How to Convert & Remodel a Garage

Sketch the exterior of the house and the garage interior. Draw the garage exterior with French doors or a wall enclosure where the main door is installed. Divide up the floor space for a bedroom and bath, living space or a small apartment. Estimate all costs and check into building permits before buying materials or actually hiring a contractor.

Remove the main garage door and all tracking. Sell the door, if possible, to enhance your remodel budget. Frame the garage door space with 2-by-4-inch boards and install windows or siding. Plan to landscape outside the door and remove any driveway paving leading up to the former garage door, so the remodel will not look like renovated garage space. Pour a few inches of concrete, if needed, to create a new floor base inside.

Install all interior room framing, along with plumbing and electricity. Get the skeleton of the rooms, closets and a bathroom in place. Add different windows on the exterior walls, if needed, especially if the old ones are not energy efficient. Build a hallway, if the garage is just outside your kitchen. Don't open a kitchen door right into a bedroom, for example.

Add drywall and insulation. Place heavy roll-type fiberglass insulation between ceiling joists in the attic areas after nailing up ceiling drywall. Install insulation in exterior walls between studs as well. Finish the drywall and add wood trim. Paint all needed areas. Use semi-gloss paint on all interior doors before hanging them, as well as on window frames and crown molding -- if you use crown molding.

Finish up the floor and other details. Install tile or hardwood, for example, over the concrete base. Nail baseboard materials into place. Connect all electrical outlets and light fixtures. Caulk any needed areas around windows or doors. Hook up plumbing for the bath or a small kitchen, if you include one. Bring in heavy objects over the tile or wood flooring very carefully to avoid scratching it. Use a furniture truck-dolly to haul in a refrigerator or heavy dresser, for example.