Home Addition or Detacted Garage?????????

[infiniteMPG]

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!

[infiniteMPG]

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

hehehehehe

[trader4]

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.

[John Grabowski]

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.

[RobertPatrick]

"John Grabowski" wrote in news:484f069b$0$11608$ [e-mail]:

Adding on and you should marry the roof lines. Don't know how expensive that would be.

Converted garages tend to look like converted garages.

A detached garage isn't wanted by most people.

You have a one story or two? A neighbor built a partial 2nd floor. It looks good. It looks like a split level.(if you like split levels). But for the original house what they did looks good.

[Ron]

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?

[<h>]

Really? An attached garage is a deal breaker for me. I can&#39;t stand the thought of living space over a stinky garage where cars are parked and workshop chemicals, solvents, etc. are used. Yuck.

[dadiOH]

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

[hallerb]

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........

[infiniteMPG]

I don&#39;t have any pictures available (I&#39;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.

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&#39;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&#39;t impact the decision, but it is something to think about.

Thanks for the suggestions and the info.

[hallerb]

buy the vacant lot, if for nothing but privacy.

or the scrap home cheap

[Banty]

I have an bottom-floor attached garage - I wish it were detached sometimes as then I&#39;d be able to store lawn mower gas there more safely; I&#39;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&#39;d have a detached garage.

In FLA, why not a detached garage?

Banty

[John Grabowski]

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&#39;t let the insulation pitfalls of the existing garage be a deciding factor in what you ultimately decide to do.

[infiniteMPG]

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&#39;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.

[infiniteMPG]

I&#39;m not opposed to it, just trying to weigh the options. If the detached garage is more $$$ then I&#39;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&#39;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.

[infiniteMPG]

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&#39;re not sure if we&#39;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.

[KLS]

I really like our 2-car detached garage. I only wish it were slightly larger, but otherwise it really meets our needs, and it&#39;s about 20 feet away from the house, not a bad sprint in a snowstorm.

[John Grabowski]

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&#39;re not sure if we&#39;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.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

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.

[Bob]

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?