An Old Garage Turned Into A New Office, Studio, Gym, and yet is still a Garage - Part 2

Garage Makeover

Before it became a multi-function space

Yesterday's post, here, has lots of "before" pictures of our old garage.  Before we turned it into a new office, studio, and gym I took a quick video of the area. Here is our before and after video:

This house is 60 years old and did not have any energy-saving measures when we moved in three years ago. When we knew we were going to move our home office out to the garage we started budgeting for all of the things necessary to make it a habitable space, even though it was not to be conditioned. It was important for us to keep in mind that this area would still need to function as a garage for future homeowners!

New Age flooring

Cost

The flooring was a big expense, about $2,000 for materials. Because my husband is very handy, we knew he could install it. However, there was a lot that needed to be done first! The cost of the mudjacking was about $2,500. The scarifier rental, the storage rental, the sheetrock, and lots of other smaller items added up to around $1,000. The door, window, and garage door were about $4,500. My husband installed the back door and window.  We ended up needing to buy a new garage door opener because the garage door installers broke the old one. The insulation was professionally installed. The total for the project was around $11,000. That is a lot of money! Especially since there is no HVAC. Though, this was by choice. We did not want it to be considered "living space" for two reasons - one is resale and the other is that our property taxes would likely go up.

Mini Home Gym

Components

That being said, we also needed the space to function for many different purposes. Therefore, we felt that we needed to make it as air-tight and comfortable as possible. 

Mudroom Area

Now that all of the work is done and we are enjoying the space, it was definitely worth the time, hassle, and money. It also forced us to re-evaluate how much stuff we could part with and what really needed to stay.

Home Office

One of the nicest things is that my husband can be working at his desk and I can be at mine and we are not in each other's way - and we are together. We had that in our previous house and I missed that. 

Tool Area

My husband has made some big sacrifices to fit his tools into this area. We have two Rubbermaid storage sheds on the side of the garage where he has moved the gardening tools and some of his other tools. 

Studio Area

The wood furniture that is pictured above and below was offered for free by someone in our community who was remodeling. They wanted to save it from the landfill. It had been custom made for their house by the previous owners and the new owners did not wish to keep it. My hubby built backs on the base cabinets and we made the pieces work for our garage. It was such a wonderful find for me! It really makes the garage seem less 'garage-like'.

Wonderful Light from the Backyard

My favorite thing in the garage is the window overlooking our shallow backyard. I love to see the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks enjoying their space as I enjoy working in mine.

Thank you for going on this home renovation journey with me! And now I can get back to papercrafting! 

Beverly