When planning a garage remodel, consider adding garage apartment plans! Aside from providing financial assistance with mortgage payments, a garage apartment may be ideal for:

• Aging parents
• Guests
• High school or college students
• Live-in help
• Recent graduates.

What does it take to plan, remodel and prepare a garage apartment for a garage second level? It’s more complicated than converting a garage into an extension of your home. Garage apartment plans must be self-sufficient with a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and living and storage space.

Estimate Garage Apartment Costs

Building codes and material costs vary in different regions. Be sure to get several estimates when researching what a garage apartment would cost in a two story garage.

Labor costs are often higher than materials. Check codes to determine if you’ll need a licensed electrician or plumber to materialize garage apartment plans. DIY books and websites can help you do some of the work on your own in a two story garage. Even when using an electrician for your garage apartment, reduce labor costs by:

• Cutting holes for new outlets and outlet boxes
• Locating studs
• Measuring how much wire you’ll need.

When preparing for a garage apartment, you can reduce plumber labor costs by:

• Buying angles, elbows and straight pipes for the new pathway
• Determining where new water pipes are needed
• Drilling holes in studs to allow placement of new pipes.

Supplying water to a garage apartment may be easier than handling drainage, since most garage floors are concrete slabs. You can slightly raise a bathtub or shower, and add a step up to leave space for pipes below.

Building Codes and Garage Apartment Plans

Building codes are dynamic and may vary by city, county and state. When planning to build a garage apartment on a first level or garage second level, codes typically address:

• Electrical wiring
• Evacuation exits
• Heating and cooling
• Insulation
• Plumbing
• Structural soundness
• Ventilation.

A garage apartment may be regulated for square footage and vehicle parking. Check with the city clerk’s office for city ordinances, and the zoning office for zoning classification regulation on garage apartment.

Garage Apartment Occupancy Limits

Occupancy limits are usually specified in city ordinances, and occasionally at county or state levels. Certain areas allow up to six unrelated people to reside in a house, and higher occupancy numbers may require special approval. Other areas have no occupancy limits in a garage apartment, but landlords may state limits in lease and rental agreements.

Two Story Garage Apartments

Would you like an unfinished garage on the first level with living space on the garage second level? Construction materials will cost more for two story garage apartments, but keeping a garage for vehicle parking preserves the value of your home. In creating a garage apartment on a second floor, you’ll most likely need to pay more for:

• Door separating the garage apartment from the garage
• Exterior exit
• Insulation
• Soundproofing
• Ventilation.