Back to the garage door… I honestly don’t think frosted tempered glass in the garage door is a serious security issue. So, I’m going to go ahead with the design style, I just have to search for the lowest cost solution that provides that type of design.
I was able to get a hold of my favorite draftsman who did the plans and engineering for a master suite addition I did about 3 years ago. I couldn’t get him to answer the phone for the Hoarder House renovation plans so I ended up with someone who I really did not like, and he cost way too much money.
He is ready to rock and I’m meeting him at the project Wednesday afternoon. I’m hoping that he will be able to do the plans for deck expansion also. So, in the end I will have a permit for the internal staircase, garage conversion, new bedroom and bathroom and the expanded deck. That should be good enough to keep any buyers happy!
I honestly don’t think buyers care about kitchen remodel or bathroom remodels.
are you going to have both top and bottom decks? You should be able to use the same posts for both levels.
Yes, I think I might do that. It would add some dimension to the back of the house and solve an issue that I was trying to analyze… how to make a nice ‘walk out’ from the downstairs family room.
My thoughts right now are to put a nice frosted glass double garage door down where the current garage opening is (I need to take a photo to help you all visualize). That would be one wall of the family room. That garage door could open up and we will use the flat part of driveway as a ‘patio’. While standing there yesterday I realized that there are nice views of the Sea World area of the bay (but not the ocean or Mission Bay views) from that concrete pad. I think it would be neat to be able to ‘open up’ the family room out to that patio. I’ve seen a lot of contemporary homes that have a garage style wall that opens up. The only issue I can think of is… How do you hide the garage door opener in the ceiling? It might look really weird to have a garage door opener in the ceiling of a family room.
Will also have French doors that lead out the North wall to the lower deck to give an illusion of more outdoor space.
The bottom deck will not be that scary. It will just be a nice flat area across the steep slope off back of the house - maybe only 3 to 5 feet off dirt at the end. It will also provide some erosion control because we can direct water away from the downward side of the foundation by using some drainage with the deck.
If the ceilings are high enough, can you build a false ceiling with space for the garage door opener? Sort of an attic space? It could be extra storage as well. Just use a standard “up to the attic” opening somewhere? Just a thought.
wait, what ?IF you are converting the garage to a FM then why have a “garage door” type opener in a room that is no longer a garage?? that would be too weird. There are lots of other options to opening up a room to the outdoors. No reason to make it obvious that it USED to be a garage.
Just put in a series of overlapping retractable sliding doors with opaque glass that can be opened up. Or something like that.
Problem solved.
here’s a photo that shows the concept
there are lots more ideas if you search Google for retractable sliding doors.
http://www.panda-windows.com/portfolio-item/modern-residence-in-canada
menlo, I could be wrong, but I’m guessing the garage doors on the lower level would be a lot more cost effective than the retractable sliding doors… but those pictures sure are attractive!
yeah, but she is saving $$ on not having to do terracing.
Sliding Doors than can fold back on them selves and are on one tract is another option.
I just think she needs not to have any “WTH?” features .
I strongly agree with @menloparkmom.
This isn’t a post-industrial loft or the like, where garage doors would fit. That would be a real turn-off to me.
Please don’t do a garage door in the lower living space. Garage doors are not well sealed and do not provide adequate noise and heat insulation. Also, spiders and other yuckety yuck find their way inside no matter how well garage doors are sealed…
I completely agree that a garage door style opening is a giant turn off. I saw places like that when I was looking at houses and even when they had super expensive floors etc I could not shake the feeling that the room was a converted garage. And even if you could hide the motor mechanism, you’d still be able to see the ugly tracks.
A giant span is where the hanawall type solutions would be wonderful – if the views are worth it and the room large enough. Then again, it may be that the room is better oriented toward the other wall with the deck … What are the views like out that direction? Will you be able to open up that wall from a structural perspective? This feels like a tricky design problem to me … The high ceilings are wonderful but the proportions of the room could be off if not well designed. I would still be inclined toward a consultation with an architect. Lots of potential, that is for sure!
I haven’t been following closely enough, though I love the concepts you’re considering. A+ one for a large single kitchen sink!
