How Much Does a Garage Remodel Cost? [2026 Data]

Because of the significant differences in the types of projects a garage remodel can consist of, expect to pay anywhere from $7,000 and $30,000, with the average garage remodel cost sitting around $18,000. A garage remodel is a perfect way to make one of the most unused spaces in the home into a little getaway. Because this is essentially a new room of your choosing, you can turn the garage into whatever you like, but how you use the new space will dictate your total remodel cost. In this guide, we’ll explain how much your garage remodel is likely to cost and what influences the total.

What Factors Influence the Cost of a Garage Remodel?

While the type of remodel you’re doing is the most significant factor of the garage remodel process, it’s not the only thing you’ll need to consider to get an accurate estimate.

Size

While most garages fit two cars, one-car garages are still popular, and even three- and four-car garages are seeing rises in popularity. Since room for more cars means more materials and labor are required to complete the remodel, your price will naturally increase with the garage size.

The average square footage of garage types are as follows:

For simple remodels, such as recoating the floor, painting walls, and putting up shelving yourself, expect to pay around $2 to $5 per square foot to DIY the project. These garage remodel projects ultimately maintain the garage for its primary purpose, which is storage space.

Major remodeling projects, such as converting a garage into a living space, can cost upward of $86 per square foot. This is because you need to put up walls, insulate the garage ceiling, get the correct building permits, hire a general contractor, and much more.

Permits

If required, expect to pay around $1,400 on average for building conversion permits.

Permits are only going to matter if you’re completely changing the purpose of the garage. These are known as conversion permits. Whether they’re required or not comes down to your state, county, or city, as well as the scope or intent of your garage remodel.

A garage remodeling contractor near you should be able to get the permit cost for you and pull them when it’s time to start the work.

Labor

Labor plays a significant role in the final cost of the garage remodel and will usually account for 50% of the total, or around $9,000, on average. The more time and people that need to be on-site, the more you’re going to pay. General contractors will sometimes charge a flat rate based on the project, which will be added to the cost of labor for subcontractors.

Most Commonly Moved or Installed Features in Garage Remodels

According to data from Angi, 23% of homeowners are looking to move or install interior walls or drywall in their garages, with insulation and flooring being the next most common, both at 19%. However, only 12% of homeowners want to move or install garage doors.

Electrical

Luckily, garages are often already hooked up to electrical and don’t need too much related work. But if you need new light switches, overhead lighting, or outlets, you can use the below estimates to figure out what your electrical costs will be:

• $100 per new outlet

• $100 per new light fixture, plus the fixture price

• $150 per new light switch

• $3–$5 per square foot for new wiring, if necessary

Plumbing

Plumbing will only matter if you’re converting your garage into a guest home, utility room, or kitchen, or if you’re adding a sink or appliance that requires water. Depending on the scope of the project, expect to pay around $1,550.

This is higher than you’d see in your living area because garages are rarely equipped with piping, so new pipes will need to run from your existing plumbing system into the space. As such, the proximity of the new fixtures to your living area can make a big difference in the price.

Interior Walls

While you typically already have three of the four walls in place in a garage, you still need to hang drywall and close off the space where the garage was. If you’re converting the area into a bedroom or guest home, you’re also going to need to frame out new walls and hang drywall for bathrooms and closets. This will likely run you around $2,000.

Painting will cost between $2 and $3 per square foot, in most cases.

Exterior Wall

For the area where the garage door was, you have many material choices. You can go for brick or siding that accents the exterior of the home, or you can utilize stucco for the finishing touch and get creative with the texture of the home.

Common materials to choose from include:

Insulation

If you intend to use the garage as a living space or a workshop, insulation is required to keep it comfortable and safe. The average cost of insulation is around $2 per square foot. Depending on the type of insulation you need in your area, you could pay anywhere between $1 and $4 per square foot.

Garage Door Removal

Whether you’re replacing your garage door or removing it entirely, the old garage door has to go somewhere else. If the remodel crew doesn’t include garage door removal, then expect to pay around $75 on average. You can also up-cycle the old garage door by cutting the metal and repurposing it for flower beds or end tables.

Repairs

If your garage floor or wall needs repairs, you’ll want to tackle those first before you even get started on the rest of the remodel. Ignoring these damages can lead to ruined progress down the road. Depending on the number and extent of repairs needed, repairs can cost anywhere from $150 to $2,000.

Even if you’re leaving your garage’s utility as-is, you might need to repair a broken garage door opener if the garage door won’t close properly.

Garage Remodel Cost by Location

While the cost of living affects the project’s final price, the type of project you want to complete is ultimately the most significant factor. So this means that while your neighbor may have paid $40,000 to turn their garage into a guest home, you might be only looking at $2,000 for new cabinets and an insulated workshop area.

Common prices for remodeling a garage, regardless of the project, in these states are as follows:

How Much Does a Garage Remodel Cost by Type?

