We just finished a garage conversion near Alamo Heights in San Antonio.  There are many pro’s of converting an attached or detached garage into additional living space.  The foundation, walls and roof are already in place, which are huge savings in terms of your overall construction budget.  The con’s of converting your existing garage into an additional bedroom differ from home to home.  Most older homes don’t have sufficient electrical requirements to meet city code or the basic lighting for a living space.  A registered electrician should be consulted to check the electrical panel to see if can support additional circuits or breakers.

Building permits are an absolute must for a project of this nature.  If you are converting a garage into living space in Alamo Heights, you will be required to building a covered carport or garage since you getting rid of the existing garage.  This is a city requirement and definitely needs to be added into your construction and building plans.  — Danny Garcia, President of Rhino Design Build, LLC in San Antonio, Texas.

What are garage conversions used for?

Many of our clients in Alamo Height and Terrell Hills are opting for a garage conversion because they just need that extra bedroom for a growing family.  Others are moving in a aging parent or parents and need a mother in law suite.  This a great way to have two families under one roof (multi-generational living) and have them close enough to keep an eye on, but maintain a degree of independence and privacy.  Depending on large the space we have to work with is, the new garage living space becomes a small apartment.  Some of our clients intend to rent this attached apartment our on AIRBNB or VRBO.  Check with your city municipality on the regulations on this as some don’t allow it.