Hi Everyone,

We have a detached two car garage and a one car attached garage. It is the one car attached that DH would like to convert into a sewing space for me. Woo hoo! At this point in time, I am on an information expedition for us. There's so much on the net, I figured someone here has probably done this before and could guide us in the right direction.

We need to be able to do this in the most budget conscious way possible. So, any guidance as to how to do this on the cheap would be greatly appreciated. We plan to do the work ourselves, little by little as we can pick up the materials needed to make this space workable for a sewing area. Thanks in advance.

Karla

I have never done it, but the first thing I would want to know are the measurements, then the equipment you have to put in it.
Do you have windows? Lighting is something you will really want a lot of.
What are you going to do for heating/cooling?
how finished are the walls, ceiling, and floor?
Actually ... maybe I would quit thinking of it as a one car garage and consider it a long room.
I would put my quilt frame/machine in one end, with peg board behind for any supplies dedicated for that process.
I would dedicate the opposing wall for my ironing, cutting, sewing stations and make sure that everything (cutting and ironing anyway) was at a counter height - - table height for cutting and ironing will really tear up your back. I think that most cabinets are between 34 and 36 inch heights.
And, I would plan a LOT of cabinets for my fabric stash.
Part of one wall for the peg board to store my rulers, my tools, my cutting mats ... there are a couple of threads going that have people making their new sewing rooms. You might find their sewing rooms inspirational.
If you have access to a salvage yard, you might find all the cabinets you need on the cheap from an old travel trailer ...
and, LOTS of plug ins ... it will save you running thousands of cords for all the little things we figure out to plug in, and you just never know where a plug in will come in handy - - in a long room, two per wall probably is not enough.
And, I would put in a banque of drawers. I would probably put my threads, my tiny tools, my pin boxes, pin cushions, the types of things that won't hang up into those drawers.
Keep us in the loop for what you are doing, and how you are accomplishing it.
New construction is ALWAYS a wonderful thing!
And ... if you don't have a quilting frame/machine, but you like to do free motion quilting .... built an extension table on to the table your machine sits on - - make it almost four feet wide, and about three feet deep ... put it in the corner of your room, so that the wall is running on your left side and in front of you as you sit at your machine.
Being able to "trap" your quilt into that area, your free motion quilting will be much easier ... your machine will sit on the corner of the whole set-up as far right and forward as you can get it.
At the factory, when we were working at our machines, not only did we have that extension table (even doing chain piecing can benefit with that set-up) We had a smaller table that sat on one side of our chair or the other ... it was a bit higher than the seat of our chairs. This is where our pieces sat as we worked through the packet.
Oh! And, don't forget a place for your radio, CD player, and television ... it is always more fun to sew when you have some good country music or a quilting program on the tele.
This is so fun!

Hi Omak,

Oh wow! You thought of all kinds of "necessaries", lol! Gee, I might even need a little fridge and a microwave too, huh? LOL Thanks for reminding me of the organization thread, too. I've been keeping up on it, but will need to reread it all now - looking at it from an entirely different perspective. :)

I appreciate your thoughts on all the electrical needs, too. Not sure yet what DH has in mind for natural light, I just know I GOTTA have some! We're in a wooded setting with critters all around. Always something inspiring to look at around here - unless it's bears or mountain lions! :shock:

No quilting frame, but lots of other stuff. Walls are only studded mostly, a little drywall on one wall. A drop ceiling would need to be installed. Heating ducts added to include this area. Cement floor currently.

Gee, I never thought of checking at a salvage yard for cabinets. What an excellent idea!! Thanks so much!

Any ideas as to how one might come by insulation and drywall inexpensively?

Thanks so much for all your great thoughts! I'm really excited to see what everyone comes up with. It is exciting!! And yes, I will keep you all posted, although it might be several months before much work begins, we'll see.

Happy sewing,

Karla

Not many years ago, I lived in a house that had been built in Portland, Oregon in the late 1800's ...
When I was dinking around in one of the back bedrooms, trying to figure out how to make it liveable, the wall plaster started coming off the walls.
No wonder my heating bill was out of this world when I left the door open on that room!
They had used slat outer walls, wooden shingles on the outside of that ...
insulation was a combination of chicken wire, plaster and newspapers ...
At the time, that wall had held up almost 90 years in a moderate, humid temperature ...
Probably, the best priced insulation you can buy is papered on one side, cut at 17" (might be between 15 and 17 inches) just big enough to fit between the studs ...
The beauty of newspapers is: even if they get wet, they do not freeze ... but, they have a lot of insulation benefits .... that is why the homeless keep them very handy ... cardboard boxes ...
it really depends on the amount of humidity in your area ...
but, "kosher" insulation is probably more comfortable for DH to plan for.

