Garage Conversion to Holiday Home in Wānaka

The owners of this holiday home wanted to maximise the properties existing footprint by creating a secondary dwelling downstairs. The intention was to create more useable space for the family to enjoy. To help realise their vision they contact Kathleen Magon a renovation consultant with Solasta Ltd, a Refresh Renovations® franchise. Kathleen helped the homeowners through the initial concept and budget indication stage. At that point they discovered that the combination of additional drainage and fire safety works in addition to local council development contribution costs was putting too much pressure on their construction budget. Therefore, they made the decision to scale back the project and change its use of a secondary dwelling and instead focused on adding the extra space needed for the family. As part of this decision the plans for the new laundry and fully functioning kitchen were removed.

Major Challenges

One of the biggest challenges was determining how to cater to the bathroom changes (such as adding a new toilet fixture). The existing setup required a pump to remove the bath wastewater. The Refresh team came up with a solution to move the existing hot water cylinder into a new linen storage cabinet and then utilise the old hot water cylinder cavity to dig down and create space for a new sani-pump capable of handling all the new bathroom fixtures. Most of the original construction was concrete block walls alteration to those walls was kept to a minimum to reduce costs but a new window penetration needed to be created. Some of the existing ceilings were kept in place but due to the age of the house there were a lot of items that had shifted and settled from the original build. To ensure that all of the wall to ceiling junctions looked great a coving was added rather than doing the move contemporary square stopped finish.

Design Highlights

The decision to move the hot water cylinder into a new linen closet enabled the old pump location to be moved out of the existing bathroom. This freed up the space to be ample room for the toilet, large vanity and1200mm wide shower. Meaning that the space is generously proportioned for family use. The two oversized bedrooms of the original footprint were reconfigured into two smaller guest rooms, plus a children’s bunk room and a small storage room. The original garage became the central hub with a living room and some kitchen cabinetry and fridge so that this space could become a casual breakfast bar.

Project Execution

The renovation was completed up to an operational stage within 15 weeks (just in time for a family reunion at Easter time). Although there were some finishing touches and variations still to be completed it meant that the family’s holiday plans could continue uninterrupted. Pressure was put on the schedule due to some unexpected issues. One big impact was the flooring installers were concerned by the presence of asbestos due to paper like fragments around a toilet waste thought to be from old layers of linoleum that had been uplift at some stage in years past. The Refresh team arranged for this sample to be sent away for urgent testing the same day. As soon as the negative result came back works were able to continue. This made for a tense final week but the team work flat out to ensure that the property was fit for use just intime for the Easter break. The original build budget was $203,859 the final project amount was $236,334. The difference in price was a combination of unexpected variations and client requests. The extras included upgrading all of the existing doors and hardware, including the stairwell into the scope of works, adding in extra window and door joinery. Some of the variations included adding ceiling coving, changing splashback materials, extra remedial works required.

Client Feedback

The clients are loving the functionality of the new spaces and have given the newly renovated spaces a good work out with some extended family holidays. Despite scaling back on their original brief to have a self-contained dwelling they are happy with the end result which has enabled them to have more family time together at the property.

Trades Involved

• Builder
• Plumber
• Electrician
• Plasterer
• Painter
• Tiler
• Flooring installer
• Concrete cutter
• Drainlayer
• Aluminium joinery

Final Thoughts

This project is a great example of how you can transform a garage into a warm and inviting habitable space. It is also a lesson on how to optimise existing spaces in a practical and functional way that lends itself to family use and togetherness.

Refresh® Renovation Renovation Consultant Kathleen Magon and the team at Solasta Ltd delivered a garage conversion that increases the enjoyment and use for the homeowners and their extended family.

Would you like to transform your garage or home? Contact your local Renovation Consultant today for a free consultation.