Very excited to be preparing for my garage to be converted to have bi fold doors! This should make it water tight, brighter and hopefully warmer. We decided to do the conversion in stages so at the moment just doors and maybe boarding out/insulating the roof space.
I started an Instagram post about my new studio but decided it would be better to go into more detail in a blog post so here, plus it gave me a topic for a post so win win!
The most challenging thing about designing this space and how best to make it water tight and well insulated is that our house has a covenant on the deeds which limits the use of the garage to a garage. Now obviously there is some leeway in that as people do still insulate, plasterboard and change their doors so they can 'tinker' with their cars so the door I've found has a low ramped threshold is able to be driven over by a car. However this means I can't have underfloor heating or any flooring that cant be driven over or at least removed if we do decide to move.
I used Ikea's brilliant app to scan and then plan out my studio space reusing the storage we already have. I also want to add a couple of bookcases for all the embroidery and craft books to go. After listening to 'The Steal like an artist: Audio Trilogy' I decided to steal his idea of having two desks to work on. The ideas is to have one for computer work (this also saves me moving a double socket as I can have this desk right in front of the socket!) and another for design work/making boxes, kits etc.
I plan to use my trestles as well which I can put right next to the doors to make the best use of daylight. I'm going to buy a smaller piece of desktop to put on my trestles for when I want to work with a ring frame instead of a slate frame. This will also give me access to my equipment within easy reach when I am filming.
Not doing a complete conversion will give us a better idea of what we actually need to do rather than wasting money on things that aren't actually needed. I did look into having some roof windows but it was just too much extra cost to justify at the moment. Maybe a light tunnel or two can be added at a later date.
The bi-doors have to be installed by a professional as this also involves moving a light switch before removing the central pillar, replacing the two lintels with one single one (calculated by a structural engineer) as well grinding down the concrete floor to create a level threshold.
I plan on sealing and painting the walls and floor myself as this can be done in stages as we move stuff around so the units are all where I want them. I actually wasn't keen on having plasterboard walls anyway so if we do need to add insulation later I might give building a stud wall a go myself, luckily my Dad did his own loft conversion with a builders help and my father-in law is a carpenter who also did loft conversions so I have lots experience to advise me if I need it. I would use white washed Plywood as the wall covering as I like the look and its a much cheaper option.
Large rugs will make it easier to roll up for messy work like screen printing or dyeing. I did look into floor tiles until I realised that the floor space was approx 25m2 not 5m2 🙈 £1700 for flooring...ill stick with a rug thanks 🤣
I've still got a lot of clearing out to do but I've made a great start already with two trips to get rid of rubbish. Our house move was so hectic and almost in doubt down to the last minute so we didn't have time to go through and chuck stuff out. I'm amazed we even managed to get all our stuff packed up in 3 days (minus a few bits I did start in advance) So I'm having to do that now.
Also if anyone has any idea for storing the bikes other than from the ceiling I would love to hear alternative options!
I can wait to get my studio up and running so I can have a lot more space to work (make a mess🤣)