I also thought the frosted glass garage door would be for the garage on the front of the house. I think it would be odd to have a garage door (even a glass one) in your new family room space. If other options are too expensive, could you just frame out that wall for a series of large windows, with a slider or french doors out to your new patio space? I would work to do everything possible to minimize the awareness that the space used to be a garage.
Renting extra space via Air BnB is the most profitable in SD. Just saying…
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/airbnb-hosts–here-s-where-you-ll-make-the-most-money-165844283.html
When house hunting, we saw lots of pictures of converted garages in the area and it was a turn off seeing the tracks. Folding patio doors would be attractive but they can be expensive, I know. Any lower deck would need to block off the apartment buildings below and emphasize the Sea World direction. We did walk down to that lower area last month on our drive by and it’s a pleasant view - not as exciting as the upper level, of course. But it would make a nice seating area.
cb, one tip about having both the upper and lower decks: Have the lower one extend beyond the upper one, so it gets some direct sunlight. You don’t want the lower deck to be completely in the shade because of the existence of the upper deck.
I think I might agree with the others about a garage door in the family room. Sliding doors or the wonderful ones that menlopark posted would be awesome.
Years ago, my nephew and his wife bought a house that had those Nano doors on one complete side of the house. They were spectacular.
If I were to do folding Nana or similar doors, I would put them on the main level for the enjoyment of the masters of the house. That way, IMO, the upper deck can be kept as narrow as it currently is: the folding doors will provide an illusion that the living room actually extends outdoors.
On the lower level, I would put in lots of windows and a large slider or french door to the new deck. Plus, if it is a French door, it can be used as a separate entry.
OK, you guys win. Since there is already a big header across that garage door opening, I will come up with a sliding/retracting wall solution.
While I am at it, I will investigate cost of putting vanishing glass sliders upstairs also. However, I still think I need an expanded deck because people will want some type of bbq setup and possibly a table outside. However, I agree… if you can give the illusion of the living area completely opened up to the exterior, the deck does not technically have to be very big.
I’m sure buyers will be impressed… but I just want everyone to know that I live with full west facing with Nana Wall (Liberace House walls are a little NW facing) and the ocean wind is always kind of strong and just comes barreling through. I have to keep everything on other side of the house closed up to avoid a wind tunnel blowing everything out the back door 
PROGRESS UPDATE
Since the draftsman is coming Wednesday afternoon we spent a lot of time today down in the garage to finalize design ideas for the conversion. The listing agent did not have any keys for the garage entry door on the west end of the garage and we were starting to get worried we might lose the garage door opener and not be able to get entry downstairs. So, we pulled out the locked metal screen door and the old entry door and replaced it with a new steel entry door, new locks. Entry door is thick dual pane insulated tempered glass and will allow more light to enter the downstairs area.
There is a decent view from the garage and the patio outside garage
Started demoing out all the cabinets downstairs
Finished drywall, taping and mud over the new headers - a little paint and you will never know any work was done there!
Stood in the master bath and sat on the bucket and came up with the new bathroom layout. This is important because we need to get the new sewer lines and water lines replaced in that bathroom area. All water lines have been pulled out.
Still trying to strip wallpaper… what an ordeal
BIG DISASTER TODAY… The guys went out to turn the main water line off during the plumbing. Then they went out and tried to open it up… and the lever snapped right off! Unfortunately this lever is on the City’s side of the water meter and we cannot ‘turn off’ the water and replace it. This is going to be a huge ordeal trying to get the City to repair the lever.
Some new photos loaded that show the driveway, garage and some other things
stripping wall paper
I had good and bad experiences with the process. If the wall paper is the kind that has thick front where you can tear it off to show the backing, it is easy to remove. If it is the old type where the front is very difficult to separate from the backing, then I would rather to replace the wall board.
One time, I spent 12 hours to remove the wall paper on one side of a wall in a 10x10 room. In retrospect, it will be much easier to knock the wall board out and start from fresh.
“and the lever snapped right off! Unfortunately this lever is on the City’s side of the water meter and we cannot ‘turn off’ the water and replace it. This is going to be a huge ordeal trying to get the City to repair the lever.”
There is a $1000 bill for you.