This is your space to make from the ground up. So you can go as extravagant or as simple as you’d like. The type of remodel you intend to carry out will have the biggest effect on your total. We’ll include some average costs for different common conversions and remodels to help guide you toward an accurate estimate.

Simple Remodel

On average, a simple remodel for cabinets, painting, and recoating the floor costs around $3,500. The average cost to install a new garage door is about $1,200.

A simple remodel would consist of keeping the current layout and functions of the space intact and just freshening up the area to make it more appealing and welcoming. You still have a place to park your car, but you can redo floors, paint the walls, and add new cabinets and garage organization projects. You could even opt to install a new garage door to match your aesthetic inside the garage.

Home Gym

The average cost to convert your garage to a home gym is around $800, but the price can vary between $200 and $6,000, depending on how decked out you want your workout space to be.

Soundproofing will help eliminate noise from escaping into the home as well as into the neighborhood. Expect to pay around $300 per wall for soundproofing and adhesive material.

Rubber mats keep the floor safe from cracking and help dampen the weights’ noise when they hit the floor. They’ll also give you enough traction so that you’re not slipping and falling all over the place. Rubber mats to cover 400 square feet will run you around $300 on average.

If you want to keep your space cool in the summer and warm in the winter, adding a simple ductless system and insulation will cost around $5,000.

Workshop

For a simple workshop, expect to pay around $2,000, depending on how much storage you need.

Whether it’s woodworking, soapmaking, or a sweet home brewing setup, having a workshop for storage and room to work will likely solve your space problems. You’re probably going to need a workbench area, as well as shelving or cabinets to store equipment as well, which can add to your costs.

Bedroom

Expect to pay around $20,000 on average for a simple bedroom. Primary bedrooms with a bathroom will likely cost you about $45,000 on average.

Garage conversions can add valuable living space, but they do require quite a bit of work. You’ll need to dispose of the garage door and its components, put up the exterior and interior walls, make spaces for windows, and fit the space with electric, plumbing, heating, and cooling. Depending on your fit and finish, you could pay $50,000 or more.

Family Space

Because you don’t have to put up drywall for closets and plumbing isn’t a worry, you’re likely only going to pay around $15,000 for a family space garage remodel. Maybe you have enough bedrooms, and you’re looking for space for the family to spend time together or invite friends over for a great party. This includes adding a fire escape window, hooking up to the HVAC, sealing the garage door opening, and installing new flooring.

Bathroom

To convert a garage into a bathroom, expect to pay around $20,000 on average. This project can add a ton of value to your home, so while it is expensive, it will very likely be worth it from an ROI and utility perspective.

Kitchen

Kitchens cost anywhere from $5,000 to $65,000, depending on plumbing, appliances, and countertop space, making a kitchen conversion one of the most expensive garage remodel options.

But if you’re looking to become a master chef that has anything and everything imaginable when it comes to cooking, the remodel might be worthwhile, especially since a large kitchen should add tons of value to your home. 

Office Space

Turning the garage into a home office is relatively easy and costs around $7,500, depending on how simple or luxe you want the office space to feel. You’ve likely sacrificed some other portion of your house to work from home, so either the kitchen, the living room, or a bedroom has become completely unusable because you want to escape work at the end of the day. As such, the cost to convert a garage to office space could be worth it.

Utility Room

If your laundry appliances are already out in the garage, you can look into converting a portion of the garage into a proper utility room for an average of around $500. You can add shelving for folding and storage and even a utility sink, in which case your garage conversions into a full-blown utility room start at around $3,000, but this will depend on the scale of the project.

Why You Should Hire a Garage Remodeling Pro

If you DIY your garage renovation, you could save as much as 50% on labor costs, or an average of $9,000 on a basic garage conversion project. However, a DIY garage conversion is not a project for the average homeowner because it requires a lot of physical labor and skills in electrical and plumbing. 

Considering all the work that goes into a garage conversion, hiring a local garage remodeling pro is your best bet to guarantee a smooth construction that wraps up promptly. 

Here’s why it’s ideal to hire a garage remodeling pro

Remodeling a garage isn’t a simple DIY task. Here’s why it’s best to hire a pro for the job:

• Professionals have the specialized tools and expertise needed for framing, electrical work, and flooring installation.

• DIY remodels can lead to costly damage, safety hazards, and code violations.

• Garage remodeling pros know how to handle electrical wiring, plumbing, and ventilation safely.

• Hiring a pro ensures your remodel complies with local building codes, permits, and safety regulations.

• Professionally remodeled garages can enhance your home’s aesthetics and increase its resale value. 

If you want to DIY a garage remodel

While the bulk of the work should be left to the pros, you can help out with smaller tasks like:

• Clearing clutter, tools, and storage out of your garage

• Sweeping or cleaning the floors after installation

• Handling minor painting projects under your pro’s guidance

• Assist with installing shelves or hooks

• Help with clean up and debris removal after the remodel is complete

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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