When we first found the plan that made us want to build, I was concerned about the lack of sleeping space since we have 4 kids and when they grow up and get married, that will be 8 kids and their kids. So, 10 adults and a plethora of little ones. I know - we won't all be together too often, but with how far we live and the fact we want people to come stay with us, it always came back to - where will people sleep.
Now, when we started drawing out plans, I butchered that plan. You can see hints of it in there, but I changed a lot. Made the kitchen bigger, added a full bath, extended the living room, added an amazing patio, etc.
We talked and talked about that space over the garage though, but never did anything about it.
Well, when the architect was working on it, he said there would be enough headspace for a whole room. So much was going on then, that I did not think about it at the time, but as the stresses have fallen off and the excitement of the build has picked up, we started thinking about that room over the garage again.
In the plans that were finalized, we put a full set of stairs going up to this space over the garage. No rickety ladder for us aging folks. We also asked him to plywood the floors. Now we have this space, with stairs, and a floor. How much more to put in insulation (vapor barrier as well), stick in a portable air conditioner, some sheetrock and we have a room - not code for living, but a room most definitely.
Darrell and I are going to do most of the work ourselves, we are just having the builder put in the required insulation, drop the ceiling in the garage 1ft. and put in the sheetrock. We will texture and paint and put in the flooring over the plywood. Oh, we are having the electrician to put in plugs as well.
This is a 500 sq ft room that is mainly going to be storage, but COULD, not code mind you, BUT COULD, be a room for guests to sleep in - namely my kiddos. College boy anyone? No plumbing, no windows, just a room. We may eventually put in a sky light or at least a tube, but not right now.
I love being able to maximize all the space we have. Custom is a beautiful thing.
one husband......four kids......debt......sewing...... saving......cooking......yoga......sweet......chaos......life......
I would be concerned with people sleeping in a room with no windows and no way to escape if there was a fire or something. Also, wouldn't resale of the house be higher if the room was built to code from the beginning? I'm guessing it's just adding a window to the outside that makes it to code for escape purposes. And add a door and closet and your house now has a extra bedroom and definitely worth more money.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have been thinking about that. There is no wall space at all - this room is all under a roof. I will talk the builder about it though. We may put in a fold up ladder on the other side of the room - a normal attic entry here. The only window we could put would be a skylight or a dormer, which would add considerable cost and not at all what we are looking for. So the ladder is probably the way we will go.
DeleteYou got me really thinking about it, and there are egress skylights - perfect for our situations. I will keep a rope ladder there as well. It will only cost around $600.
DeleteAll the portable air conditioners I have seen require a vent to the outside. The ones that mount to the wall that are more like a permanent one are expensive!
ReplyDeleteYes, we are putting a vent in for the portable one.
DeleteIf I were going to my mother's or mil's house, there is no way I would stay in a room with no window. The dormer will be worth it. It just seems claustrophobic, inhospitable, and dangerous the way you are doing it. The dormer would still need a rope ladder. Living is more than four walls. It seems like a window is an amenity. No bathroom? Would your dil want to stay up there with children who want to go to the bathroom? I am just thinking how I would feel.
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