I've talked to the local zoning board and it looks like I can legally convert the attached garage and storage area on my rental property into a one bedroom in-law apartment.
My next step is to get an idea of what it would cost. The garage has no plumbing at all. I'm just making wild guesses, but I'm thinking $5k to hook into the house's water & sewer, $5k for a 1/2 bathroom, $10k for a small kitchen, $5k for wiring and electric heat.
Really, I'm just pulling these numbers out of thin air. Has anyone here done this type of conversion?
I think you mean 3/4 bath (aka sink/stool/shower)? Elsewise, Granny either smells or comes into the main house at least once a day.
I'd price out a regular addition and/or one of those modular backyard 'granny flat' units. Around here, losing the garage permanently is a big hit on renter or buyer appeal. And converted garages look like, well, converted garages.
Is this something the renter requested, or are you trying to create another unit on the cheap, as a place to park your own MIL?
I think it would be way less than that. Maybe around $10k (of course it depends on where you live). Think of it in terms of sq ft. Around here houses go for ~$100/ft2 (fully finished and including the lot)
I guess an average (two-car) garage is about 400-500 ft2. So fully built from scratch, that much square feet finished out would be $40-50k. But you already have the land, the excavation, the slab, the roof, windows etc. All you need is to convert the garage door into wall/windows and of course the interior work. So I'm estimating (really dangerous) about only 25% work remains so about 25% the cost of the full build so about $25/ft2 - say about $10k
So take the average price per foot in your area and try about 1/4 of that.
Of course all of this is just a wild guess. Best to find a neighbor who has had similar work done and of course find a home improvement contractor who can give you a getting started estimate.
-- Richard Thoms President - Top Service Pros, Inc. Connecting Homeowners and Local Service Professionals
depends on where you live). Think of it in terms of sq ft. Around here houses go for ~$100/ft2 (fully finished and including the lot)
scratch, that much square feet finished out would be $40-50k. But you already have the land, the excavation, the slab, the roof, windows etc. All you need is to convert the garage door into wall/windows and of course the interior work. So I'm estimating (really dangerous) about only 25% work remains so about 25% the cost of the full build so about $25/ft2 - say about $10k
had similar work done and of course find a home improvement contractor who can give you a getting started estimate.
Professionals
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Yep, 3/4 bath, you're right. We're looking to create a place for us to stay a couple times a month. We have other rentals in this town, but live 75 miles away.
The space is 450 sq ft. How do I find out the cost per sq ft of new contruction in this town? If I take the cost of the property, and divide it by the sq ft of the house, the price comes to $222/sq ft. Is that any indication of the cost of a conversion? Using 1/4 of that puts the cost at $25k to do the job.
depends on where you live). Think of it in terms of sq ft. Around here houses go for ~$100/ft2 (fully finished and including the lot)
from scratch, that much square feet finished out would be $40-50k. But you already have the land, the excavation, the slab, the roof, windows etc. All you need is to convert the garage door into wall/windows and of course the interior work. So I'm estimating (really dangerous) about only 25% work remains so about
25% the cost of the full build so about $25/ft2 - say about $10k
had similar work done and of course find a home improvement contractor who can give you a getting started estimate.
Professionals
formatting link
There are so many variables here that it's very difficult to get any realistic estimate without getting actual quotes. Using the avg cost of new construction isn't much use either. A whole house has lots of space that is lower cost, eg bedrooms, family room, and some that are high cost, eg kitchen, bathroom. In your case, you're going to have a lot of kitchen/bath for the total space which is small. During new construction, routing plumbing is easy. Whith a garage with a concrete floor, it's a lot different. Any one of these things can vary 2X. For example, what size service and panel do you have? If the service is too small, now you need to upgrade that, as opposed to just adding on which is less expensive.
Having said all that, my guess is that it's going to be a lot more than $10K, and the $25K number seems more likely.
Be very careful when dealing with Zoning Boards. What you are creating is known as a "Coach House." In many locales, coach houses are NOT rentable as separate units. However, I read in another post that you wanted to use it as an owner's apartment. That I suspect is permittable.
My thin-air opinion is that your costs are low. The sewer hook up may require breaking up a concrete a concrete floor so I'd guess 8 to 10K for the the sewer/water hook ups.
You need a shower in the 1/2 bath so I'd put that at 7 to 8K.
10K for a small kitchen might be high. But 5k for the wiring and electrical heat is probably low.
OTOH if you have the ability to act as your own general contractor, your costs may be lower.
It will come as a shock to me if they let you put in separate meters for the electricty.
In our area they call this a "supplemental apartment" and it cannot be rented to a non-family member. Of the 450 sq ft, about 300 sq ft is the garage with it's concrete floor, and the other 150 is a storage and has a wooden floor built on son-tubes.
Just to follow up on this... We received a few estimates, the lowest of them was $95k, so in the end, it's not worth pursuing. Thank you for your reasoned replies.
It all depends on many things. If you can do some of the work, you will save there. The estimates you gave were far too high. We did one for far less than half of that amount.
A friend converted his attached garage to a bedroom. His m-i-l has to walk up one step and around to the powder room to use the bath room. But I suppose it only cost a couple thousand. Less if he left the oil cans on the shelf.
Much of the cost depends on what structural changes are needed to make a garage into a habitable building, the cost of changes to add windows, doors and to supply plumbing, electrical and heating. The internal design will also dictate the costs, such as a bathroom backing onto the kitchen so that the plumbing is concentrated within one wall will reduce the costs. Internal wall framing, drywall, and trim will not cost much. To get good estimates you should have a complete set of plans and specifications of the materials, fixtures and so on so that everyone knows what is expected and the quotes are all for the same thing. Don't leave it up to the contractor to choose, as there can be a great deal of difference in cost between supplies, materials and the labor to install them.
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