The space is already there.
An office, a studio, or an apartment with its own door. The least expensive of the three — and for some homes still not worth doing. The report tells you which.
Living space, or an apartment.
A bonus room, an office, a studio
Insulated, heated, finished, the garage door replaced by a wall and a window. Part of the house; follows the house's rules.
Its own door, its own kitchen, its own tenant or parent
That makes it an attached ADU, and your city's ADU rules apply — more generous since 2023, including on parking.
Three things, said plainly.
Ceiling height and the slab
A garage floor sits low and slopes to the door; a finished floor and a code-height ceiling have to fit between them.
Where the plumbing can run
A bath or kitchen needs a drain with fall to the sewer. Where the garage sits decides whether that's a trench or a pump.
Whether your HOA allows it — many don't
Covenants are private; the city doesn't enforce them and the report can't read them. Check yours first.
Parking. Some cities require the space you remove to be replaced. For an apartment, state law says your city can't require a space within half a mile of a major transit stop, and no more than one elsewhere on lots under 6,000 sq ft. What HB 1337 changed →
The least expensive of the three — and sometimes still not worth doing.
Well below a backyard home — unless it needs a new slab, a pumped drain and a full energy envelope. The report does that arithmetic for your garage, with a planning range sourced and dated.
A fixed price comes only after a site visit. Construction by United Signature, WA contractor reg. UNITESE790Q3.
A new slab, a pumped drain, a full energy envelope.
A level slab, plumbing nearby, a code-height ceiling already there.
The report says so when the arithmetic doesn't work.
Questions people ask about conversions
Do I lose my parking?
You lose the garage. Whether a replacement space is required depends on your city; the report checks.
Can I rent it out?
With its own entrance and kitchen it's an attached ADU, and in most Washington cities it can be rented. Short-term rental rules are separate.
Does it add value?
Permitted living space usually appraises; unpermitted usually doesn't. The report is not an appraisal.
Find out whether your garage is worth converting.
One page, two minutes. Your report within the hour.