Adult Child Wants To Move Back Home? Convert Your Garage Into Living Space
According to Pew Research, more adults ages 18-34 live with their parents than in any other living arrangement. For young adults who move back in with their parents, this means swallowing their pride. For parents of these adult children, it means providing living space for what may be an indefinite length of time, which could result in the inability for the adult children to transition into independence.
If your adult child has moved home or will in the near future, you may want to consider providing them with a living space that is separate from the rest of the house and demanding rent payments. By doing so, you'll foster independence in your adult child. So just where can you find that space? In your home's garage! Here's what you need to know.
Determine how the space will be used later
One thing that may be holding you back from making permanent changes to the garage is that you won't know what to do with the space after your adult child moves out. Consider the possibilities of renting the space to someone else or having it available for use by an elderly parent in the future. Alternatively, design the living space in such a way that it will be easy to transform it back to a regular garage.
Get permits & develop a design
You'll need permits from your local building code authority before you can begin working on transforming your garage into an apartment or bedroom. The building code authority will give you a guideline of what is required regarding ceiling space, wall construction, insulation, electrical components, plumbing, flooring, and external construction changes, if any. With the knowledge of what will be required, you can then begin developing a design to change the garage to an apartment or a bedroom, depending on whether or not plumbing for a bathroom and kitchen can be installed in the garage. Hire a contractor who specializes in garage transformations for the best results.
Set expectations & establish a rental agreement
Sit down with your adult child and lay ground rules, expectations, and boundaries, such as cleanliness, behavior, and having overnight guests over. Yes, it's their living space, but they are still under your roof. Have them sign a rental agreement and pay rent. Set aside their rent payments, whether in part or in full, to return to them as a gift when they do move out in the future.
Contact a company like NextDoorGarageApartments.com to learn more.