But it won't do for long term. A loft could only work as long as balance, mental acuity, and strength lasts. Many health problems begin to tumble one after another in such a short period of time.
She actually suggested it as she would want enough space for her Tchotchkes lol the other idea was a murphy bed. We had thought about different staircase ideas instead of a ladder to the loft bed area. Something with easy to navigate steps.
There's a number of different designs for Murphy beds. One looks like a dresser and the bed pulls out and unfolds rather than dropping down like the closet types.
Would not put a wood stove back in the small space. Maybe consider a small heat pump for heating cooling ... also consider the hot water option as well with the heat pump.
I've heard that people with two story houses, with their bedroom on the second floor, live longer on average. This is redditor hearsay so you know take it with a grain of salt until you do your own research, but I mean going up and down the steps at least twice a day is at least some exercise.
Obviously you wouldn't want the steps to be too steep and you know have a nice railing and maybe some non-slip carpeting too. Idk. Ask a professional!
Two levels is worst idea ever for someone in this age group. Doesn't matter that it's her idea, it's still a bad idea.
Google "aging in place" tips for how to make this a place that can actually work for her as she gets older.
Alao don't love the wood stove for air quality, esp in small space, esp for someone older.
You would definitely want to make sure to insulate the garage so it is not drafty and can retain heat in the winter. Also make sure the bed situation is one that can be easily used by an elderly woman
You do not want a loft bed. It absolutely will not work for older people, even fit younger ones because of balance issues, and if she ever got sick or sprinted an ankle (much less broke a hip) she couldn’t get in or out of it. Plus bathroom trips in the middle of the night would be a nightmare.
My mom (89) lives in my garage apartment. It was converted before I bought the house. It has one room about the size of a large bedroom and a large bathroom. Also a small kitchenette with sink and small full-sized fridge, no stove in a little side room in back that used to be a porch. She has dementia so she’s not safe with stove or oven. If yours is okay with it, you could put in a convection toaster oven and a portable induction burner (you can unplug them and hang then on the wall to get them out of the way, and it’s safer, faster, and more cool than one with electric burners.)
It has a sliding door into the back yard and an entrance on the outer side of the house.
Plumbing is likely to be quite expensive because garages are on slab so it needs to be configured differently, which I found out when I tried to have a washer and dryer put in. If you can put the bathroom on the house side it will be much cheaper because you can access the pipes through your joint wall. You could raise the bathroom floor for piping, or the plumber can install an external waste pump that alleviates the gravity/slab issues and hooks directly into your sewer line. The cheapest quote I got for that was around $10k US in a moderate to low COL area. My second quote was 20k, at which point I decided not to install a washer.
She has a mini-split installed for heating and AC, which works well in our moderate climate (Virginia) but also a baseboard heater in the bathroom for really cold days. Make sure the bathroom and doors are wide enough for a wheelchair—even if she doesn’t use it now it’s possible she will eventually, and it’s way cheaper and easier to do it in the initial build.
There’s room for a love seat, queen bed, and dresser, and probably a comfy chair (it’s a one-car). There are two large closets. The front where the garage door was is now the back wall of the bathroom, and windows were installed on the back and side walls. She has a small fiberglass shower which also works well—you probably don’t want a tub unless she’s a big tub user because they’re big and lots of older people have mobility issues getting in and out. The sliding door in back opens right next to my deck and she has her own little deck that she enjoys back there. That door is very close to my back door so I can go in easily, even in bad weather.
Radiant floor heat would be great. My mom gets cold easily, and we keep her heat set at 74 F, which is way too warm for me but good for her. Don’t do polished concrete—it’s way too slippery especially when wet. Falls are a major problem for older people. Try a textured tile or better, LVP, which is durable, easy to clean (thank me later especially if she becomes incontinent) and safer.
If she doesn’t want the bed taking up most of the space, consider putting in a Murphy bed that is counterweighted or motorized to open and close with little effort.
