Converting A Garage Into An Apartment: Update

You may remember last year I started the process of converting a detached garage into an apartment to utilize as an Airbnb. This garage is on the property of Flip 5, & when it’s done, it should pay for Flip 5’s monthly mortgage! But I’m a long ways from being done, but I thought I’d give you an update on how converting a garage into an apartment is going! If you’re new around here, you’ll want to check out the exterior renovation that I completed with Home Depot.

Garage Apartment Plans

Now that the exterior is done, the nitty-gritty work begins on the interior. It took several months to get to this point thanks to the numerous hurdles by my city. Initially, I met great resistance with city approval on this project, but after 9 months of battling, I finally was given the all-clear to begin converting it into a garage apartment. And once I got the all-clear, I didn’t waste any time getting to work!

Small Bathroom Plan

The bathroom initially had a toilet & sink in a very small closet. I needed it to be a full bathroom to utilize the garage as an apartment, so the first project we tackled was converting the existing bathroom. The garage sits on a slab, so my plumber had to bust up quite a bit of the slab to add a shower drain & move the location of the toilet.

It took quite a bit of measuring, debating, sketching, and discussing to determine the perfect layout for the new bathroom. The entire garage is 420 square feet, so I’m working on a very small foot print. I needed this small bathroom to be compact but functional. The back wall will be the new location of the walk-in shower, & it should be wide enough to be comfortable to use but small enough to minimize its intrusion in the small space.

This week, the amazing bathroom sink I ordered from Rejuvenation arrived. The entire bathroom design centers around this fun sink!

The plumber had to bust up quite a bit of the slab to add a drain line, move the toilet, and since permits are involved in this project, he had to replace some existing plumbing to meet current city code. It’s a huge mess right now obviously, but once we get the plumbing done (hopefully next week!), then we can start putting the space back together. The next project is to have the custom shower pan poured, concrete poured back, and then installing drywall & fixtures!

Very Small Kitchen

The kitchen in this space is incredibly small. In fact, it’s more of a tiny-house kind of kitchen. I don’t plan for this to be a full kitchen, but rather a kitchenette for guests to use. There was no kitchen initially, so I’m basically creating a kitchen out of thin air in the space!

The most cost-effective location of the kitchen was near the existing plumbing in the bathroom. When the previous owner built the garage, he never had hot water, so I needed to install a hot water tank. Again, to keep costs down, I needed all the plumbing in the same location. My framer built a hot water tank closet, and the nook beside it will serve as the small kitchenette area. The kitchen will include a small mini-fridge, a microwave, and a small portable cooktop. Since this is a small studio apartment, I’m keeping the amenities simple. After the plumbing is complete, I can drywall and start adding the elements of the kitchen!

Other Garage Apartment Plans

Currently the space has no heat or air. It would be a pretty monumental expense to add a traditional HVAC system, so I’m opting for a ductless mini-split system. Adding one of these units will be half the cost of a traditional HVAC.

The rest of the garage will be totally open concept with no walls. But the space will still have a designated eating nook, living room, and bedroom. I’m learning all I can about open-concept tiny-house living (you can see what I’ve gathered so far here).

This next week begins the electrical work. We have to up the service to the garage, add electrical for the ductless mini-split, and add some light fixtures.

I’ve only had my permit for two weeks, and I’ve always made a lot of progress on this project! Things have been rocking & rolling fast, and I’m super excited about this challenge! If you want to keep up with the weekly progress, I’m sharing regular updates on IGTV– I hope you’ll join me over there for more regular updates!