Our garage door to wall transformation is nearly complete. Complete enough to show you some progress shots anyway.
We initially planned to hire this job out, but after asking my dad what kind of contractor I should call, he sort of just took the job on himself. Yes, he’s great. No, I’m not sharing him.
He started by ripping out the old door, door frame and the flimsy insulation, leaving a giant hole in the house. That hanging plastic was there just to block the wind some and keep the debris outside.
The end of day one was looking a lot like this.
We decided to do a wood frame wall rather than a stone or masonry wall for one main reason: weight. The weight of cinder blocks or poured concrete would have demanded busting up the floor plus part of the driveway and pouring deep concrete footings to support it all. More work, more money, more trouble. Nope, a stud frame wall will do just fine.
But one thing we could not do without was adding a window. It’s what I wanted most out of this project: natural light in a dark and dingy basement. I’m hoping to turn this space into a work area, so it was a necessity. The long and skinny 2 x 6 foot window was special order from Lowe’s for $160; I was surprised it didn’t cost more.
I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of having a small patch of siding on the house, but there are not a lot of options for weatherproof exterior materials. Plus introducing a fourth material to the existing stone/brick/siding combo would probably have looked just as weird. So we used the same approximate color and style as the top and the back of our house.
The clay color also blends into the stone foundation color so from far away, it doesn’t really draw attention to itself.
After some calling around to various to-the-trade siding distributors, I finally located the same(ish) siding in stock at Home Depot. Imagine that. (FYI, not all Home Depots carry the same siding color or profile in-stock, so if you can’t find what you’re looking for at one location, try another or check stock online. There’s a good chance it’s different.)
We still have to add some trim around the edges of the opening and then paint the wood the same tone as the siding, but with everything already weatherproof enough for winter, those jobs will probably have to wait until next spring.
And the inside?
The inside is still not complete, but that’s OK. It tells you how bad it was that I can look at this unfinished wall and think it looks great.
If this photo is looking a bit wonky to you: the window is level, and the floor is not. The floor is actually far far from level. But that’s an issue for another day (or never).
The view is nothing amazing, but look at that light! It’s not a dungeon anymore! The natural light still catches me off guard when I go down the steps.
I mentally budgeted between $1000 and $2000 for this project, so I’m excited it only added up to about $420 with DIY labor. More money to spend on something else!
It looks great! Aren’t windows awesome? And the price was right – $420, wow!! Congrats on getting it done in time for winter!
Thanks! Yes, it’s kind of crazy how excited I am about an unfinished wall… but I am. I’m sure it would have cost much more with labor included!
How did you seal the bottom of the wall to prevent rain, water from entering underneath? I am about to do the same with my garage door. I thought I would have to pour a concrete base to keep the water out
Sorry, I don’t have an answer for you! I didn’t actually do it myself; my dad did it. I think he used some sort of heavy duty sealer and pressure treated lumber. Ours is actually an inch or two above the outside grade, though. Our floor is also very uneven on the inside, so I’m not sure if that affected the choices.
well I have inherited a house, that has the garage convirted to a bedroom already, but the old garage door was not changed . is a permit required to change the door to a wall with a window?
Hi John, I’m definitely no expert. You’re going to have to check with your local city hall about that.
My husband and I bought a home with a 2-car garage that was never used. It didn’t even have a drive-way leading up to it! Of course, the creek running alongside the home that floods to about 4 or 5 feet from the garage entrance plays a huge part, ha ha! Neverthe less, we bought the home with the intention of converting this space into three rooms: a family room, a laundry and a storage room. Right now though, the old garage doors are sagging just enough to let in a family of birds, including a very small owl! (I know, cute and tyhe owl was gone by the morning, much to my children’s disappoint!) Now, how do I figure a good estimate for getting the doors replaced with a wall without being ripped off? I figured around two thousand, but I don’t really know what is involved. Plus I do want the outside wall to match the rest of the house, and not stick out like a sore humb. Any suggestions on what to look for in building materials/labor costs/questions to ask a contractor? Do I need to pay for everything all at once or set up some type of payment plan, etc. Until the job is finished? I really shooting in the dark, so to speak. Any info you can give me will help a lot. I have read stuff on the internet that makes me think this “job” will be over six thousand and I just cannot afford that right now. Thanks!
Hi Katrina,
Your best bet would be to contact several contractors and get estimates. I’m sure prices vary depending on where you live, and so many other factors. If you call enough people, you’ll get an accurate estimate of what the job might cost. Trying to find an estimate online is not going to work.
I am definitely not an expert and have only hired contractors for a few things at our house. Just call them and see who gives you not only the price you want, but the best general feeling. See who actually calls you back, how quickly they return your calls/emails, etc. I think that’s very telling of how they do business.
You could always try a site like Angie’s List or check the Better Business Bureau for complaints. We actually just joined Angie’s List (it’s something like $7.99/year) to find a deck contractor. I don’t have an opinion about it one way or the other yet, but it’s easy to use.