We are looking at expanding our living space in our home here in west
central Florida and we are faced with two main options.... adding on
to our home following the roof line and construction of the house, or
closing in the two car garage, making it living space and adding a
detacted garage. We're not sure of the advantages either way so we
thought we'd pop it out here for the experts to chime in :O)

The house is basically a simple gable roof line runnin parallel with
the road with an "L shape where the small leg of the "L" is the two
car garage facing forward on the right side of the house. We were
considering extending the gable towards the right, past the garage and
make the new rooms in this area. This would just continue the main
gable roof further and since the garage roof intersects the front of
the existing gable it shouldn't impact the garage area at all. This
also leaves the master bathroom connections where they are so there
should be no plumbing impact.

The second option is to block in the front garage door and turn the
garage into additional living space. Then build a detacted garage to
the right of the existing garage and since it's detacted, wouldn't
impact the central house. One consideration here is the existing
garage floor is dropped lower then the rest of the house (about 6")
and we're conserned if we just block in the front garage door that
there might be a moisture issue in the garage (we're thinking the
walls would have to be sealed good). Plus the garage walls are block
so there isn't really any insullation in there.

We're a little leaning towards the extension of the main house but we
figured we're not experts so thought there might be something we're
overlooking.

Thanks for your assistance!

Maybe I could start off on the right/write foot by learning how to
spell detatched.... :O/

hehehehehe

On Jun 10, 4:18*pm, infiniteMPG wrote:
We are looking at expanding our living space in our home here in west
central Florida and we are faced with two main options.... adding on
to our home following the roof line and construction of the house, or
closing in the two car garage, making it living space and adding a
detacted garage. *We're not sure of the advantages either way so we
thought we'd pop it out here for the experts to chime in *:O)

The house is basically a simple gable roof line runnin parallel with
the road with an "L shape where the small leg of the "L" is the two
car garage facing forward on the right side of the house. *We were
considering extending the gable towards the right, past the garage and
make the new rooms in this area. *This would just continue the main
gable roof further and since the garage roof intersects the front of
the existing gable it shouldn't impact the garage area at all. *This
also leaves the master bathroom connections where they are so there
should be no plumbing impact.

The second option is to block in the front garage door and turn the
garage into additional living space. *Then build a detacted garage to
the right of the existing garage and since it's detacted, wouldn't
impact the central house. *One consideration here is the existing
garage floor is dropped lower then the rest of the house (about 6")
and we're conserned if we just block in the front garage door that
there might be a moisture issue in the garage (we're thinking the
walls would have to be sealed good). *Plus the garage walls are block
so there isn't really any insullation in there.

We're a little leaning towards the extension of the main house but we
figured we're not experts so thought there might be something we're
overlooking.

Thanks for your assistance!



This is really impossible to answer without actually seeing it. And
even then, it can take someone with good visualization and knowledge
to give you the right answer. I'd engagne an architect.

One thing I would say, and that's most people prefer garages to be
attached. It allows you to go from the living space to the car
without regard to the outside weather. Probably less of a factor in
FL, than NY, but still if there is a downpour, you can avoid it and it
makes carrrying in groceries, etc easier.

"infiniteMPG" wrote in message
...
We are looking at expanding our living space in our home here in west
central Florida and we are faced with two main options.... adding on
to our home following the roof line and construction of the house, or
closing in the two car garage, making it living space and adding a
detacted garage. We're not sure of the advantages either way so we
thought we'd pop it out here for the experts to chime in :O)

The house is basically a simple gable roof line runnin parallel with
the road with an "L shape where the small leg of the "L" is the two
car garage facing forward on the right side of the house. We were
considering extending the gable towards the right, past the garage and
make the new rooms in this area. This would just continue the main
gable roof further and since the garage roof intersects the front of
the existing gable it shouldn't impact the garage area at all. This
also leaves the master bathroom connections where they are so there
should be no plumbing impact.

The second option is to block in the front garage door and turn the
garage into additional living space. Then build a detacted garage to
the right of the existing garage and since it's detacted, wouldn't
impact the central house. One consideration here is the existing
garage floor is dropped lower then the rest of the house (about 6")
and we're conserned if we just block in the front garage door that
there might be a moisture issue in the garage (we're thinking the
walls would have to be sealed good). Plus the garage walls are block
so there isn't really any insullation in there.

We're a little leaning towards the extension of the main house but we
figured we're not experts so thought there might be something we're
overlooking.


How about posting some pictures of the existing house so we can get a better
idea of what you're talking about. I've seen several attached garages that
have been converted to living space and I didn't like the way they turned
out. Maybe it was because they were done on a low budget, but it was always
obvious from the outside that there was a garage at one time. Maybe they
were done with the intention of having the option to convert back to a
garage.

Check out what others have done in your neighborhood. Check out the ones
that look like they have been added on to against the ones that don't look
like an addition has been made.

On Jun 10, 4:18 pm, infiniteMPG wrote:
Plus the garage walls are block
so there isn't really any insulation in there.

I also live in Fl, and 3/4 of my house is block, including the garage.
The only difference is, the interior has sheetrock attached to the
blocks with some small strips of wood.

