How to Lay Out a Garage
The dimensions that decide whether the room works, whatever it ends up looking like. A slab, three walls and a huge opening where a room should start.
BeforeAfter
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What the room is arranged around
Converting a garage is mostly about the door opening and the floor. The opening becomes a wall with a window, and the slab has to come up to the level and warmth of the rest of the house. Everything after that is a normal room in an unusually well-proportioned box.
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Rule 1
A single garage is typically 12×20ft — enough for a bedroom, office or gym, not for two of them.
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Rule 2
The slab usually sits 4in below house level; either ramp it or build the floor up and accept the ceiling loss.
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Rule 3
Fill the door opening with glazing wide enough to read as a window wall, not a patched hole.
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Rule 4
Keep the new wall on the same plane as the house facade, or the conversion is visible from the street forever.
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Rule 5
Allow 24in of depth for insulation and lining against the exterior walls.
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When it is tight
A single garage is exactly one good room. Splitting 12×20ft into a bedroom and an ensuite gives you two spaces that are both too small; leaving it as one gives you a room people actually use.
Questions
- What should I decide first in a garage remodel?
- Converting a garage is mostly about the door opening and the floor. The opening becomes a wall with a window, and the slab has to come up to the level and warmth of the rest of the house.
- What goes wrong most often?
- The old door opening filled with a single small window, so the room reads as a converted garage. The slab left cold, which no amount of flooring fixes.
- Will it work in a small garage?
- A single garage is exactly one good room. Splitting 12×20ft into a bedroom and an ensuite gives you two spaces that are both too small; leaving it as one gives you a room people actually use.
- Can I see it on my own garage before starting?
- Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.