What is the average cost of a double garage conversion?
Converting a two-car garage to living space costs $10,000 to $50,000 or more, per HomeGuide, against $4,000 to $17,300 to simply finish it.
Two numbers, because there are two different jobs behind the same words. On HomeGuide's table, finishing a garage means flooring, finished walls, storage and a better door while the space stays a garage. Converting it means new floors, new walls, windows, insulation, drywall, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling, and the space stops being a garage. Its per-square-foot bands are $10 to $30 to finish and $50 to $200 to convert.
Source: HomeGuide
This page is general information, not professional advice. Remodeling prices move with your local labor market, the condition of what is already there and what your building department requires, and the only number that counts is a written quote from a contractor who has walked the job.
Garage conversion cost by size
| Garage size | Full remodel and finishing | Convert to living space |
|---|---|---|
| 1-car | $2,900 – $11,800 | $5,000 – $20,000+ |
| 2-car | $4,000 – $17,300 | $10,000 – $50,000+ |
| 3-car | $5,800 – $25,900 | $30,000 – $75,000+ |
| 4-car | $8,600 – $47,500 | $50,000 – $100,000+ |
Source: HomeGuide
HomeGuide's headline for the whole subject is $5,000 to $50,000 or more for a professional garage conversion, so the two-car row is the middle of its own range rather than an outlier. What decides where in it a job lands is what the room becomes.
Source: HomeGuide
How much does a full garage conversion cost, by room type?
| Living space | Average cost |
|---|---|
| Utility room or mudroom | $3,000 – $6,000 |
| Home gym | $2,000 – $9,000 |
| Office | $5,000 – $10,000 |
| Living room | $5,000 – $10,000 |
| Bedroom | $5,000 – $17,000 |
| Kitchen | $6,000 – $54,000 |
| Apartment, in-law suite or studio | $20,000 – $100,000+ |
Source: HomeGuide
Plumbing is the line that moves it. HomeGuide's office, living room and gym conversions share one requirement list — a window, wiring, insulation, drywall, heating and cooling, new flooring — and its kitchen and apartment rows add fixtures, so installing new plumbing pipes at $450 to $1,800 per fixture is what separates a $5,000 room from a $50,000 one. It also notes that most garage conversions need at least one new 20-amp circuit, and that a bathroom, kitchen or heavy appliance may need dedicated circuits at $250 to $900 each.
Source: HomeGuide
The question that decides your number is not how big the garage is. It is whether water has to reach it.
How much does a garage loft conversion cost?
Building above the garage rather than inside it is a different table again. HomeGuide's ADU guide prices an above-garage unit at $200 to $500 or more per square foot — the most expensive construction type it lists — because it means adding a second storey to a structure that was not designed to carry one, and it reads $120,000 to $300,000 for a 600-square-foot living unit up there. Its second-storey guide puts an addition over a garage at $60,000 to $200,000 or more, with the low end being a bonus room and the high end a complete living space with a bathroom and kitchen.
The lines a conversion quote should show separately
HomeGuide publishes each of them: wall framing at $1,000 to $5,000, drywall at $800 to $5,000, insulation at $1 to $3 or more per square foot, windows at $150 to $1,000 each, outlets at $150 to $800 each, raising or levelling the garage floor at $300 to $5,400, ducts and vents at $400 to $600 per run, and permit fees at $1,000 to $2,000. It also says most garage conversion contractors charge a flat 10% to 20% of the total project cost to coordinate the work, and that a detached garage costs more than an attached one because the plumbing and electrical have further to travel.
Source: HomeGuide
A conversion quote that does not separate the framing, the electrical and the plumbing is a quote you cannot compare. These are the general contractors AI assistants actually name when homeowners ask. Nobody can pay to be on these lists.
- Most recommended general contractors in Tampa, FL
- Most recommended general contractors in Los Angeles, CA
- Most recommended general contractors in Dallas, TX
- Most recommended general contractors in Phoenix, AZ
- Most recommended general contractors in Atlanta, GA
- Most recommended general contractors in Denver, CO
Not your city? See every metro we measure.
Questions people ask next
- How much does it cost to convert a double garage to a bedroom?
- HomeGuide publishes $5,000 to $17,000 to convert a garage into a bedroom, with the low end being a small room with a window, insulation, drywall, flooring, outlets, heating and cooling and a closet, and the high end a larger bedroom-and-bathroom suite where the plumbing adds cost.
- Does converting a garage lower the home's value?
- HomeGuide says a garage conversion may decrease home value in regions where garage parking is highly valued, and notes that homeowners insurance may need adjusting if the conversion adds to the home's livable square footage. It publishes no figure for the effect, so neither does this page.
- Do I need a permit to convert a garage?
- HomeGuide lists permit fees at $1,000 to $2,000 for a garage remodel and says some cities require a licensed architect or engineer to sign the proposed plan before it will approve one. HomeGuide puts hiring an architect at $100 to $250 per hour or 5% to 20% of the construction cost.
- How long does a garage conversion take?
- HomeGuide puts a garage conversion to an accessory dwelling unit at 2 to 12 months, covering new floors, walls, windows, insulation, drywall, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling.
Written for homeowners by Most Recommended Contractors, which measures which general contractors AI assistants actually recommend in 26 U.S. metros. Nobody can pay to be on those lists. How we measure.