First flip - convert large 3-car garage to 2-car to add sqft?

First flip - convert large 3-car garage to 2-car to add sqft?

Member since 2023 · 1 post · 0 votes

Hi everyone,

I'm analyzing a potential flip, which would be my first.

The house is 2200sqft, 2 bedroom, 3 bathroom, and has a 900sqft 3-car garage that's part of  the house. The current layout lacks bedrooms, which may make it harder to sell to families. And the garage feels oversized, so I'm thinking about the possibility of converting it into a 2-car garage and adding ~300sqft of living space as another bedroom and hallway that still connects the house to the garage, so that the new layout will be 2500sqft, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom with a 600sqft 2-car garage. There is also potential to have a 4th bedroom with a simple layout change inside but I haven't decided that yet, as it would be on the smaller side. I'd also be renovating the bathrooms as they are quite outdated.

The layout allows for this conversion, and I'm thinking 2500sqft/3br/3ba/2car has a significantly higher ARV than 2200sqft/2br/3ba/3car. I know the cost of the conversion, and the ARV increase to me seems several times higher than this cost. But given this is my first time, I wanted to ask if anyone's had experience with this and if there are any blind spots to my thinking.

Maybe it won't add as much value for some reason? Some things that might be a concern:

1) Obviously have to make sure things are all permitted first

2) I don't want the room to "feel" like an addition, so flooring has to be same level/standardized with the rest of the house

3) Unlike the rest of the house that has an identically-shaped 2200sqft basement underneath, this added space will not have a basement directly underneath it -- I'm not sure if this poses major cons for some reason that I'm not aware of

4) Especially given the lack of basement underneath, I have to make sure that the HVAC can still somehow be piped into this room

#2 and #3 are probably my biggest concerns (#1 and #4 I can find out relatively easily)

Any tips/thoughts or other experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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  • Real Estate Agent · Lafayette, LA · Member since 2024 · 46 posts · 21 votes
    2y

    I agree with you, a 2 bedroom 2200 sqft house will be a much harder sell than a 3 bedroom! Adding square footage is ALMOST always a good ROI.

    However, if you haven't already done so, I would talk to a real estate agent in your area that specializes in flips, and get them to run comps for the current house vs. the added square footage. That will help you get numbers together to see how much you can spend on the addition and still get a ROI. And then obviously get several quotes from contractors.

    Best of luck!

  • Benjamin AakerPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Brandon, SD · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    2y
    Sounds like you have done a lot of thinking about this. For your biggest concerns, #2 is really an issue for a contractor to discuss with you. The contractor should be able to tell you if this is possible in your particular layout. A big issue to consider is the type of insulation in the current garage. If it is fully insulated then you are in business, if not, you'll have a lot more work getting the walls and attic in condition to have a room.
    #3 I don't see any issue there. Plenty of homes are slab on grade without basement. Of course, there are construction considerations building on concrete, but nothing that can't be managed.
    I disagree with you about the HVAC. That may be your biggest expense if the garage is already insulated. Get an HVAC specialist out there to give you a quote (after you have designed the room). Also, electrical can be a challenge depending on the layout.
    I do agree with you that a 3 bedroom would be much better for the ARV.
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