An Over-Garage In-Law Suite with a Wealth of Storage
This handsome in-law suite was created for Minnesota football great Billy Bye, after his wife had passed away. Living over his son’s garage was a perfect way to be near loved ones during a difficult transition and the happy ending that followed–romance, what else!
You can read all about the design and construction of Billy’s in-law suite in In-laws, Outlaws and Granny Flats: Your Guide to Turning One House into Two Homes (Taunton Press). It which was named one of the Top Ten Design Books for 2011, so If you are thinking of creating an in-law suite–as many people are doing these days–you may find In-laws, Outlaws and Granny Flats helpful.
Adding interior knee walls is a great way to gain storage because it makes use of otherwise unusable floor space under sloping roofs. The farther you bring the knee wall into the room, the taller your storage area will be (but the more floor space you’ll lose.) To avoid cold areas and moisture problems caused by condensation, fully insulate the storage area to isolate it from cold weather.
—
Architect Ron Brenner and builder Mike Herman are typical of the master designers and craftspeople who have shared their knowledge with me over the years. My most recent book, Renovation 4th Edition, contains thousand of field-tested tips and techniques, 250+ illustrations and roughly 1,000 of the 40,000 photos I have taken on job sites. I hope you find Renovation 4 useful. –Mike
© Michael Litchfield 2013
View Comments
Home additions are a lot of fun to watch happen. It allows for a lot of creativity, and you really feel the reward of turning a space that you might not have used much into a space that's more suitable and useful for your lifestyle.
What a beautiful story. If only all above garage spaces could be converted so simply and purposefully for loved ones. For me, I might end up with an extra big storage space haha!
Storage is a definite bonus when it comes to furnishing a home. Regardless of the demographics of a family, storage is an essential factor that everyone looks for when considering interior design. This over-garage suite looks like it is the perfect location for that purpose which provides an ample amount of storage space as required by many families. Households with children would definitely require more but I am certain that every other household would appreciate just that little extra.
This is a wonderful idea for putting an extension into the house and making use of the space above the garage. The price of building it up probably was worth it for the proximity of family members to you. And I bet there's lots of storage space with all that new floor space opened up!