IOW, there is no fiberglass insulation and the house stays cool.

It's to my understanding, that the openings/space in the concrete
blocks, is the insulation.

So, unless you want to insulate the walls, I think that is the least
of you worries. (make sure the ceiling is heavily insulated)

And what about AC?

Ron wrote:
On Jun 10, 4:18 pm, infiniteMPG wrote:
Plus the garage walls are block
so there isn't really any insulation in there.

I also live in Fl, and 3/4 of my house is block, including the garage.
The only difference is, the interior has sheetrock attached to the
blocks with some small strips of wood.

IOW, there is no fiberglass insulation and the house stays cool.

It's to my understanding, that the openings/space in the concrete
blocks, is the insulation.

Surely there is sheet foam between block and drywall...

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

I would leave garage as is, and add living space addition.

we looked at some homes in orlando, the one i really liked had garage
converted to living space, my wife hated that look.......

a new addition also allows updating to all the latest codes so if a
killer hurricane visits at least part of your home should
survive..........

the new addition part........

I don't have any pictures available (I'm at work) but I have been
toying with the designs in Inventor 3D (my main tool at work) and
compiled a PDF files so everyone can see the plan.

http://www.57web.com/vhome-ADDITION.pdf

If you call up this file you can see the existing home in th left two
views and the proposed addition plan in the right views. This is the
plan to extend the house and blend the roof line rather then close in
the garage and build a detatched garage.

The existing garage has no insulation in the ceiling and I am sure the
walls are not insulated either. So even if we enclosed the garage
there would still be a lot of work to do. Right now the house sits on
a 1 acre slightly pie shaped lot and facing the front of the house
there is about 52-feet from house to property line on the left, and
about 40-feet on the right. Extending the house 20-feet towards the
already narrow side only leaves 20-feet between the house and the
property line but there are houses in our area that are much closer to
their line.

There is a house on the right but it's been for sale for a while and
needs a lot of work so latest word is there are going to level it and
sell the empty lot. The existing house is set back from the front a
lot further then ours so this shouldn't impact the decision, but it is
something to think about.

Thanks for the suggestions and the info.

On Jun 11, 12:50�pm, infiniteMPG wrote:
I don't have any pictures available (I'm at work) but I have been
toying with the designs in Inventor 3D (my main tool at work) and
compiled a PDF files so everyone can see the plan.

http://www.57web.com/vhome-ADDITION.pdf

If you call up this file you can see the existing home in th left two
views and the proposed addition plan in the right views. �This is the
plan to extend the house and blend the roof line rather then close in
the garage and build a detatched garage.

The existing garage has no insulation in the ceiling and I am sure the
walls are not insulated either. �So even if we enclosed the garage
there would still be a lot of work to do. �Right now the house sits on
a 1 acre slightly pie shaped lot and facing the front of the house
there is about 52-feet from house to property line on the left, and
about 40-feet on the right. �Extending the house 20-feet towards the
already narrow side only leaves 20-feet between the house and the
property line but there are houses in our area that are much closer to
their line.

There is a house on the right but it's been for sale for a while and
needs a lot of work so latest word is there are going to level it and
sell the empty lot. �The existing house is set back from the front a
lot further then ours so this shouldn't impact the decision, but it is
something to think about.

Thanks for the suggestions and the info.

buy the vacant lot, if for nothing but privacy.

or the scrap home cheap

In article ,
infiniteMPG says...

We are looking at expanding our living space in our home here in west
central Florida and we are faced with two main options.... adding on
to our home following the roof line and construction of the house, or
closing in the two car garage, making it living space and adding a
detacted garage. We're not sure of the advantages either way so we
thought we'd pop it out here for the experts to chime in :O)

The house is basically a simple gable roof line runnin parallel with
the road with an "L shape where the small leg of the "L" is the two
car garage facing forward on the right side of the house. We were
considering extending the gable towards the right, past the garage and
make the new rooms in this area. This would just continue the main
gable roof further and since the garage roof intersects the front of
the existing gable it shouldn't impact the garage area at all. This
also leaves the master bathroom connections where they are so there
should be no plumbing impact.

The second option is to block in the front garage door and turn the
garage into additional living space. Then build a detacted garage to
the right of the existing garage and since it's detacted, wouldn't
impact the central house. One consideration here is the existing
garage floor is dropped lower then the rest of the house (about 6")
and we're conserned if we just block in the front garage door that
there might be a moisture issue in the garage (we're thinking the
walls would have to be sealed good). Plus the garage walls are block
so there isn't really any insullation in there.

We're a little leaning towards the extension of the main house but we
figured we're not experts so thought there might be something we're
overlooking.

Thanks for your assistance!

I have an bottom-floor attached garage - I wish it were detached sometimes as
then I'd be able to store lawn mower gas there more safely; I'd be able to do
things like spray paint something out of the wind, and have none of the vapors
from that in the house. The advantage around here to an attached garage is in
getting there in the winter, and that was on my checklist for househunting. But
if I were to do it all over again, I'd have a detached garage.

