Cadillac Conversion

Too often, converted garages retain the feel of their former function, especially if the original driveway remains in front for parking cars. This home illustrates how a garage can become new living space that blends seamlessly with the rest of the house.

These planning points will help you distance a new family room from its garage origins.

French doors let in lots of light.

• Plan to replace windows that shout "garage style." Here, French doors and a large floor-to-ceiling window replaced two high, small garage windows. Another French door was substituted for the service door.
• Use interior details such as built-in bookcases, whitewashed paneling, and moldings to create warmth.

A fireplace and cheery windows
have replaced the garage door.

• Consider adding a fireplace in the space once occupied by the overhead door. A fireplace adds coziness inside, while the chimney adds interest to the exterior.
• An open doorway to the kitchen joins the new family room to the rest of the house. If the family room is a few steps down, that's OK; it helps create a division between the two rooms.

In a warm climate, bricks are
an easy floor makeover idea.

• You may be able to lay bricks over the existing floor rather than raising the whole room to the higher house level. In the home shown here, this cost-saving measure also eliminated the need to build steps leading from the family room to the courtyard patio and backyard. In climates less temperate than this home's Texas location, heat distribution can be a problem. The best solution is to raise the floor, which creates room to run heating ducts under the floor and an opportunity to provide extra insulation.

A wet bar completes the room's
transformation to livable space.

• Unless you like the rustic look of exposed joists, you'll want to reframe the ceiling of your new family room. Creating a tray ceiling or a coffered ceiling further disguises the room's origin.
• Don't forget to restyle the outside of the new room. Here, plantation shutters were installed to create architectural interest. Landscaping, a lattice-fenced courtyard, and a relocated circular driveway complete the transformation.
• Budget enough money to transplant a large tree in front of the original garage opening, which helps disguise not only the recent change but also the original shape and use of your new living space.