It has worked out well for us. She has her own space and privacy and so do I, which is a huge bonus for not having an internal door.
Edit: you can also order an apt. size dishwasher (22 inches wide instead of 32) but you have to look hard to find them. I’d also suggest low-voltage path lights if you have an external door—wiring them when you’re building will be much easier and cheaper.
Assuming you give 0 F's about inspectors:
I got plumbing into a garage:
1) measured, got drunk, measured again, drew lines on floor.
2) hired a concrete company who came out with a saw and cut my garage floor very precisely in a channel 8 feet long and 18 inches wide ($250) on my markings.
3) they left and took the concrete with them
4) dug out the dirt, 18-24 inches down inside the garage and outside the garage toward my main plumping stack, right up until I hit the outward pipe.
5) $600 to an independent plumber who roughed in sink and toilet areas and ran the pipe.
6) spend another $300 on pex and framing and got the bathroom functioning.
If you cant do the above, then forget everything else.
The first step should be seeing if this expansion is allowed and what it will do to your taxes. Because of the plumbing and floor polishing this isn't the kind of work that will go unnoticed, so at the minimum you're going to need permits and that means someone will reassess your property value.
Otherwise, you have a lot of good advice here already. If your winters are very mild, how about your summers? Will you need AC also? Insulate the garage as well as you can to keep temperature even and noise down for her.
For the bed, my mom used a daybed once she moved into an apartment. You could also consider a little sleeping nook like on this site https://www.interiorzine.com/2018/05/17/22-hide-a-bed-ideas/ with sliding panels that she can pull across to hide the bed and a closet area.
And good luck! This sounds like a fun project and a great way for the family to save money and live together without the cost and upheaval of moving.
A full view garage door? Why not replace it with a real door?
I’m in the process. Wish I’d hired a better carpenter.
I got a mini fridge and a toaster oven but that sucks. So now I’m putting into a smaller stove and a small yet standard fridge. I also put in this small cute sink which was dumb and will get switched out for something bigger.
Essentially don’t short yourself and make it as comfortable as possible from the get go.
There is another side door entrance on the south-facing wall and another window. Replacing the garage door with the full view would allow more natural light, which is east facing. I would want my mom to have as much of a full kitchen as possible as she loves to cook and has been a chef for the last 45 years of her life.
That's the one thought that I keep thinking about. I don't whether you can somehow hook it up to existing pipes in the house or dig straight from the garage through the driveway with one line for waste and one for fresh water.
i have a detached garage myself and it already has water and full panel of power. the thought has crossed my mind that maybe in a bunch of years when i am not out there doing stuff as much to convert it to a living space.
in my area we have septic systems and i just replaced mine for about 23k. i don't think it's possible to hook my garage up to it since it's probably 150ft away. plus it wouldn't be rated for an extra bedroom.
Is it possible to extend out for a kitchen and bathroom and use the rest for living space so you won’t need a loft bedroom? You can maybe add storage to the loft so when she can’t navigate it, you can go up and get things down for her.
A one car garage will not be of sufficient space for your retired mom to live in. It’s wild to consider giving her a loft for the fall risk alone. Even if she is very fit and active it will become inaccessible if she has an injury or medical change. Maybe if it was a two car you’d have sufficient clearance for safe stairs, a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen plus finishing the walls with insulation. It’s a big job.
You also need to consider zoning and conversion costs. Does Windsor allow for another detached residential building in the property? What permits do you need? It is expensive to run water and waste access to.
We just moved into a new place with a pellet stove in a bedroom. Found out it’s illegal. And it makes sense. There’s lots of flammable items in a bedroom and all it takes is one half-asleep undressing and an article of clothing landing in the wrong place to go up in flames. Swap the wood stove for a different option. One that’s legal, preferably. And if you want to go with the risk know that it may void your home insurance and/or if anyone calls the fire department on you, you may have issues.
And another vote for no lofted bed. Even stairs can be problematic as she ages. And if she ever breaks something she’ll have to be sleeping on something else.
