Convert garage to living room + kitchen

[Vu Nguyen]

Hello BP family, I'm in the process of closing my house in NE Tacoma, WA. The house has 2bd+1bth on the upper level, and 2bd+.75bth on the lower level. We're planning to convert the 2 cars garages into a living room and wet-bar/kitchen so we can rent out the lower as a separate unit while we're living on the upper level ( me, my wife and a 3 y.o daughter).

This is my first time doing house hacking/remodeling, so I'm looking for feedback, suggestions, and recommendation for contractors/handymen. Is there anything I should watch out for? Do you think by converting garage to living space will increase or decrease the resell value of my house?

Thanks so much for being the most kind and welcoming community on the internet.

[Michael Haas]

Make sure your insulation, weatherproofing, and framing are up to snuff - a lot of garages are built cheap and drafty, and you'll definitely want to address that before investing in finished space.

Drylock/seal the concrete. It might not need it but do it anyway, water is cruel. 

Do you already have water and sewer access, or are you running new pipe? Where's the panel, and do you have 3-4 open knock outs? 

I'd double check your budget - 10 K would be cheap for an under the table handyman conversion, and its not even close to what it would cost permitted with a legitimate licensed contractor.