"Had to pour a thin overlay—unexpected cost right there."
Yeah, flooring always seems straightforward until suddenly it's not. Had a client recently who went the backyard cottage route, and utilities became a real headache. Sewer line was deeper than anticipated, meaning more excavation, more permits... you get the picture. Sometimes, I think garage conversions dodge a bullet there. Wonder if anyone's had trouble with electrical capacity? Older homes aren't always ready for that extra load.
Electrical can definitely sneak up on you, especially with older homes. Had a project last year where the homeowner wanted to convert their detached garage into a guest suite. Everything looked good until we realized the main panel was already maxed out. Ended up having to upgrade the panel, which meant more permits and inspections—basically added another couple weeks and a chunk of change to the timeline.
One thing I'd suggest is doing a thorough electrical assessment upfront. Checking the panel's current load, breakers, and wiring condition can save a lot of headaches later. Also, consider future-proofing a bit: running conduit or leaving space for additional circuits if you think the client might expand again down the line.
Curious if anyone's bumped into insulation issues with garage conversions? Seems garages are rarely insulated properly, and that can get tricky when trying to meet residential code requirements...
Good points on the electrical—been there myself with our historic place. A few thoughts from my own garage conversion experience:
- You're spot-on about insulation. Our garage was basically a sieve when it came to heat retention. We ended up having to strip it down completely and redo insulation from scratch to meet code. Not fun, but worth it in the end.
- Older garages often have moisture issues too, so watch out for that. We had some hidden water damage behind drywall that we didn't catch until demo day.
- Don't get discouraged by these setbacks though...they're pretty common with older structures. Once you get past the initial hurdles, things usually smooth out.
Sounds like you're already thinking ahead, which is half the battle. Good luck with your project—it's always rewarding seeing these older spaces come back to life.