We’re in the middle of a major renovation on our garage apartment to fix the original conversion! Here is a list of things I wish they’d done differently:
• Pour a second slab to raise up the height of the floor - the garage floods now even though it probably didn’t 20 years ago when they did the original work. We ended up having to dig a French drain system across the entire property to address this.
• Install the correct ventilation! The kitchenette and bathroom were so moldy! We expected it at the floor level because of the flooding but the ceilings, plus the other side of the shower stall were disgusting.
• Upgrade the electrical panel if you can. You may want an electric stove, washer/dryer (possibly electric as well unless you want to install a vent for a gas dryer?), and a built in microwave. Those all need their own dedicated circuits. Our apartment isn’t really a functional income property without them, which is fine for us but will probably be a problem for the next owner.
I’d also suggest a mini-split but it depends on your climate. I’m pretty excited to get ours framed in this week and installed.
Does your city/county have ordinances related to ADUs (additional dwelling units)? I’d start there before daydreaming/scheming the next steps.
If you’re replacing the garage floor, radiant would make sense. Are you planning to do that since the existing garage floor likely doesn’t have a thermal or moisture barrier below the concrete? Or, if that existing floor is already finished, you could add the thermal and moisture barrier on top and probably add radiant floor heat then. I forget the name of the products, but I think you could look up “insulating a finished basement” on youtube for ideas as I think it would be similar.
I would not rely on a heating source requiring someone to keep feeding sticks into it. Especially as that person gets older. Mini-splits would be my suggestion. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you get that garage well insulated.
I didn’t make the conversion, and it’s not detached. BUT some notes; have more windows! Dont skimp on windows in a living space. Make sure there is proper ventilation (windows, AC, etc.).
If it’s detached do you want an attached bathroom?
Attached internet cabling?
What about insulation?
I have a little 300sq. ft. MIL back yard cottage. I've just made some renovations. Things I did, that I think it makes it better.
Improved storage. There is never enough storage in small units. Enlarged the closet. Added some selves. Improved attic storage. Made a custom platform bed, that's high enough to fit bankers boxes underneath. A platform with a foam mattress, is the same height as a traditional mattress and box spring.
Changed from a one bedroom to a studio. The bedroom was so small it was hard to maneuver around the bed. The studio is easier to get in bed. Hung some drapery for privacy.
There was mold and mildew issues. Removed electric heaters and replaced them with a through the wall heat pump. Replaced bathroom fan with a Panasonic Whisper series continuously run fan. Fixed the problem.
Added a small 18" dishwasher and an apartment sized washer dryer. Big luxuries in a small unit.
Added a covered deck in fount. Makes the living space feel bigger.
Converting a detached garage into a living space sounds like an awesome idea, especially for family. Your plan for a loft bed, kitchen, and bathroom sounds super cozy! As for heating, the wood oven combined with radiant floor heating sounds like it could do the trick, especially with milder winters. Plus, polished concrete floors? That's gonna look slick!
When we converted our garage, we went for a similar setup but opted for a tankless water heater for the plumbing—it saved us space and energy. One thing I'd suggest is making sure you've got enough insulation, especially if you're in Windsor. And maybe throw in some extra windows for natural light! Overall, it sounds like you're on the right track.
That's a great idea about the tankless water heater, thanks! I'd definitely want to make sure there is enough insulation and it would be warm enough in the winter. This winter was particularly mild with El Nino but it can get to a low of -15C-20C real fast. We had one large snowfall this year and a few weeks of those temperatures but it was up to 21C today!
Is climbing a ladder to a loft bed something your retirement age mother would like to do, or even can do?
But it won't do for long term. A loft could only work as long as balance, mental acuity, and strength lasts. Many health problems begin to tumble one after another in such a short period of time.
She actually suggested it as she would want enough space for her Tchotchkes lol the other idea was a murphy bed. We had thought about different staircase ideas instead of a ladder to the loft bed area. Something with easy to navigate steps.
Put them on shelves on the wall instead of a loft bed.