You may be able to find some wall paneling at a salvage yard to use instead of sheet rock to cover the insulation, too. Sometimes you can find give aways really inexpensive in the local nickel ad type of free papers, too. I have seen cabinents, light fixtures, wood, carpeting, just about anything that you would need to remodel your garage into a quilt room/studio.

For this type of construction, you will probably have to get building permits and you may not have a lot of say about taking short cuts.....unless you live in an area where no one will be around to notice what you are doing/have done :wink: The downside to not getting permits/inspections is, if you should ever need to file a homeowners insurance claim, they can check to see if you have done any major renovations without permits just so they can turn down your claim :?

Lots of good advice above! You can try googling 'sewing rooms from converted garages' or something close. There's a book about creating your perfect sewing room.

I would definitely check into your local building codes. When we added on a room to our 900 sq ft house, we were required to put in a crawlspace. They wouldn't let us just pour a concrete slab. That's different, but there may be requirements.

First thing you need to do is sit down and decide what you want in your studio.

In no particular order here are some things to consider:

Design Wall
Stash storage
Light table or box
Computer work station if you use a computer design quilting program
Cutting table
Sewing machine cabinet or cabinets
Sitting area
Dedicated task lighting
Overall lighting

Once you have decided what you want in your room, sit down with a sheet of graph paper and make a plan of your room. Once you make a plan start working on the room. Standard construction technique would be to do any repairs to the structure first or any add on like more windows, doors, etc. Once the structure is in it's final configuration then do your drywall and painting. I recommend drywall over paneling unless you use a very light panelling because dark panels make it seem like a morgue. Once you have everything painted then do your flooring. One of the problems that you usually have in garage is that the base floor is sloped and you either have to build a small platform or level it in some way. You should not have any problems with code enforcement, unless you do major exterior remodeling.

In an extended time frame project like this it's very important to have a plan to work from. Without an initial plan you tend to lose focus on the vision you had so many months ago. I've done quite a few remodels, both personally and professionally, you need to know where to start in order to get to the finish.

You may also want to check out craigslist.com and freecycle.com. People tend to give away things for free or next to nothing.

***Correction - It's www.freecycle.org

As for the furnishings. I found all of mine in the "As Is" bin at Ikea. They change out their displays from time to time and those items go in, and people are always returning things that I guess didn't fit or whatever. I found everything there, over a couple of visits, and not one thing had anything wrong with it, even a great leather task chair. If you have an Ikea in your area, check them out.



:)

Karla--I am so excited for you that your husband wants to convert the garage to a quilting studio for you!!! :D :D :D :D

Keep us posted with pics (before, during and after) so we can all share in the fun.

Congratulations on the sewing room planning, \

the best advice I can give you is patience

And have plenty of light!

Ninnie

Wonderful list, and it helped me see something that was missing ...
BOOK SHELVES!
I have TONS of books that live in boxes because I have no bookshelves ... floor to ceiling (I am betting the actual walls of your sewing room to be isn't much more than ten feet tall, if they are that tall)
The higher you can go up a wall from the floor, the less wide you will have to go.
With the sitting area that Cookn designed, one would be looking for a good book to look at while taking a cup of coffee for "break time" .

Wow good luck to you. We have just a few minor details and my new sewing room is done. My daughter called yesterday to tell me she would help me put my "Crap" back in my room. I told her to stay home I will deal with my "crap" in my way and in my time. I can see her just dumping and running.

Quiltgranny- how exciting for you!!!
I'll second the freecycle.org idea! I've gotten lots of goodies off there, and also got rid of stuff too!
:-)

NO ONE understands our fabric like we do, huh?
I have so many boxes of things to go through, like you ... and no one who appreciates all the intrinsic values contained therein. They just see space being taken up by ME - - when THEY want to use that space for their stuff!
I'm telling you! The burdens we must bear for the furtherance of our chosen vices ... no one knows :( no one!
:lol:

All great ideas... but I wanted to stress ...
TRACK LIGHTS< TRACK LIGHTS!!!
Can easily move the light if you change furniture around a little and they are fairly inexpensive. Can usually find some at flea market/garage sales too.

