Converting Garage into Studio

[SupaDave03]

Wanted to know what others did in my situation and here it is: Id say your average two car garage is like 400 to 450 SQ feet right. What would you suggest besides window units to heat/cool a garage/studio. Any suggestion would be appreiciated thanks in advance.

[danchez]

I had A/C vents installed in my garage with a damper in the attic, was only a few hundred $$

[picman]

Look into the mini split ac systems.

Adding ducts from the home ac to a garage violates building codes in many areas. Ducts breach what should be a fire rated wall and also allow a path for exhaust fumes to enter the living areas.

[XtremePhoto]

I am not that familiar with Santa Fe, TX but I do know that if you convert a garage (residence) into a place you are bringing clients (business) you will need an occupancy permit and have to meet all ADA codes. That means you will not only have to make your garage ADA Compliant, you will have to modify the doors and a bathroom to meet those ADA codes as well. This can be a pretty expensive job, not to mention your better half might not like the look of the new bathroom…

When you start building to conduct business and see clients, the rules change tremendously. More red tape that you can imagine, one thing I know about, dealing with permits, codes and regulations regarding business real estate...we manage about 695 commercial and multi family dwellings in the Greater Houston area.

Be sure you inquire before you start and get into it and find out it isn’t something that is permissible and or feasible from a $$ standpoint.

-G-

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by XtremePhoto

I am not that familiar with Santa Fe, TX but I do know that if you convert a garage (residence) into a place you are bringing clients (business) you will need an occupancy permit and have to meet all ADA codes. That means you will not only have to make your garage ADA Compliant, you will have to modify the doors and a bathroom to meet those ADA codes as well. This can be a pretty expensive job, not to mention your better half might not like the look of the new bathroom…

When you start building to conduct business and see clients, the rules change tremendously. More red tape that you can imagine, one thing I know about, dealing with permits, codes and regulations regarding business real estate...we manage about 695 commercial and multi family dwellings in the Greater Houston area.

Be sure you inquire before you start and get into it and find out it isn’t something that is permissible and or feasible from a $$ standpoint.

-G-

That is assuming that one is converting one's garage into a commercial photo studio. I don't see how that would apply to a hobbyist's photo studio.

[S-Man]

Glenn, is that just for the Houston City Limits area, or does that include all of Harris?
I think it would depend on where you live, whether or not that type of thing is regulated or restricted.
The next question I think would be if it is allowed, will the HOA be OK with it. Sometimes it's against neighborhood rules to run a business out of the home.
Then again, we go back to the question if this is a hobby studio or a place you'll receive clients. I think it would be the latter, based on my assumptions.

[janikphoto]

A few thoughts, just because I've used a garage as a studio about ten years ago.

* Make sure you have a way to unplug or turn off your electric garage door opener!
* If you have any clients over, make sure you aren't storing any gas/oil/odorous items in the garage.
* Buy several large sheets of foam core (the pieces that are like 4x8' tall with black on one side and white on the other) and you can use them as both bounce cards and to block/cover any unsightly garage stuff that you can't move.
* Buy a good air compressor and blow out the garage often. You can get rid of a ton of dust that collects in the garage before you close the door and set up for a shoot... and. dust is not a friend of photo shoots.
* Photography as a hobby is like any other hobby/recreation, so any permits need to be obtained as a hobby/rec room remodel. If you specifically say "photo studio", they'll start thinking "business". If you are really just setting up to do this as a hobby or weekend warrior type of thing, you are not trying to set up a business, and you want to avoid the giant mess that goes along with that - as mentioned by other posters. And, as other posters also mentioned, some cities won't even allow it at all, due to certain zoning rules.

[SupaDave03]

Originally Posted by XtremePhoto

I am not that familiar with Santa Fe, TX but I do know that if you convert a garage (residence) into a place you are bringing clients (business) you will need an occupancy permit and have to meet all ADA codes. That means you will not only have to make your garage ADA Compliant, you will have to modify the doors and a bathroom to meet those ADA codes as well. This can be a pretty expensive job, not to mention your better half might not like the look of the new bathroom…

When you start building to conduct business and see clients, the rules change tremendously. More red tape that you can imagine, one thing I know about, dealing with permits, codes and regulations regarding business real estate...we manage about 695 commercial and multi family dwellings in the Greater Houston area.

