing mine under Moreton Bay Regional Council jurisdiction, and I have had a good chat to the town planners there.

In order to convert the garage into a habitable state, it needs to pass a few requirements.

Habitable areas are situated on Class 1 foundations (generally around 150mm) In some situations, depending on the design of the house, the garage, even though it is connected to the slab of the habitable area is of a reduced thickness and is classified as a class 10. (Note Class 1 or Class 10 might be the other way around). Anyway, what they told me was that if the slab of the garage is not deemed to have the same classiffication as the habitable areas (i.e. the rest of the house), you will need to add additional concrete floor to make up the difference.

Luckily, on the design plans I received from the council, the slab for both duplex units (including the garage) is all the same depth.

Also, I will need to key in a termite barrier in the concrete driveway to mitigate the little nasties (i think)

Another thing...if you do any mods to the house, they should really be council approved. I know you say that you don't want it to be 'officially' a 4 bedder, but this could hold you up on selling the house when the potential buyers find out from the searches in their DD that no planning permission was requested (and subsequently not approved) for this mod.

Also, why not try a recycler for windows. I have found out today that I could save around $600 by going and picking up a second hand one. I saw a 'you beaut' second hand one, (1.8m x 1.0m high) with screen, all glass, and security screen for $160. I will just tell my builder to make the frame to fit. You might be surprised with what you find. (maybe when you go to a recycler, I will add to what Marg said and you could barter your roller door for a window of your liking??

I think you will gain value in the exercise, and that is the sole purpose of why I am doing it for. I believe I can get an extra $ 30 - 40/ week for a 4th bedroom, and also the resale would add approx $20,000.

Interested to here how it gos.

I plan to write a commentry on my undertaking as I go through the stage.

We seem to be on the same wavelength, as I have been quoted for a carport and a garage, but I guess it gos without saying that if you take away a garage space, you need somewhere else to store the car. If I do go for the fully enclosed garage (titan), I will recycle my garage doors I take out and get the guys to put it on the new garage (saving more money)

If you are worried about the arch (which does look a bit dated), you could take out the arch and maybe replace with lintel above opening, and that would turn an arch into a square shape.?? (provided you temporarily braced with acro props and dummy lintel. (check with builder though)

Cheers and good luck with what you decide:)

F
 
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