Help me think outside the box

[Mama Ten Bears]

How can I take a detached garage that has plumbing run (meaning water) and electricity and make it useful? It has an enclosed upstairs room that is no good for human activity (ceilings too short except down through the middle).

I am thinking of using that upstairs for a greenhouse in winter if I can install a wall of windows. Specifically, I'd like an "orangerie" with dwarf citrus and other tender trees. I am imagining lining the trees in a row in the tall part then in front (under the eaves) where the windows would be installed, I could put some potted plants and even trellis some beans and peas for the winter. The wall of windows would face south.

How can I tell how much weight the ceiling/floor support has?

How would I heat that area safely during our infrequent freezes?

How would I handle those trees in summer? I can't carry them up and down stairs once they are a certain size.

What else could I use that space for from a prepping/self-reliance perspective?

[dylanM]

Bump a dormer out one entire side of the roof to make it more useable

Are the garage ceiling rafters, room above floor joices 2 x 4 or 2x6? 16 , 18, or 24 inches on center?.What kind of flooring is down in the room you want to use ? Plywood, or osb & the thickness & the condition of the flooring. It all makes a difference.

[PatDaly]

Mamma, you are getting into structural issues, probably outside of this forums realm. As Dylan has stated, you will have to fill in some pretty important details before anyone could begin to advise you even informally. Given that you say infrequent freezes, I would say your rafters are not designed for much of a snow load, and another consideration will be are you in a hurricane area? now you have to consider the additional weight that is 8 feet off the ground, and trying to lever your walls over.

Not trying to dissuade you, just there are many considerations you need to look at before you go down this path. Getting a copy of your local codes might be a good thing, as many will specify the minimum live loads ( example 150 Lb/SF ) that floors must support.

[Lenno]

potted herbs, use those solartubes to bring in sunight

[microcarl]

I would have to think about the upstairs for a while.


But for the main area of the building, I'd be having visions of a nice work area - maybe some electrical, insulate, sheetrock, heating, air conditioning, etc...


Then I envision a nice area for reloading ammo, expansion of my electronics lab, more machining tools like a lathe, Bridgport mill, band saw, welder, acceteline tourches and the like.

[Belle]

Have you looked at any tiny houses online? You could probably make it into a small apartment and make some money off it. The upstairs could either be a loft (just for sleeping) or storage.