Be sure you inquire before you start and get into it and find out it isn’t something that is permissible and or feasible from a $$ standpoint.

-G-

It would used as office/studio for the business..I suppose I would have to look into that and see what all the rules are as far as that goes

[XtremePhoto]

Originally Posted by Imagebuffet

That is assuming that one is converting one's garage into a commercial photo studio. I don't see how that would apply to a hobbyist's photo studio.

Exactly what I stated. Did you not see I said: "into a place you are bringing clients (business)" in my post?

As far as hobbyist, I don't think there would be any restrictions. It is only when you start seeing or bringing clients to a location that you have these issues.

-G-

[suerenee]

Ditto to the posts above.

I had an electrician add several plugs since my garage only had 1! We bought storage lockers for my gear as well as the tools--uniformed, neat and out of sight.

We also insulated the garage doors. My hubby got a kit on Lowe's.com and it was super easy to install. As a bonus we noticed our room upstairs above the garage is easier to heat/cool now too!

[XtremePhoto]

Originally Posted by S-Man

Glenn, is that just for the Houston City Limits area, or does that include all of Harris?
I think it would depend on where you live, whether or not that type of thing is regulated or restricted.
The next question I think would be if it is allowed, will the HOA be OK with it. Sometimes it's against neighborhood rules to run a business out of the home.
Then again, we go back to the question if this is a hobby studio or a place you'll receive clients. I think it would be the latter, based on my assumptions.

Your assumptions are both wrong and right. Some un-incorporated areas my not have occupancy permits required, however, ANYWHERE you build or renovate for business in the US must meet ADA standards when building. Period. (In the City of Houston, and Harris County you are required to have an occupancy permit.) This is only for a place you would bring clients or see clients. As the question above pointed out, if it were just for hobbyist work, you are not required to meet those standards.

And if you do not know what ADA stands for, it is the American with Disabilities Act (A federal mandate of standards for public accessible buildings - read businesses and commercial buildings.)

It is a massive headache for building or renovating businesses. Here is a website we use DAILY: ADA Accessibility Guidelines

There is compliance requirements for everything you can imagine.

I am sure your point about HOA/POA's are very valid. Most restrict running a business out of your home. Especially one that would require clients to come to your residence.

So even if you are not required to have an Occupancy permit, you still have to meet ADA accessibility requirements.

-G-

[XtremePhoto]

Originally Posted by SupaDave03

It would used as office/studio for the business..I suppose I would have to look into that and see what all the rules are as far as that goes

Dave,

I don't know your exact location in Santa Fe, TX but a quick call to the City Office there in Santa Fe revealed that you DO have to have an occupancy permit and building permit for renovating an existing structure for business use, and that all renovation must be inspected and meet current ADA Guidelines.

Again, IF you intend to use this for business. If for a hobby, permits and guidelines are out the window.

-G-

[janikphoto]

Your neighbors will be your biggest help or hinderance. If you have a lot of people coming in and out of your house, someone may call the city and open a big can of worms! If this is a hobby and you aren't having regular business traffic come through your door, your neighbors may not mind. Remember, they'll probably be the ones calling the cops, code enforcement, etc...

My first home studio space was a renovation in Farmer's Branch. The city official "corrected" me when I said "studio" and told me to refer to it as a rec/craft space for all official paperwork. Since I told him I was only going to have a few people over every month, he knew it wasn't worth classifying as a "business". He saved me a lot of trouble!

Other cities may not be so forgiving, since even one client coming over can blur the line between residential and business zoning! And, you do not want to mess with commercial zoning issues, if you don't have to.

[SupaDave03]

Yea as of now im mainly im just going to turn it into and office/storage to free up a bedroom in my house. So I wanted to get AC/Heat into it cause im going to have euipment in there and didnt want to cut a hole into my brick wall and throw a window unit in. Wanted to know what other have done as an alternative.