An Over-Garage In-Law Suite with a Wealth of Storage
This handsome in-law suite was created for Minnesota football great Billy Bye, after his wife had passed away. Living over his son’s garage was a perfect way to be near loved ones during a difficult transition and the happy ending that followed–romance, what else!
You can read all about the design and construction of Billy’s in-law suite in In-laws, Outlaws and Granny Flats: Your Guide to Turning One House into Two Homes (Taunton Press). It which was named one of the Top Ten Design Books for 2011, so If you are thinking of creating an in-law suite–as many people are doing these days–you may find In-laws, Outlaws and Granny Flats helpful.
Adding interior knee walls is a great way to gain storage because it makes use of otherwise unusable floor space under sloping roofs. The farther you bring the knee wall into the room, the taller your storage area will be (but the more floor space you’ll lose.) To avoid cold areas and moisture problems caused by condensation, fully insulate the storage area to isolate it from cold weather.
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Architect Ron Brenner and builder Mike Herman are typical of the master designers and craftspeople who have shared their knowledge with me over the years. My most recent book, Renovation 4th Edition, contains thousand of field-tested tips and techniques, 250+ illustrations and roughly 1,000 of the 40,000 photos I have taken on job sites. I hope you find Renovation 4 useful. –Mike
© Michael Litchfield 2013
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An existing dormer was the perfect size for a bed nook. Because there was no room for night stands, built-in shelves do the job.
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The upstairs of this garage near Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, was renovated to create an in-law unit. The bank of large windows in the gable end illuminates the living room and the office nook. The shed roof at right houses the bed nook.
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Extensive built-in cabinets around the perimeter of the apartment help make it feel spacious and uncluttered.
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Running back Billy Bye (No. 7) in 1946, when he was the University of Minnesota's leading scorer and MVP.
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The garage in-law's floor plan. Shed dormers on both sides of the sloping roof made possible the greater heights of the kitchen and the area around the bed. Architect: Ron Brenner Builder: Mike Herman
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In-laws, Outlaws contains attic, garage & basement conversions; bump-outs, carve-outs and backyard cottages. It has more than 200 crisp color photos, to-scale floor plans, 26 case histories.
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Renovation 4th Edition contains thousands of practical tips and techniques that master builders and designers have shared with Mike Litchfield, a founding editor of Fine Homebuilding.
View Comments
Home additions are a lot of fun to watch happen. It allows for a lot of creativity, and you really feel the reward of turning a space that you might not have used much into a space that's more suitable and useful for your lifestyle.
What a beautiful story. If only all above garage spaces could be converted so simply and purposefully for loved ones. For me, I might end up with an extra big storage space haha!
Storage is a definite bonus when it comes to furnishing a home. Regardless of the demographics of a family, storage is an essential factor that everyone looks for when considering interior design. This over-garage suite looks like it is the perfect location for that purpose which provides an ample amount of storage space as required by many families. Households with children would definitely require more but I am certain that every other household would appreciate just that little extra.
This is a wonderful idea for putting an extension into the house and making use of the space above the garage. The price of building it up probably was worth it for the proximity of family members to you. And I bet there's lots of storage space with all that new floor space opened up!