Colapsable/movable work surface is handy in my room as I am limited in space. I have extra set of "TV" trays that I move around for another surface when I need it.... Not super steady, but nice for like my laptop when I need to have next to my machine.
My sewing room is guest room, so everything colapses or can be moved to loft if we have guests.
One day I SHALL HAVE DEDICATED SEWING ROOM!! (I can't have garage as this is my husband's domain!)
Good Luck!!!

My fiance doesn't understand at all. He says it's fine if I quilt, just as long as my "stuff" can't be seen.

WOW! You gals rock!!! Gee, I post before I go to bed, get up and look at all this AWESOME advice!!! I can't thank you all enough for all your wisdom and heartfelt suggestions. WOW! I'm just in awe! Thank you, thank you! Wait til I show hubby all these wonderful ideas, especially the cost saving ones!!

I gotta tell you all too, what's so EXTRA special about hubby taking this task on it that he has a rare type of terminal cancer and wants to do this for me before he's unable to. How's that for love and devotion??? He's the biggest blessing of all in my life! Not the things, not even all my yards of fabric, nor quilting books or patterns, but a loving hubby willing to do something this special for me for a hobby, ahem, lifestyle, that already takes too much of my time away from him. Ya just can't spell love anyway better than that, can ya?

Thanks again for everyone's input. I'll be printing all these off for reference. I'm amazed too, at the variety of replies here too, covering so many different aspects of the planning, right down to the graph paper and consideration of all my needs, too.

We live in a very rural, mountain area, so I don't think codes will be an issue, but may need a permit.

Hugs to all of you,

Karla

P.S. Trust me, you don't want a "before" pic, at least not now, lol. Please, give us a little time to Spring clean, at least a little. I'm so totally embarrassed that we've let the garage get THIS bad, lol! :oops:

Reminds me of a coffee cup I saw in a quilt shop:
"My husband says I can have all of the fabric I can hide"
When I told DH about the cup, he made the mistake of smiling.
I went back the next day, bought the cup, and MORE fabric. Smiles are a seal of approval - - I think :roll:

Don't worry about hubby not seeing the fabric ... women have a gift and lots of ability ... my husband is a gem, but he barely gets his dirty clothes to the hamper .... I don't think he ever sees anything - - UNLESS! My stuff happens to be in front of something he wants <g> ....
keep em well-fed, warm, and entertained with Perry Mason, and the sky is the LIMIT! :wink:

BUSTED! I make a sexist smart remark about "men" and find your note! :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:
That is five minutes of embarrassed!
:roll: Now that I have recovered, I agree that your husband is really special.
Your husband absolutely LIVES to help you be the best you can be. Your happiness assures him that he is doing the right thing. Most of us will never meet a man like that, much less know what to do when we meet them.
I am happy that your husband found you and that you know how to help him be the BEST he can be!
You are a good team - - even if you won't take a picture of the "before" garage! :)

Ceiling fan is a must for me since I live in the desert.
Good lighting that can be aimed wherever you want it.
Lots of storage.

Hey Omak,

Don't feel bad. I think how we feel about our spouses depends on what day it is sometimes. We've been at this for 25 years now, second time around for both of us. At least by the time we met, we'd both weathered enough *%#(% in our lives that we knew what wouldn't work.

I think it's been the tough times that we have gone through, especially the health issues that we both have that have helped to mellow both of us. Ya know, when it comes right down to it, I think we all appreciate what we have, sometimes our perspective becomes muddled with all the extraneous stuff life throws at us.

He knows I've been saving $$ for a new used Bernina, so for my birthday he made me the most darling money holder and threw in some $$ that he'd been sacrificially saving over the last few months. Wow, I really, really need to finish his quilt, don't I??? :oops: :oops: :oops: My turn to be embarrassed. It's only been three years in the making....

I really appreciate your insight here. You've really given me pause to think about some things. Thanks, I needed that. :)

Hugs, Karla

Hi RoseMarie,

A ceiling fan is a great idea! I often feel like I live in the desert, only because my internal thermostat is broken due to my MS. Great idea!! Thanks so much!

Karla

I just checked, the closest IKEA is in Denver, nearly 100 miles away. :cry:
Hmm, maybe I'll have to see what other possibilities there might be in Colorado Springs, still 30 miles away. Thanks for the idea, tho.

