I recently moved into a house that has a pretty tiny living room. The garage is in great shape as far as garages go (it's already insulated, drywalled, floor is in good shape, etc.). Here's a problem: I am a complete novice at DIY projects, and can't afford to pay a contractor to come in to do this project for me, so I'm going to take it on myself.

There is a VERY noticeable slope from about the middle of the garage back to the door itself. I have no idea how to level this floor to get a level, flat floor put in. I've read a few things on self-leveling compounds, and everything I read says it's really for small areas of dips, not the scale of leveling I need to perform here. HELP!!! How on earth do I get this floor level without spending a fortune, and keeping in mind that I am a complete amateur here?

I will also need advice on what to do with the garage door. I've read things that recommend leaving it in place and building an interior wall in front of it after sealing it off, but here's the problem with that: the house is brick and I want to brick in the front of the garage door to match the rest of the house. What do I do here???

Any suggestions, ideas, complete instructions, etc. would be TREMENDOUSLY appreciated! Someone out there has to have already experienced these issues with their garage makeover and been able to overcome them. I'm counting on your expertise to get me through my nightmare project! ;-)

Thanks in advance,

Christopher Mallow
clmallow@gmail.com

What is the elevation of the garage floor relative to the house floor?

Are you certain that there is a foundation under where the garage doors exist now? If not, you'll need one to support the brick veneer.

Building a brick-veneer wall is not simple, and there are many details that must be done right. Do you have the knowledge and skill to do them?

Isthere a vapor retarder under the garage floor slab? Often this was omitted under garage floors. If there isn't one, yu will have to incorporate one somehow, if you want to avoid musty odors,, and mold.

The easiest thing might be to demolish the garage floor and pour a new level one, incorporating a properly installed vapor retarder.

I am not sure if there is a foundation under the garage door. How would I be able to determine that? I know there's concrete under where the door rests when it's in the closed position...is that the foundation? As far as laying a brick veneer is concerned, I didn't assume that it was going to be TOTALLY easy to do, but thought I could get through it. What are some other options if I decide I don't have the skill needed to lay brick to match the rest of the house? As far as demolishing the floor, this sounds like MUCH more work than I am willing to take on. Breaking up the current floor, carting all the cement out, grading, laying substrate, pouring concrete, etc.....sounds like WAY more than I can do myself! Is there simply a way that I can lay a new floor on top of the concrete one, using a system of 1) a vapor barrier on top of the concrete, then building 2) a subfloor with 2 x 4's and 1/2"-3/4" plywood, shimming where necessary to remove the grade from the floor? If I sound like a naive idiot, it's probably because I am. But I sincerely want to get this project underway utilizing the most cost-effective, time-efficient manner possible. Thanks for your initial response, and I look forward to further input from you or any other members of this board.

Sincerely,

Christopher Mallow
clmallow@gmail.com

Oh, and I forgot to include the fact that the floor in the rest of the house v/s the floor in the garage has about an 8" difference in height (+/- a few inches...I haven't actually measured.)

CLM

I assume you need to step down to the floor in the garage? If so, you need to strike a line with a laser level all around the walls. Then fasten ledger boards below this line against them. Run string or laser again across the floor where each floor joist will be run. Then measure the distance from the floor to the line. Take a larger board, one that when placed on the floor is higher then the greatest distance measured. Level the top of the board while keeping the board in place, take a scribe and run it on the floor leaving a line on the bottom part of the board you just leveled. Cut the line off and when placed on the floor the board should lay level when placed on the floor. Some shims may be needed for those little goofs when cutting the line. Do this for each floor joist. You will end up with a level floor.

The other benefit of doing this is it will allow you to run ducts and wires between the joists, and insulate the floor. Garage floors typically do not have any insulation below the slab, and if you were thinking of placing the floor on the original cement floor, it will end up being cold in the cooler months ahead.

As far as doing the garage door. I have seen people install large windows in this opening. Also leaving the door in place and building a small false wall and lower the ceiling where the door goes when open will allow you to have a small storage area to keep the garbage cans etc. Trying to rebrick the front to match is difficult at best. Even if you could find matching brick, you would need to install footings to support this new wall. Lots of work for a DIYer.
I also have seen people create a entrance area with a small porch overhang and finish this to blend into the surrounding home style.

One last thought. Check with the zoning in your area. WE have a town near us that allows for garage conversions, however when the house is sold they must covert it back into a garage again.

Wow! So far that has been the most helpful response I've received! Not only does it ask questions, but it also gives some pretty basic instructions on how to do one of the most important steps in the project...the floor! From what I can understand so far, I think I have a basic idea of what you're telling me to do here. I still have questions about the whole garage door issue, but not really sure what to ask and how to ask it. The garage is basically a 2-car garage, so it is approximately 400 square feet. I want to utilize as much of the space as possible for living area, as I intend to have the pool table, a bar area, a big screen tv and plenty of seating in the room. So I'm not sure sectioning off a space for storage/garbage cans/etc. will be very practical for my intended purpose for the room once it's done. As far as duct work is concerned, it isn't needed, luckily. The previous owner had the foresight to install the furnace/air filter in the garage (the original furnace was set up with the vents and duct work in the floor...which guess what?...is set in concrete! So when the furnace needed updated, the new vents and ductwork went into the ceilings (much nicer in my opinion). Well with the unit in the garage, there's a place that ducts for the garage/new great room can simply come off the furnace there. I intend to drywall the furnace in while putting in an access door. Enough heat comes off the furnace without additional ductwork that if I install grates in the drywall when closing it in, should provide enough ambient heat for the room. Being that the garage is also already drywalled and insulated, it doesn't get terribly cold in the winter months. Wiring...now that may be another issue altogether. There are a total of I think 3 outlets in the room, which might be sufficient considering what the space is being used for, but if I am going to install additional outlets, I assume I'm just going to have to cut away sections of the walls to put in the additional receptacles. I'm hoping that's not going to be TOO major a task. As far as leaving the garage door in place and putting in a wall on the interior side of it, I think this shouldn't be too difficult, should it? I basically just need to build a frame out of 2x4's, insulate it and drywall it, no? I'm not sure how I'm going to remove the tracks for the garage door while leaving the door itself in place, but I'm sure I can figure something out in that regard. I'm still at a bit of a loss as to what to do with the outside of the garage door to remove the impression/image that the space is still a garage. Not sure how to cut a place for a window in the garage door or how to install, either, but maybe the folks at Lowe's or the Home Depot can give some tips & tricks on getting this accomplished.