In FLA, why not a detached garage?

Banty

"infiniteMPG" wrote in message
...
I don't have any pictures available (I'm at work) but I have been
toying with the designs in Inventor 3D (my main tool at work) and
compiled a PDF files so everyone can see the plan.

http://www.57web.com/vhome-ADDITION.pdf

If you call up this file you can see the existing home in th left two
views and the proposed addition plan in the right views. This is the
plan to extend the house and blend the roof line rather then close in
the garage and build a detatched garage.

The existing garage has no insulation in the ceiling and I am sure the
walls are not insulated either. So even if we enclosed the garage
there would still be a lot of work to do. Right now the house sits on
a 1 acre slightly pie shaped lot and facing the front of the house
there is about 52-feet from house to property line on the left, and
about 40-feet on the right. Extending the house 20-feet towards the
already narrow side only leaves 20-feet between the house and the
property line but there are houses in our area that are much closer to
their line.

There is a house on the right but it's been for sale for a while and
needs a lot of work so latest word is there are going to level it and
sell the empty lot. The existing house is set back from the front a
lot further then ours so this shouldn't impact the decision, but it is
something to think about.

Thanks for the suggestions and the info.



Not a bad design. When you add on to that side there will be a certain
amount of destruction to the existing garage. Consequently when it is all
put together the insulation can be installed. I wouldn't let the insulation
pitfalls of the existing garage be a deciding factor in what you ultimately
decide to do.

buy the vacant lot, if for nothing but privacy. or the scrap home cheap-

Was thinking about it but the people that bought it were going to fix
it up and sell it until they saw the level of damage. Was a nice home
(my daughter's best friend lived there and the house was built in
1984, the year after we moved we bought ours new) but the last people
that lived there brought in three families and tore it to h3ll (cr@ck
dealers?). But these recent owners bought it for $150,000 recently
and now want to sell just the lot for over $200,000. Huh???? In this
market and they think a lot and a home is worth $50K *LESS* then just
an empty lot regardless of the condition?

Looks like they wanted to do a flip and now want to make a 12.5%
profit on their bad investment.

In FLA, why not a detached garage?

I'm not opposed to it, just trying to weigh the options. If the
detached garage is more $$$ then I'm sticking with attached. I have
painted in the garage and usually have the door open and fans going
but still got the fumes in the house. The main concern is security of
coming home and walking from the garage to the house (not my concern,
my GF's and I respect that so with the detached we were thinking an
enclosed walkway).

And even though you have the cold and snow up north, we have what we
politely refer to as "horizontal rain" and even a covered walkway you
can get soaked to the bone in 10 seconds. Not a good way to bring the
groceries in to the house.

Not a bad design. *When you add on to that side there will be a certain
amount of destruction to the existing garage. *Consequently when it is all
put together the insulation can be installed. *I wouldn't let the insulation
pitfalls of the existing garage be a deciding factor in what you ultimately
decide to do.- Hide quoted text -

I think our biggest concern was more the level of the floor in the
garage. The garage was made with a lower floor to start with and
we're not sure if we'd have to build the floor up to the same level of
the house to make it living space. Worried that moisture can come
into the room if the lower walls were not sealed very well.

On 11 Jun 2008 12:32:42 -0700, Banty wrote:

I really like our 2-car detached garage. I only wish it were slightly
larger, but otherwise it really meets our needs, and it's about 20
feet away from the house, not a bad sprint in a snowstorm.

"infiniteMPG" wrote in message
...
Not a bad design. When you add on to that side there will be a certain
amount of destruction to the existing garage. Consequently when it is all
put together the insulation can be installed. I wouldn't let the
insulation
pitfalls of the existing garage be a deciding factor in what you
ultimately
decide to do.- Hide quoted text -

I think our biggest concern was more the level of the floor in the
garage. The garage was made with a lower floor to start with and
we're not sure if we'd have to build the floor up to the same level of
the house to make it living space. Worried that moisture can come
into the room if the lower walls were not sealed very well.


There is usually a fix to almost any household problem. Unfortunately it
usually revolves around how much money you are willing and able to spend.
You should start picking the brains of architects, builders, inspectors,
realtors, neighbors, and even the mail carrier may have a worthy two cents
to add.

"dadiOH" wrote in message

IOW, there is no fiberglass insulation and the house stays cool.

It's to my understanding, that the openings/space in the concrete
blocks, is the insulation.

Surely there is sheet foam between block and drywall...

--

dadiOH

It is possible to insulate the hollow portion of the block with inserts made
by Icon or PolyCore. Sure, adding other insulation is better yet, but the
interior method has been used for many years now.

Keep in mind when converting an attached garage into living space how it
will appear architecturally. Will the front of your house show signs of
an obvious patch job? Will the front entry be the focal point?

Keep in mind when converting an attached garage into living space how it
will appear architecturally. *Will the front of your house show signs of
an obvious patch job? *Will the front entry be the focal point?

We're getting ready to re-do all the siding, too. So if we make the
garage into living space then the siding would cover the existing
garage front as well as the patched over garage door and it should be
seamless.