Back in January we were quoted tens of thousands for a bedroom extension. Our mortgage advisor suggested a garage conversion as a cheaper alternative, so we decided to turn part of our extended garage into an office for Hubby to work from home.
The previous owners had used the garage for car tinkering, so it arrived full of tools and bits. After many trips to the recycling centre we cleared enough space for an office of roughly 2m x 2m. The office is accessed through the utility room at the back of the house, and there’s a fire door from the office into the rest of the garage.
We added a window to give natural light and provide another escape route in case of fire. We also had two new glass doors fitted, which brighten both the utility room and the office. What used to be a dark, dingy corner now feels light and welcoming.
The work took a few weeks with a family builder. We used Building Control so everything would be signed off as an official room. They raised the floor and added insulation, built a stud wall between the office and the rest of the garage, framed the remaining walls, fitted plasterboard, cut and fitted the window, then plastered the room. After that came the fun part: decorating.
I used Frenchic paint—Stone in Love on the garage wall, Swanky Pants on the doors and Dazzle Me on the door frames and skirting. The floor is Luxury Vinyl Tiles with a ceramic tile look; they feel warmer underfoot than you’d expect. The doors and flooring are from Howdens, shelving and the desk are from IKEA, and the desk chair is from Dunelm.
The finishing touches bring the room to life. A Campervan Magazine Rack from Redcandy is perfect for letters or a to-do list and fits Hubby’s campervan theme. The feature that wows me most is the photo mural from Photowall—Hubby chose The Enchanted Forest because it reminds him of biking outdoors. Since our window looks out at the neighbour’s garage, the mural feels like a window into nature.
The mural comes as numbered strips of wallpaper. You mix a special paste with water according to the instructions, then hang the first strip as straight as possible—everything else follows from that. We used a spirit level and measurements to get strip one perfectly vertical. I trimmed the tops before hanging and cut the bottoms to size once the paper was up.
We ordered the mural kit, which included a spirit level, a brush for the paste, a Stanley knife, a smoothing tool and a roller. That roller is essential for pressing overlaps flat so there are no bumps or gaps.
If you want a mural from Photowall, there was a 25% discount code for readers: mummyconstant25, valid until November 26, 2021.
Next on our list is replacing the aluminium conservatory with an extension that will become my office. I can’t wait. If you’re thinking about a garage conversion since Covid, or want a big change on a budget, consider this option and check out our bedroom makeover for more ideas.
