What converting a garage into a casita involves

First, what has to check out

• Whether your city allows it and what it asks in return. Some cities want replacement parking on the lot when a garage is converted. We confirm this for your address before anything else.
• Slab and drainage. Garage slabs often slope to the door and sit lower than the house floor. The fix ranges from a floating floor to a new topping slab.
• Ceiling height and roof framing. Living space has minimum heights; most two-car garages clear them, but trusses and ductwork can intrude.
• Utilities. A bath and kitchen need supply and drain lines. Where the house's sewer line runs decides how much concrete gets cut. The electrical panel needs capacity for a kitchen, a bath and heating and cooling.
• Egress and light. A sleeping area needs a window or door that meets egress rules, and the room needs natural light that a garage usually does not have.

What gets built

1. Close the garage door opening. Framed, insulated and finished to match the house, usually with the new entry door and a window in it.
2. Floor. Level the slab or build a floor system over it, with a moisture barrier.
3. Insulation and envelope. Wall and ceiling insulation, air sealing, and often a new attic access.
4. Plumbing. Saw-cut the slab for drains, run supply to the bath and kitchen, add a water heater or tie into the house.
5. Electrical. New circuits for kitchen, bath, lighting and a mini-split; a sub-panel or panel upgrade if needed.
6. Heating and cooling. Usually a ductless mini-split sized for the room.
7. Finishes. Drywall, flooring, kitchen or kitchenette, bath, doors, trim, paint.
8. Inspections. Rough and final inspections for each trade, then the final sign-off.

A typical studio layout

A two-car garage gives roughly 400 square feet. This concept shows one common arrangement: living and sleeping in the open area, kitchen and bath along the back wall where plumbing is shortest, and the entry where the garage door was.

What you give up

Parking and storage. Many homeowners add a shed or a carport, and some cities require replacement parking. Resale is a judgment call: in neighborhoods where a casita adds more value than a garage, it is a clear win; in others, buyers want the garage. We will tell you what we see in your area.

One we completed

At 3802 N 48th Dr, we converted the attached garage of a 1956 home into a full studio casita with a private entrance, full kitchen and full bath as part of a managed renovation, and the property sold on the MLS in July 2025. The case study shows the finished unit and the scope.

Timeline

Permitting and construction are separate clocks. The city's plan review sets the first; a conversion is usually the fastest build of the three project types once the permit is in hand. We give a dated schedule before work starts and share the city's current review times during the property review.