Garage to Bedroom
(Note: A pseudonym is used to protect the identity of the homeowner.)
Mr. Putnam has lived in his home since 1963. Once a preacher, he led worship services in his garage for decades. Eventually, he converted the garage into his bedroom and primary living space, renting out bedrooms to others in the community who needed affordable housing.
One day, city staff drove by Mr. Putnam’s home and noticed a glass entry door into a bedroom that had been hidden by a sliding wooden garage door facing the street. Upon inspection, the converted garage space was red-tagged by city staff. Since the space was not properly conditioned as a bedroom, it lacked proper insulation and heating. Mr. Putnam relied on multiple space heaters to keep the room warm, creating a fire and tripping hazard within the space and resulting in high electricity bills. The concrete garage floor was also not properly sealed, allowing moisture and air to seep through the concrete and into the space, leading to unhealthy mold growth and poor air quality. The red tag required Mr. Putnam to move out of the converted garage area until a permit was issued and the space met all current building, fire, and health codes.
When the converted garage was red-tagged, there were five other renters living with Mr. Putnam, all adults with a total household income that qualified as “Low Income” (61-80% AMI). Four of the six members of the household were Seniors living on fixed incomes, one was Mr. Putnam’s son, and another was a family friend. He moved back into a bedroom in the main house, displacing one of his younger renters who had more income than the others to find alternative housing. The red tag resulted in fees owed by Mr. Putnam to help pay for city code enforcement visits and administrative oversight to confirm that the space was not used as living space until it was properly permitted and inspected. Homeowners frequently lack the expertise and resources to bring these red-tagged spaces into compliance in a timely manner, and this is further complicated when they are already living on a limited income. As a result, code enforcement cases like this may drag on within a city for many years. This situation fuels distrust and frustration between community members and city staff while leaving these living spaces uninhabitable in the meantime.
Garage conversions to bedrooms are one of the most common changes that low-income families make to maximize living space in their homes, as the walls, roof, and floor are already in place. Simply covering these spaces with paint and carpet seems like a quick and easy way to provide necessary living space for growing families or potential renters without many other affordable options in the community. In reality, the process of properly converting Mr. Putnam’s garage conversion to meet all building, fire, and safety codes required significant costs and expertise that might typically be unanticipated by the average homeowner, including:
- Full sets of architectural drawings and details, which typically rely on professional support and production through the permit submission process.
- Structural engineering and reinforcement at the garage door and other areas as identified through a full review of the existing structure.
- Electrical, heating, window/door, and insulation upgrades as required by Title 24 in the California Building Code.
- Costly upgrades like an electrical service upgrade for the main house that were required to support the additional electrical upgrades required for the garage conversion.
- Proper leveling and sealing of concrete garage floors prior to installation of residential flooring material.
- Other building and fire code upgrade requirements aligned with current standards, including wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as an illuminated address plaque.
From start to finish, the entire process to provide Mr. Putnam with a code-compliant garage conversion took approximately one year and cost approximately $60,000 with in-kind project management support from our ADU Initiative partners. The result was a safer and healthier bedroom space for Mr. Putnam that met all current building, fire, and safety codes. He was able to rent the other bedrooms in the home to family members or others in the community who needed affordable housing. The rental income supplemented his social security income and allowed him to continue living independently within his home. Lessons learned from this project were also incorporated into a larger collaboration with city staff to help streamline the review process and decision making required for future projects like this in the community.
Timeline:
April 17, 2018: Electrical Permit Application for Service Upgrade
June 1, 2018: Final Title 24 & HVAC Plans Completed
June 12, 2018: Permit Application Submitted to Planning Department
June 26, 2018: First Comments from Planning Department Consultant, 4Leaf
August 8, 2018: Plan Check Revision I Submitted to Planning Department
August 16, 2018: Permit Application Submitted to Building Department
August 21, 2018: First Comments from 4Leaf to Building Department
August 31, 2018: Building Department Comments Forwarded to RTP
September 10, 2018: Plan Check Revision II Submitted to Building Department
September 18, 2018: Building Permit Issued
September 24, 2018: Footings/Foundation Inspection
October 11, 2018: Rough Framing & Rough Electrical Inspections
October 24, 2018: Subcontractor Sealed & Leveled Concrete Garage Floor
December 14, 2018: Insulation Inspection
December 17, 2018: Lath & Paper Inspection for Stucco Walls
December 19, 2018: Drywall & Stucco Inspection
Early January: Interior & Electrical Finish Work Completed, HVAC Installation
January 18, 2019 - First Inspection; Temporary Occupancy Allowed for Mr. Putnam While Corrections Were Completed (finish painting, bollards to protect heat pump, etc.)
March 8, 2019: Final Inspection Completed and Approved