always possible to convert the garage but what's the condition of the existing kitchen and what are the floor and walls made out of and what about the house makes it feel cramped and would you prefer an extra bedroom or living area??

I would look at the price difference between four bedroom and three bedroom houses in your area, both for sale and rentals. This will give you a good idea of how much money you could consider spending on your renovation before you risk over-capitalising.

I had some clients who had a similar sized home with similar issues and who couldn't afford to make the home bigger. They spent their money on a new kitchen that optimised their storage solutions, and a professional organiser who helped them make some hard decisions about all of their stuff. In the process they gained two additional rooms that had been previously too cluttered to use properly.

Lots of families have been raised in homes that are the size of yours, and smaller, so consider how much stuff you have, and how it is organised, before spending big dollars on making it larger.

Best of luck with your considerations,

Dr Retro
of Dr Retro House Calls.

You could look at something like this which gives you a 4th bedroom, new Kitchen and large Living/media with alfresco cheers

excellent advice Dr Retro, we all have too much stuff, but some or all of the garage cleaned up enough to use as a playroom with a door out to an extended pergola could be worthwhile....do you have driveway access from the front street, what is the distance from the house to the side boundaries, where is north and describe your climate...

The home is brick on slab 17 years old. My daughter bought this home 2 years ago and it looks like wood laminate has been laid over original terracotta tiles which are still in the bathroom/laundry areas. Looks like meranti wood mouldings on the skirts (with wood beading to hide the joining of the new floor with the skirts), door and window frames. Regular plasterboard walls. North is on the bathroom side (unfortunately). Existing kitchen is okay just dated with the wood edging on the laminate bench tops. The word cramped is used because the meals/family room seems too small for two functions. Currently used for meals and kid's toys play area - one chair. One of the bedrooms is currently used as an office but when baby 2 comes dad will be relegated to a corner in the garage. A one car family atm.

Good advice re comparing rental and sale values. A cursory look shows we shouldn't be spending much.

Siriuskey loved your ideas. I presume that the wall between the island bench and the entrance wall would be deleted to make the whole meals kitchen living area open plan and you would keep the entrance wall? What about the garage doors? Also that would be a very large room for one purpose?

keeping in mind your long term goals for the house my suggestions are much simpler and convert the garage into a rumpus room and use the existing garage windows to add a bedroom and study and, keeping one of the roller doors for a storage area and blocking the other roller door opening with a stud wall and cladding ...internal access could be retained through the kitchen but if/when the kitchen needs updating re-arranging the cabinets and adding a breakfast bar to the rumpus and door through the lounge would keep traffic out of the kitchen...and if/when funds allow rearranging the front entry would modernise the entry and allow space for either a pantry or small wiw

Hi there Yes I wanted to open up the existing space with adding a new kitchen which I think will be needed anyway. Keeping all 3 family bedrooms together with access to the existing bathroom. That lovely double garage space has possibilities to add a WIP which is very popular a Study and even a mud room which so many are wanting. I need time to draw my ideas for you. cheers.

oklouise. Some good ideas there. Your outline plan isn't exactly the same as the one I uploaded so positioning will be different but I get the idea. A thought though is that 4 bedrooms and a study might be more than is needed for the area and there is no one space which is more spacious, which the current garage space could lend itself to. It is more likely that the 4th bedroom would be used as the study unless there is a large nook somewhere. There is a small shed on the northern side of the house next to the main bedroom for some storage

just left off the section past the toilet to be smaller picture to post with a few variations to consider but it's the same plan with the entry altered

Hi Belleran

I tend to agree with Dr Retro about looking at other properties in the area, although I would also be considering the cost of selling and moving into another home.

We are often asked to look at homes that people want to renovate, and homes that have already been renovated. One of the things we come across regularly is a house that has been turned into a series of rooms with no flow because the additions have been plonked into wherever they can. It's how homes become rabbit warrens and how we see people devalue their biggest asset. Come resale time it bites.

The problem with the existing layout is the lack of connection between the kitchen and family and the effective (usable) size of the family room (as you've said).

This is where the solutions should be aimed and resolving this would allow a room added into the solution as part of it. I would not be converting the garage without addressing the entire layout (so that the end result looks like it was meant to be).

Additionally, garages usually don't have any moisture barrier (black plastic) or damp proof coursing, and once these rooms are closed up, the moisture content becomes an issue without properly addressing it.

If I were in your shoes, I would extend to the rear as the roof line allows that in the most economical manner. Bedroom 3 could be absorbed into the family room and provides natural access to new rooms and an additional playroom/ games etc either along across the back or continued out depending on your block layout. Across the back could easily create an amazing connection to a new games room from the pergola area.

Even if 50m2 were added the house size will come up to 170m2 - ish which will add a lot more value on the block size.

The cost of this is obviously going to be greater than converting a garage, and the comparison of simply selling and upgrading may come into play.

Food for thought....

Cheers

Twos Company Renovations, appreciate your comments especially in the light of options which have been provided. It would have helped if I had added a site plan. Bedrooms 2 and 3 are the required 2 metre distance from the fence line so we are unable to extend out in that direction. The only direction to extend would be south west remembering I said north was on the bathroom side.

A busy week but I am uploading a site plan which will help you designers.

Two company Renovations - wouldn't extending another 50m2 be costly? eg $30-$40k and need council approval etc? Maybe the need to moisture proof the garage would also be costly? I think we have to find a way to improve within the current footprint, keeping in mind a small budget and your insightful comments about rabbit warrens and flow.

oklouise in regard to your idea for the garage space, could you suggest a layout with a small room as per your study room and deleting the bedroom so we can have a larger living space somewhere in the house? Hopefully the site plan is helpful.

siriuskey did you say you had some more ideas to come?

thank you for your help. You all

provide such a wonderful service.

Hi there Bellernan, sorry to be so slow in responding, I have been a bit tied up but would love to look at your plans again and add to my earlier thoughts cheers

Hi Belleran, Wondering if the new baby has arrived yet.

My ideas are trying to work within the existing floor plan to give 4 bedrooms with open plan kitchen family with servery via the kitchen window to the Alfresco.

I have used half of the garage for a dining room giving access from the kitchen to it and outdoors, there's a family study computer desk at the end.

I have squared off the entrance like Oklouise, only because it's easier to draw but I think it would less expensive not to alter these walls, same applies to bedrooms 2 & 3. Any load bearing walls you would need to check with a builder cheers

No baby not due for a couple of months. Thank you for the time you have given to producing this plan. Much appreciated as we would never have thought of these ideas.