In my first post “The Education of Beam Babe” I promised to tell you what has gone right with our carriage house barn and what could have gone better. I’m pleased to report that far more was done and has gone right than has gone wrong. Of the two things that have gone wrong, the first one my husband and I could not have foreseen nor done much about. The Ka-zillion dollar arteisan well that produced a “gusher” when first drilled, went bone dry 4 weeks into our living here! After months and repeat visits by the well company where re-fraction was done, my husband and I ultimately had a dug well installed. We now have more water than we know how to use. We feel like water royalty!
The other thing was definitely our doing but in our defense, at the time we planned and built the carriage house we did not think this structure was going to be our primary home. It was originally to have been the guest house. That being said, by the time we’d finished building we were totally in love and decided to make the carriage house our home. This place had everything – except enough multi-tasking space. We needed a bit more storage space, a place for guests to sleep, a “man cave” for my husband and an office for me.

This is where I need to commend my husband as he had the foresight to do three very important things regarding the garage bays when we were planning this carriage house. 1) Radiant heat was put in all the floors; 2) a full bathroom was installed in one of the bays and 3) the ceilings were built at 10 feet high. All three of these things turned out to be crucial elements in converting some of the garage to living space.

Here’s the real kicker: in about an hour’s time the entire space can be changed back to working garage bays with very little effort. The garage doors and all the mechanical systems for them remain intact, as does the cement flooring. Actually, one bay is still a car garage, as this was my husband’s only request when he cut me loose to remodel the space. He wanted to be able to drive in to his house during the cold winter months.
Please let me know what you think of our conversion, or if I might be of any help with a possible conversion you are considering. You know where to find me!


Just amazing. How did you insulate the garage door? Does the garage door open, if needed? How about rain/melting snow water getting in through the garage door? Would love to learn more. Thanks! How does the HVAC work for this room work? Is it tied into the main house HVAC?
Ria
Thank you! Believe it or not, this space has gone through several more transitions since I wrote this article. Most of the area is now my husband’s Tai chi studio, and the former man cave is currently a bedroom. I like to change things up. Drives my husband crazy. :) Two of the three garage doors were a custom made for this home as we knew the space was likely to be used for more than just a garage. The third door is a substantial cedar door (can’t recall the brand) and works just as efficiently as the two custom builds. Yes, all three remain operational, however we did unplug the one on the current bedroom as my daughter-in-law hit the wrong button and opened it one Thanksgiving. Pictures flew in all directions. The story is still told. :)
Yes, the HVAC is the same system that operates in the house. We built this home (it’s the Bennington Carriage House on Yankee Barn Homes’ website) knowing that we wanted everything we had in the house to be included in the garage space. Please let me know if I can answer further questions.