Are you unable to work on your car during the winter months because of the cold weather? Would you like to convert your garage into an apartment for the rental income? Adding garage utilities can create a more useful space in a garage remodeling process.

House-Hunting with an Eye for Garage Utilities

Look beyond how many cars fit in the garage. What else does the garage offer to make your life easier or provide income? To find a house that doesn’t need garage remodeling to fit your lifestyle, you have to decide how you want to use the garage. Since you’ll probably be living in your new home for years to come, plan for what your family will need in the future, too.

Does your family include a gardener, or someone who’s good at do-it-yourself projects? Water pipes in the garage would be great for cleaning up after dirty jobs. Garage utilities don’t always increase your utility bills. In this case, you’d be using the same amount of water whether cleaning up in the garage or the house.

Adding garage utilities for heating will obviously raise utility bills, but the amount of the increase depends on the energy efficiency of those systems. It’s helpful to get an idea of the energy efficiency of different kinds of heating systems when looking at houses. You can also ask to see recent utility bills.

Adding Utilities with Garage Remodeling

If you’re good with DIY projects, what you save in contractor labor may cover higher utility bills. If you create an apartment or an income-producing business through garage remodeling, you’ll have additional income to cover higher costs for garage utilities.

Will it be worth the expense? Once you decide how you want to use the garage, you can get relevant estimates for garage remodeling, including:

• Additional utility charges
• Contractor labor
• Installation materials.

Subtract estimated expenses from anticipated income, such as:

• Apartment rent
• Home business income
• Increased home value upon resale.

DIY Garage Remodeling

How can you decide what garage remodeling projects to tackle on your own?

• Check building codes
• Get advice at home improvement stores
• Know your history of project completion
• Request estimates from contractors
• Review DIY books and websites.

Even if projects require a licensed electrician or plumber, you can reduce contractor hours by planning ahead. Before an electricity specialist arrives, you can:

• Cut holes for new electricity outlets and outlet boxes
• Locate studs
• Measure the amount of electricity wire needed.

Before the plumber arrives, you can:

• Determine where new water pipes need to go.
• Drill holes in studs for water pipe installation.
• Purchase angles, elbows and straight pipes for the water pipe job.

By planning ahead for work on electricity and plumbing, you can get your garage remodeling job done with lower labor charges. Those savings can be channeled back into making your garage more functional and valuable with garage utilities.