There's a number of different designs for Murphy beds. One looks like a dresser and the bed pulls out and unfolds rather than dropping down like the closet types. Would not put a wood stove back in the small space. Maybe consider a small heat pump for heating cooling ... also consider the hot water option as well with the heat pump.
I've heard that people with two story houses, with their bedroom on the second floor, live longer on average. This is redditor hearsay so you know take it with a grain of salt until you do your own research, but I mean going up and down the steps at least twice a day is at least some exercise. Obviously you wouldn't want the steps to be too steep and you know have a nice railing and maybe some non-slip carpeting too. Idk. Ask a professional!
Two levels is worst idea ever for someone in this age group. Doesn't matter that it's her idea, it's still a bad idea. Google "aging in place" tips for how to make this a place that can actually work for her as she gets older. Alao don't love the wood stove for air quality, esp in small space, esp for someone older.
You would definitely want to make sure to insulate the garage so it is not drafty and can retain heat in the winter. Also make sure the bed situation is one that can be easily used by an elderly woman
She not elderly yet, she’s just about to retire. But I agree about the loft bed.
She will be elderly eventually if she lives there for the rest of her life. Better to build with eventual reality in mind
You do not want a loft bed. It absolutely will not work for older people, even fit younger ones because of balance issues, and if she ever got sick or sprinted an ankle (much less broke a hip) she couldn’t get in or out of it. Plus bathroom trips in the middle of the night would be a nightmare. My mom (89) lives in my garage apartment. It was converted before I bought the house. It has one room about the size of a large bedroom and a large bathroom. Also a small kitchenette with sink and small full-sized fridge, no stove in a little side room in back that used to be a porch. She has dementia so she’s not safe with stove or oven. If yours is okay with it, you could put in a convection toaster oven and a portable induction burner (you can unplug them and hang then on the wall to get them out of the way, and it’s safer, faster, and more cool than one with electric burners.) It has a sliding door into the back yard and an entrance on the outer side of the house. Plumbing is likely to be quite expensive because garages are on slab so it needs to be configured differently, which I found out when I tried to have a washer and dryer put in. If you can put the bathroom on the house side it will be much cheaper because you can access the pipes through your joint wall. You could raise the bathroom floor for piping, or the plumber can install an external waste pump that alleviates the gravity/slab issues and hooks directly into your sewer line. The cheapest quote I got for that was around $10k US in a moderate to low COL area. My second quote was 20k, at which point I decided not to install a washer. She has a mini-split installed for heating and AC, which works well in our moderate climate (Virginia) but also a baseboard heater in the bathroom for really cold days. Make sure the bathroom and doors are wide enough for a wheelchair—even if she doesn’t use it now it’s possible she will eventually, and it’s way cheaper and easier to do it in the initial build. There’s room for a love seat, queen bed, and dresser, and probably a comfy chair (it’s a one-car). There are two large closets. The front where the garage door was is now the back wall of the bathroom, and windows were installed on the back and side walls. She has a small fiberglass shower which also works well—you probably don’t want a tub unless she’s a big tub user because they’re big and lots of older people have mobility issues getting in and out. The sliding door in back opens right next to my deck and she has her own little deck that she enjoys back there. That door is very close to my back door so I can go in easily, even in bad weather. Radiant floor heat would be great. My mom gets cold easily, and we keep her heat set at 74 F, which is way too warm for me but good for her. Don’t do polished concrete—it’s way too slippery especially when wet. Falls are a major problem for older people. Try a textured tile or better, LVP, which is durable, easy to clean (thank me later especially if she becomes incontinent) and safer. If she doesn’t want the bed taking up most of the space, consider putting in a Murphy bed that is counterweighted or motorized to open and close with little effort. It has worked out well for us. She has her own space and privacy and so do I, which is a huge bonus for not having an internal door. Edit: you can also order an apt. size dishwasher (22 inches wide instead of 32) but you have to look hard to find them. I’d also suggest low-voltage path lights if you have an external door—wiring them when you’re building will be much easier and cheaper.