If anyone else has any ideas, suggestions, tips, tricks, notions or advice, I am definitely open to suggestions at this point!

Thanks to both of you that have posted replies already. If I continue to have knowledgeable people to turn to with issues as they arise, I'm sure I can get this project started fairly soon (hopefully before the snow begins to fly!)

Thanks Again,

Christopher Mallow
clmallow@gmail.com

Consider removing the garage doors and filling the opening with a stud wall as you have planned, but put a coule of windows in the wall, and finish the outside with either vinyl or wood siding, which you can, if wood, paint to match your brick color. If you set the siding back maybe two inches from the face of the brick, it will look good, and will be easy to caulk around the perimeter. That may be better than leaving the garage door. If you do, though, nail some wallboard to the back of the garage door windows, if any, painted black on the outer side, so folks won't be looking in at insulation.

I do have questions about the code legality of placing grilles in the furnace room wall. Something about having a fuel-burning appliance open to a living space rubs my old code-compliance-oriented noggin the wrong way. I don't have time today to research the code, but you should run that plan by your local code enforcement officer. I don't think he'll like it very much.

Your furnace needs a combustion air source, and that has probably been the garage air. Once the garage becomes living spce, the furnace will possibly deplete the oxygen supply in the room, and you may find yourself yawning a lot in there. I think you will be required to install a louver in an outside wall to supply combustion air for the furnace, and to close the furnace room, perhaps with fire-resistance-rated construction, which basically means using Type X wallboard on both sides of the dividing wall.

If all that is the case, then you will have to install registers in the ductwork to supply air to the new space.

Don't underestimate the space required for a pool table. They come in 4x8, 4.5x9 and 5x10 sizes. Even if you select 4x8, five more feet of clear space is required all around the table, so the pool table will eat up 14 feet by 18 feet. Of course, this extra space can overlap with other clear spaces, and low furniture can probably be within 3 feet of the table, because the cue can extend over the furniture when making a shot.

The electrical code, if I'm not mistaken, and I'm not an expert in it, will require receptacles (outlets) spaced no more than every 12 feet apart, so I believe you will have to add some outlets to comply.

If you're considering doing this project without a building permit, I have one word of advice: DON'T!!! If you did, you may end up with serious safety and health issues, and worse, if you ever wanted to sell or refinance your home, almost all buyers' (or your) banks will require an up-to-date certificate of occupancy, and you will find yourself required to bring the space up to code under great time pressure. You don't want to be in that position, ever, take my word for it, as an architect who has had to advise and help many clients who did work without a permit. It can be costly and messy to have to do code-compliance work in a very short time. Get your permit, and get your code enforcement officer on your side!

Oh, and don't forget to place a vapor retarder, typically 6-mil or thicker polyethylene film (often called "Visqueen", one trade name for it) on the floor before installing the wood joists. Lap all joints in it at least 6 inces, and tape them, and run the vapor retarder up all walls to just under your new floor, and tape it there also. Run it up each penetration, such as pipes or posts or columns, and tape it there, too.

Good luck, and please ask if you have further questions.

If you do not want to loose ceiling space. You can purchase hinged garage doors to use. There a bit expensive but would solve hiding the track in the ceiling above.

As far as the heat. The radiant heat given off by the furnace will not heat the room enough to make comfortable with low activity. You should consider a small duct run off the main plenum on the furnace to heat the room. Do not attach the grill directly onto the duct as it will mess up the air flow in other rooms of the home. By installing a small duct with the grill attached to it, you can regulate the air flow and control the rest of the home as well.
Be sure that you use a lover door or at least two air supply grills on the wall of the furnace closet. 1 square inch of free air flow for each 1000 BTU of input should do it. Each grill should be sized this way not a combo of both.
Be sure to follow manufactures recommendations on clearance on furnace. Both for access to work on it, and for fire safety.
Electrical wires. Be sure to follow the local codes on this. There is surface wire systems that can be placed along the wall that will give you the wire outlets you require. Just be sure not to overload the system with to many on one breaker. Wiremold is one brand to consider.

Windows in garage door. No. You need to remove the doors if you want windows frame the openings out and install. Side to blend into the house. Vinyl will be fine. Just pick a color that complenents the rest of the brick on the house. Even faux shingle type siding looks good on some homes.
I suppose you could frame close to the garage door after fixing it into place. Frame out the existing windows if you have any in the doors. Then insulate. But the single pane glass in the garage doors will not be such a good thing. You can replace with insulated glass.