Garage Conversion #1: Additions to the Household

In just a few weeks, we’ll have a new baby girl to bring into our shrinking home. In just a few weeks, I hope to have added a recreation / office room to our house to compensate. I’m using my two-car garage and cutting it half such that a car would not fit within its depth. The outer half will be my workshop while the inner half will be a playroom. My task is not, on the surface, too difficult save for the fact that I’ve never done this kind of work before and I’m not working with the best starting conditions. My concrete floor has a great sag through the middle; water pools right in the middle of the floor. The leveling of that floor with a 2×4 joist system on sleepers is a tedious process, but workable. The results are pleasing, but I have to get a move on if I’m going to be ready in time for the baby girl!

My plans are thus:

Garage divided in two (~21’ x ~10’)
Sleepers cemented and nailed to the concrete around the perimeter, 2 rows within (perpendicular to joists)
2×4 joist caps and joists attached on-edge around perimeter to form box – leveled
2×4 joists spanned 16” o.c. between joist caps – level ends, shim floor connection to meet sleepers
Insulation floor, 4 mil vapor barrier on top
23/32” T&G OSB subflooring
Create wall to divide garage, run power, etc.
Insulate wall, add foil-backed hard foam insulation
Multi-purpose underlayment
Engineered bamboo flooring

So far, I’ve started the subfloor, but haven’t laid and leveled all the joists. I’m hoping the things will really take off once I’ve finished this part!

-- It takes a viking to raze a village.