Karla

Okay! Now, I am all misty-ed!
I can't imagine a better machine than the one your darling drew for you!
My hubby and I have been married 26 years - - second one for each of us also!
Our anniversary is on May 1 (you KNEW I was going to ask how close our life lines are progressing, didn't you? <g>)
I do not believe in consequences ... and, YES! Finish that quilt!
God bless you and your darling husband! I know He is holding you BOTH in His hands!

Hi Omak,

Did you mean 'coincidences' by chance? That word would make more sense to me in this setting. LOL

We got hitched in March. He wanted to on St. Patty's day (for the Irish in him), but alas, the wee lil church was busy that day! LOL So we chose the day before, ha ha.

God has/does bless us, and I'm sure it is only through our faith in Him and each other that we've made it this far. Now, go dry yer eyes, here's a hankie for ya, lol.

Hugs, Karla

ROFLOL ... I need my NAP!!!
Of course, I meant COINCIDENCE ... I don't believe in them, but I DO believe in
CONSEQUENCES! (And, God's hand in both, thank you!)
Shame on me!
So, now I will tell you ... my feed store guy married his new bride on March 15 - - which also happens to be my birthday ...
hmmm.... the wheels are turning, even as my eyes are closing for nap time.
I love quilting because when I was a kid, my babysitter used to make me lay down to take a nap which I never wanted to take. I would spent the nap time, tracing quilt stitches and the block pattern. Well, I should say that is ONE reason I am so energized about quilting.
Almost every time I take a nap, I remember my poor babysitter and the GRIEF I foisted on her because she wanted what she wanted MORE than what I wanted ... my naps are probably HER revenge! LOL
Thank you for catching that twisted use of a couple of good words. <G>

And, do tell your darling, that we have a new calf this year, born on March 17 - - I named her PADDY.
I love those date things <g>
Oh, heck ... I just really enjoy life and living, even the parts that don't look like what I thought they should.

He will enjoy hearing this as he is a retired farmer from the Midwest. That was "pre us", but he sure did enjoy it, tho. Takes money we don't have to do. He quietly pines for them times when he watches his ol Westerns and others on his VHS tapes.

In fact, one of his lung problems is caused from dusty fields and grain bins, called Histoplasmosis - often a problem for some back in the Midwest regions. This was not the cause of his lung cancer, in fact the docs still don't know why he has it, but is a separate issue altogether. When first diagnosed in 97, and then the removal of most of his lung in early 98, the doc gave him 5-8 years to live. It's been nearly 12 years, he's since developed a second tumor that, praise God, is still stable. He must have some pretty good plans for us is all I can figure! :D

I just told hubby about "Paddy". He smiled and asked me to ask you if you knew what kind of music leprechauns listen to?

Hugs, Karla

Hi Omak,

All too darn funny! Happy belated bday to you. My sister's is one day before yours, but I had to wait until May, a few days ago.

My quilty wheels turn whenever I lay down, too! It's a gift/curse I tell ya. :wink:

My old babysitter went a step further than naps. She made me eat cottage cheese everyday for lunch. To this day, I cannot look that stuff in the face, let alone eat it!! :thumbdown: Makes me shudder. The things that affect and mold our little lives, I tell ya, LOL.

I started sewing very, very early in life, but the quilting didn't come until a few years ago. Funny how life is. There were no other quilters in our family. How sad is that? When my 16 yo grandson came to visit us last year, he got a good dose of what quiltin's about, even helping this granny with the placement of the piano keys on a quilt I was making for our newest granddaughter. Talk about fun... Hey, a pic is worth a 1,000 words...

Hugs, Karla

What a great picture of Kory and the piano keys! And I have enjoyed reading the whole thread! :lol:
When you redo the garage onto a studio, what kind of entry do you have from the house proper? Do you have to step down to the garage floor? If so, I would raise the floor leverl to the house level so you have no step! A good subfloor there will help with heating and cooling, and be easier on your feet! And then a laminate floor, or wood, or whatever, but NOT carpeting! At least not the whole room. :?
Windows for natural light and track lights and ceiling fans will all add to your comfort level.
In my area, ReUseIt.org is our answer to freecycle.org. It is wonderful! And if people know you are on the look out for things, word of mouth is wonderful for getting goodies!
Sounds like you have a good relationship that will only grow!
I wish you well in your endeavors! :thumbup:
Dream big and make a big wish list of all that you want in your DREAM room, and then decide what you really want and ran actually use. :lol:

You didn't mention if you still have a big garage door...if that is part of the equation, get some old windows from a new window installation guy...in other words, what he has just taken out.........Try to call a guy and set this up in advance so that they take them out so they can be reused...tell him after you have the sizes of them and do the construction on the wall, you will pay him to install them....MAKE A DEAL. :wink:
My cutting table is a solid maple door from my Mom and Dad's kitchen. it sets on two metal shelving racks that I got at IKEA. Great height for cutting. :D Where the door handle was is a hole that works with a cup in it,for my cutter or sweep the pins into it.
Bookshelves...make them floor to ceiling, attached to the wall, get damaged wall board for this section. It will cost almost nothing, and won't show very much. :D
Good Luck.