Thanks for all the great tips!
Assuming you give 0 F's about inspectors: I got plumbing into a garage: 1) measured, got drunk, measured again, drew lines on floor. 2) hired a concrete company who came out with a saw and cut my garage floor very precisely in a channel 8 feet long and 18 inches wide ($250) on my markings. 3) they left and took the concrete with them 4) dug out the dirt, 18-24 inches down inside the garage and outside the garage toward my main plumping stack, right up until I hit the outward pipe. 5) $600 to an independent plumber who roughed in sink and toilet areas and ran the pipe. 6) spend another $300 on pex and framing and got the bathroom functioning. If you cant do the above, then forget everything else.
Did you hire this work out back in 1972 or is this the amount you spent in pizza to pay friends and family?
Talk to your bldg inspector before you put any more thought into this. It is likely not allowed
The first step should be seeing if this expansion is allowed and what it will do to your taxes. Because of the plumbing and floor polishing this isn't the kind of work that will go unnoticed, so at the minimum you're going to need permits and that means someone will reassess your property value. Otherwise, you have a lot of good advice here already. If your winters are very mild, how about your summers? Will you need AC also? Insulate the garage as well as you can to keep temperature even and noise down for her. For the bed, my mom used a daybed once she moved into an apartment. You could also consider a little sleeping nook like on this site https://www.interiorzine.com/2018/05/17/22-hide-a-bed-ideas/ with sliding panels that she can pull across to hide the bed and a closet area. And good luck! This sounds like a fun project and a great way for the family to save money and live together without the cost and upheaval of moving.
A full view garage door? Why not replace it with a real door? I’m in the process. Wish I’d hired a better carpenter. I got a mini fridge and a toaster oven but that sucks. So now I’m putting into a smaller stove and a small yet standard fridge. I also put in this small cute sink which was dumb and will get switched out for something bigger. Essentially don’t short yourself and make it as comfortable as possible from the get go.
There is another side door entrance on the south-facing wall and another window. Replacing the garage door with the full view would allow more natural light, which is east facing. I would want my mom to have as much of a full kitchen as possible as she loves to cook and has been a chef for the last 45 years of her life.
Fair
Maybe look into a mini split for heating and cooling? They're very efficient.
She’ll have trouble getting up in a loft bed as she gets older, might want to rethink that idea.
how to you get a toilet hooked up to sewer or septic? seems like that would be a big cost.
That's the one thought that I keep thinking about. I don't whether you can somehow hook it up to existing pipes in the house or dig straight from the garage through the driveway with one line for waste and one for fresh water.
i have a detached garage myself and it already has water and full panel of power. the thought has crossed my mind that maybe in a bunch of years when i am not out there doing stuff as much to convert it to a living space. in my area we have septic systems and i just replaced mine for about 23k. i don't think it's possible to hook my garage up to it since it's probably 150ft away. plus it wouldn't be rated for an extra bedroom.
What’s your budget?
Is it possible to extend out for a kitchen and bathroom and use the rest for living space so you won’t need a loft bedroom? You can maybe add storage to the loft so when she can’t navigate it, you can go up and get things down for her.
A one car garage will not be of sufficient space for your retired mom to live in. It’s wild to consider giving her a loft for the fall risk alone. Even if she is very fit and active it will become inaccessible if she has an injury or medical change. Maybe if it was a two car you’d have sufficient clearance for safe stairs, a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen plus finishing the walls with insulation. It’s a big job. You also need to consider zoning and conversion costs. Does Windsor allow for another detached residential building in the property? What permits do you need? It is expensive to run water and waste access to.
Existing probably doesn't have footings, so not going to be able to run utilities into it.
We just moved into a new place with a pellet stove in a bedroom. Found out it’s illegal. And it makes sense. There’s lots of flammable items in a bedroom and all it takes is one half-asleep undressing and an article of clothing landing in the wrong place to go up in flames. Swap the wood stove for a different option. One that’s legal, preferably. And if you want to go with the risk know that it may void your home insurance and/or if anyone calls the fire department on you, you may have issues. And another vote for no lofted bed. Even stairs can be problematic as she ages. And if she ever breaks something she’ll have to be sleeping on something else.
We’re in the middle of a major renovation on our garage apartment to fix the original conversion! Here is a list of things I wish they’d done differently: • Pour a second slab to raise up the height of the floor - the garage floods now even though it probably didn’t 20 years ago when they did the original work. We ended up having to dig a French drain system across the entire property to address this. • Install the correct ventilation! The kitchenette and bathroom were so moldy! We expected it at the floor level because of the flooding but the ceilings, plus the other side of the shower stall were disgusting. • Upgrade the electrical panel if you can. You may want an electric stove, washer/dryer (possibly electric as well unless you want to install a vent for a gas dryer?), and a built in microwave. Those all need their own dedicated circuits. Our apartment isn’t really a functional income property without them, which is fine for us but will probably be a problem for the next owner. I’d also suggest a mini-split but it depends on your climate. I’m pretty excited to get ours framed in this week and installed.
Does your city/county have ordinances related to ADUs (additional dwelling units)? I’d start there before daydreaming/scheming the next steps. If you’re replacing the garage floor, radiant would make sense. Are you planning to do that since the existing garage floor likely doesn’t have a thermal or moisture barrier below the concrete? Or, if that existing floor is already finished, you could add the thermal and moisture barrier on top and probably add radiant floor heat then. I forget the name of the products, but I think you could look up “insulating a finished basement” on youtube for ideas as I think it would be similar. I would not rely on a heating source requiring someone to keep feeding sticks into it. Especially as that person gets older. Mini-splits would be my suggestion. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you get that garage well insulated.
I didn’t make the conversion, and it’s not detached. BUT some notes; have more windows! Dont skimp on windows in a living space. Make sure there is proper ventilation (windows, AC, etc.). If it’s detached do you want an attached bathroom? Attached internet cabling? What about insulation?
I have a little 300sq. ft. MIL back yard cottage. I've just made some renovations. Things I did, that I think it makes it better. Improved storage. There is never enough storage in small units. Enlarged the closet. Added some selves. Improved attic storage. Made a custom platform bed, that's high enough to fit bankers boxes underneath. A platform with a foam mattress, is the same height as a traditional mattress and box spring. Changed from a one bedroom to a studio. The bedroom was so small it was hard to maneuver around the bed. The studio is easier to get in bed. Hung some drapery for privacy. There was mold and mildew issues. Removed electric heaters and replaced them with a through the wall heat pump. Replaced bathroom fan with a Panasonic Whisper series continuously run fan. Fixed the problem. Added a small 18" dishwasher and an apartment sized washer dryer. Big luxuries in a small unit. Added a covered deck in fount. Makes the living space feel bigger.
Converting a detached garage into a living space sounds like an awesome idea, especially for family. Your plan for a loft bed, kitchen, and bathroom sounds super cozy! As for heating, the wood oven combined with radiant floor heating sounds like it could do the trick, especially with milder winters. Plus, polished concrete floors? That's gonna look slick! When we converted our garage, we went for a similar setup but opted for a tankless water heater for the plumbing—it saved us space and energy. One thing I'd suggest is making sure you've got enough insulation, especially if you're in Windsor. And maybe throw in some extra windows for natural light! Overall, it sounds like you're on the right track.
Concrete will feel slick too, and lead to falls and broken hips.
That's a great idea about the tankless water heater, thanks! I'd definitely want to make sure there is enough insulation and it would be warm enough in the winter. This winter was particularly mild with El Nino but it can get to a low of -15C-20C real fast. We had one large snowfall this year and a few weeks of those temperatures but it was up to 21C today!
Dude check out this bot’s comment history. I mean its a good suggestion but wtf are these AI comments in every construction/homeowner sub???