Services · Garage conversions
The cheapest square footage is the garage you already own.
The structure is up, the slab is poured, the roof drains. Converting a garage is mostly a code and paperwork problem — which is exactly the part we do.
Tell us the project and the city. If it doesn't need a permit, we'll say so.
What a garage conversion turns on.
Habitable space is a different standard
A garage was permitted to store cars. Making it a room people live in brings insulation, egress windows, ceiling heights, heating and energy code into play. The conversion set has to show the city how each one is met.
Conversion, or conversion ADU?
Extra living space and an independent unit with its own entrance and kitchen are different permits with different rules and different value. We'll lay out both paths — many owners come in asking for one and leave choosing the other.
Already converted without a permit?
It's one of the most common situations we see. Legalizing means documenting what's there, drawing as-builts, and bringing the space up to what the city will accept. It's almost always solvable — and better solved by you than discovered by a buyer's inspector.
A-2.0
How cities differ
Cities differ on parking replacement, on what counts as an independent unit, and on how forgiving they are with legalizing existing conversions. State ADU law overrides some local parking rules when the conversion becomes an ADU — a distinction that can decide which path your project should take.
Your city
What does a conversion take to approve in your city?
Tell us the project and the city. If it doesn't need a permit, we'll say so.
The deliverables.
- 01As-built documentation of the existing garage
- 02Conversion plans: insulation, egress, ceiling height, heating and energy compliance
- 03Conversion-ADU sets where an independent unit is the goal
- 04Legalization packages for conversions done without permits
- 05Submittal and corrections through approval
A-4.0
What we don’t do
We design and permit the conversion — the construction is your licensed contractor's. And if the existing structure can't reasonably be brought to code, we'll tell you that before you've paid for a full set.
Asked about garage conversions, specifically.
01Is my unpermitted garage conversion a problem?
Unpermitted habitable space is a liability at sale, at refinance, and with insurance. The fix — as-built drawings, a permit application, and bringing the space to what the city will accept — is routine work for us, and doing it on your own schedule beats doing it on an escrow deadline.
02Will I lose my required parking?
If the conversion becomes an ADU, state law removes most parking-replacement requirements. For a plain conversion, it depends on your city's rules — it's one of the first things we check.
Your project
Get a conversion quote for your garage.
Send the address and what you have in mind. We’ll check the parcel and the jurisdiction, then reply with what your city will require, what we’d produce, and the cost.
- What your city will ask for, specifically
- What we'd draw, and what needs an engineer
- A quote for the drawings, the expediting, or both
- A straight answer if it doesn't need a permit at all
Tell us the project and the city. If it doesn't need a permit, we'll say so.
Or send it now