When you redo the garage onto a studio, what kind of entry do you have from the house proper? Do you have to step down to the garage floor? If so, I would raise the floor leverl to the house level so you have no step! A good subfloor there will help with heating and cooling, and be easier on your feet! And then a laminate floor, or wood, or whatever, but NOT carpeting! At least not the whole room. :?

In my area, ReUseIt.org is our answer to freecycle.org. : [/quote]

Our indoor entry is off the kitchen. It is 3 steps down to the garage floor. Thanks so much for the ideas for raising the floor level. I'm not sure what DH has in mind for that, I imagine a lot has to do with what materials we are able to get and the cost of it all. I'm sure he'll do the best he can for me. Oh, I've learned how awful carpeting can be, so I'm sure we'll look for something different.

I've never heard of ReUseIt.org. I'll check and see if we have anything like that in our area. Trouble with being so rural is that even a Free Cycle is 30 miles away. I think there's a lot to be said for word of mouth and I'm thinking surely DH knows of some folks he can let know what we're looking for. Time will tell.

Thanks for your great reply. :) Karla

Yes, a big garage door is part of the equation. DH plans to take it out and install one window and a door to the outside. That'll be nice!

Could you please clarify the use of the wall board? Maybe it's just me, but I'm not clear on how you mean to use it? As the back of the bookcase, or for the entire wall section behind the bookshelves. Thanks so much!

Oh, where do you get damaged wall board? I'm pretty new to all this construction stuff? Thanks, Karla

What a great thing for your dear husband to do for you. I can't wait to see pics as it comes along. Keep us posted.

Could you please clarify the use of the wall board? Maybe it's just me, but I'm not clear on how you mean to use it? As the back of the bookcase, or for the entire wall section behind the bookshelves. Thanks so much!

Oh, where do you get damaged wall board? I'm pretty new to all this construction stuff? Thanks, Karla[/quote]

:oops: Wallboard is part of the wall(drywall). The shelves have no backs, the wall is the back. Drywall and even paneling can be damaged at the store(Home Depot?) They will mark it down if you ask, rather than have to completely right it off. If it has dings in it or a corner missing, you can patch it and it won't reallly be visible with the shelves and books or fabric covering most of the wall. I would even paint that wall a contrasting color (check out the OOPS paints,mixing mistakes) The oops are usually between $5-10 a gallon.

Please don't paint her green or serve her with cabbage on St. Patricks Day!! You shoulda named her Lisa, we share birthdays and yours and mine are close together too huh?


Quiltgranny I'm sooo excited for you!! Getting to plan a brand new sewing room, how fun!!
I didn't catch it if anyone else mentioned it...but make sure to go through the "Pictures" postings, there are some absolutely WONDERFUL pics of sewing areas posted there. You may get some great inspiration.
One thing you can do is cut a cardboard floor, make sure to mark where your windows and doors are, and use little post it flags to make your fixtures and funiture. That way you can tinker around with staging and get inspiration on how you'd like your room to look.

Hi Susie,

Thanks so much for educating this construction challenged gal! :D No need for you to have used the red faced emoticon, but it was cute, lol. This is just one area that I haven't had any experience in, so I'm starting at the ground floor, you might say.

Gosh, how nice to know that there are ways to get some discounted drywall and paint. Again, I was clueless. I'll let DH know. He'll be pleased. Thanks so much. Karla

Quiltgranny I'm sooo excited for you!! Getting to plan a brand new sewing room, how fun!!

One thing you can do is cut a cardboard floor, make sure to mark where your windows and doors are, and use little post it flags to make your fixtures and funiture. That way you can tinker around with staging and get inspiration on how you'd like your room to look. [/quote]

Hi Lisa,

What an awesome idea! DH is terrific with drawing and is very spatially astute. We can play house together!! LOL :lol: :roll: