Room Addition Over A Garage

Building a room addition over a garage can be a great way to add additional square footage to your home, without increasing the ‘footprint’ of your existing house.  However, there are several things that you need to take into consideration before making this decision.  We will try to cover the majority of those questions in this article.

Every jurisdiction is different and has different limitations and requirements for room additions and home remodeling projects.  You will need to check with your respective city or county to be sure.  If you are not comfortable with this, we would be more than happy to assist you with this step.  Just give us a call.  We have a general knowledge of what will require a permit and what may not require a permit.  If it is something that we are not familiar with, we have a working relationship with the local cities and counties and can obtain this information easily, typically within a day or two.

[av_font_icon icon=’ue833′ font=’entypo-fontello’ style=” caption=” link=” linktarget=” size=’70px’ position=’left’ color=”]Am I Allowed To Build A Room Addition Over My Garage?[/av_font_icon]

If you own a home in HOA, you will want to check your CC&R’s and with the governing board of the HOA.  There may be restrictions on whether or not you would be allowed to add a second level to your home.  If you are, in fact, allowed to, there will be some things that you will be required to provide to them and certain requirements you will have to follow in order to receive the permission of the HOA for the addition.

As far as needing a permit, more than likely, the answer is “YES”.  You will need to check with your local jurisdiction and HOA, if applicable, to verify this.  As we said above, every jurisdiction is different and has different requirements.  They will tell you what you need in order to obtain a building permit to add a room over your garage.

Money Saving Tips

Now that you have decided to add a room above your garage, here are some tips to save money.

Although it can be fun to undertake a DIY home remodeling project, you need to understand everything involved in the project.  One, seemingly small, mistake can end up costing more time and money than originally anticipated.  Typically for a project like this, it is highly recommended that you work with a licensed General Contractor, such as FHR Construction Corp., that can handle the entire project, start to finish.  Building a room addition over a garage is not a small home remodeling project.

Now that you know that you can build, here are the next steps to take:

• Contact several Licensed, Bonded and Insured General Contractors. Obtain written estimates for the proposed work to be done.  FHR Construction Corp. proudly offers FREE Consultations and Written Estimates!
• Have plans drawn and submitted to the City/County for a permit.
  • If you aren’t sure where to get plans drawn, give us a call.  We would be more than happy to assit you with this process.  And if you aren’t comfortable talking to or dealing with the City/County, we can help you with this, as well.  We have an excellent working relationship with the local cities around the Phoenix Metropolitan area.
• Once you have an approved set of plans and a building permit, contact the General Contractors that you have selected to provide you with a final estimate, based on the approved building plans.  Things may have changed a little during the review process that they may not be aware of.
  • Make sure that you go over all of your questions and concerns with the Contractor at this time.  Make certain that they understand, completely, all of the work that you are wanting done.  Nothing is more frustrating than having a certain budget and receiving a Change Order from your builder because something wasn’t included in the contract.  By making sure that everything is covered and included, this will save time and money.
• Sign the contract and begin construction!
  • This is the exciting time of the project!  In several months, you will have a new room addition above your garage!

Whether it’s for your growing family, an Art Studio, an office, or a Guest Suite, building a room addition over a garage can be a very effective way to give you the added space that you need.

Contact us today for your 100% FREE written estimate.