Our Work
Garage Conversions and Rebuilds
A garage conversion can be a smart way to add comfortable, functional living space.
Our Work
Garage Conversions
A garage conversion can be a smart way to add comfortable, functional living space.
Turn an underused garage into space that works harder for your home. If your garage has become more storage than parking, it may be worth looking at it differently. A garage conversion can create valuable living space without building a whole new addition.
Gridley Company can help you determine what your garage can realistically become, then handle the design and construction needed to make it work.
What Could Your Garage Become?
A garage doesn’t have to stay a garage. Depending on your home, property and goals, we can explore options such as:
- Home office or studio for dedicated space to work or create
- Guest suite for visitors or family
- Home gym
- Additional living space for a growing household
- In-law or multigenerational space that gives family members more independence
- ADU with its own living, sleeping, kitchen and bathroom areas
For those living in San Jose, converting an existing garage can also be an option for creating an ADU or JADU, subject to applicable requirements and permits. The City of San Jose specifically recognizes garage conversions as a pathway to an ADU or JADU.
For homeowners outside San Jose, contact our in-house permit coordinator and experienced designers to see what’s possible!
First, Let's Figure Out What Makes Sense
Before we start designing, we look at the existing garage and what you want to accomplish. That means considering things like:
- How will the space be used?
An office has very different requirements from a guest suite or ADU. We start with how you want to live in the space. - What does the existing structure allow?
Ceiling height, windows, doors, utilities, structure and the relationship to the rest of the home all influence what’s possible. - What needs to change?
A garage wasn’t originally built as living space. Converting it may involve insulation, flooring, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, windows, doors and other upgrades. - Would an ADU or JADU make sense?
If you’re considering a separate living space, we’ll help you understand the design and permitting considerations rather than designing something that can’t be approved.
Garage Conversion Examples
We’ve helped homeowners rethink garages in a variety of ways, from practical additional living space to fully finished accessory dwelling units.
Garage-to-ADU Conversion
An underused garage becomes a comfortable, independent living space with the features needed for everyday life.
Garage Living Space
A former garage gets a new purpose as finished space that better supports the way the homeowners use their home.
Garage Rebuild
Sometimes we find the most cost effective and least restraints and a better end product is best achieved by starting new and completely rebuilding the garage. When possible, we use the original foundation, otherwise we start new there, too.
One Team From Design Through Construction
Garage conversions can involve a lot of moving pieces. Gridley’s design-build approach keeps those pieces connected.
Your Gridley team of guides work together through design, planning, permitting and construction, so the person designing the space isn’t handing you off to an unrelated contractor. Gridley manages the remodel from design and permitting through construction and warranty. That means clearer communication, fewer handoffs and one team responsible for the project.
Make More of the Home You Already Have
Sometimes the best way to get more space isn’t to build more house. It’s to rethink the space that’s already there.
If you’re considering a garage conversion in San Jose or the surrounding Bay Area, Gridley can help you understand what’s possible and what makes the most sense for your home.
Have an underused garage? Let’s talk about what it could become.