Everyone is nowadays aware of the fact that the housing market is continuously flourishing. This is why home prices are uninterruptedly climbing thus reaching unbelievable heights. This makes it very tough for a lot of people to even think about buying a new house and shifting into it. Moreover, there are boatloads of additional costs involved that make it almost impossible to buy a new one. Yes, we understand that buying a new house for you and your family is a great achievement. Of course, it’s the happiest moment for everyone. But it comes at a great price. Fortunately, there is a perfect solution to this problem and it is converting a garage into an ADU.
Homeowners these days are seeing and understanding that their empty garages have massive potential to generate some extra income by turning them into garage conversion ADUs. And why should they not do it? Their garages are anyways collecting dust and they use them only to keep unwanted supplies. So, why not change it into something more useful? It will also be a much better option for people who want to buy and move into a new house. So, if you are someone thinking to turn your garage into a modern living space then go for it!
With a garage conversion ADU, you will have an extra living space for your family. You can rent that space and you can even turn it into your office or a gaming room. Yes, building an ADU can be expensive but there are a few tips that you can follow to reduce your expenses. Continue reading this blog till the end to know them all.
Saving Money During a Garage Conversion
Making a new ADU in your home is cheaper than moving out. Moreover, it basically can also pay for itself if you rent it out. But you now know that turning your pre-existing structure such as your garage into an ADU is even more cheap, fast, and simple. But remember, if you want this plan to work, there are several requirements that your garage needs to fulfill. It will qualify your garage for a low-cost conversion. These are the basics that you will need to know:
- Get Permits: Before building the garage conversion ADU, you need to get permission from your city’s municipal board. Know that converting your garage into an ADU without the proper approval from the relevant authorities is against the laws. So, don’t ever make the mistake of building your ADU without the permit as getting it in the middle of the construction may cost you a lot of money and time.
- No Water Intrusion: First things first. Check how the condition of your garage. If there are any water leakage issues in it that you should be concerned about or not. If you see any water intrusion in your garage, you will need to replace both your garage’s foundation and roof to correct the damage. This will cost you almost as much money as it will build a new garage ADU from scratch which will thus make your whole project financially impossible to achieve.
- Sewerage Line Connections: If you are converting your garage into an ADU, you will have to start a new sewerage line connection with your home’s existing pipeline. So, don’t forget to factor in the cost of building new sewerage. It will increase the overall cost of the project significantly.
- Amount of Space: Want your garage conversion ADU to make sense financially? Ensure that your living unit has enough space that makes it worth all your time, effort, and money. We know that you will not want to spend a lot of resources and money that doesn’t provide you with the results that you wanted. You can convert your small garage into a beautiful living space but you won’t be spending much of your time there and you can also not rent it to someone to live in it.
- Gas Line Connections: Done with all your calculations and everything looks great? Good for you! Now that you have found out that your garage conversion ADU is possible, there is one last thing you can do to reduce your costs even more. Go all-electric for your ADU! It will save you a lot of money in the long run. You will not need to run a gas line through your very new living space.
Key Takeaways
You have now found all the useful tips that you can follow if you want to build a garage conversion ADU. These tips will help you if you are struggling to save money on your ADU project. But remember, you should never do this project alone. You should take the assistance of the best ADU builders!
