Homes by Olga

Many a homeowner who chooses design a garage floor plan often forgets the vital bit: water supply and drainage.

How do I get cold water to the garage? The cold water supply will come directly from you house’s installations. The cold water piping can easily be run in the same trench as the electric conduit from the home to the garage. 

You can use almost any type of piping: copper or PVC. Copper is however preferable, while it’s a bit more expensive than PVC. Remember that PVC is not suitable inside a home but can be used to run water to it. 

What diameter should the pipe be? This depends on the water flow you need. Naturally, you are limited in terms of the maximum flow you are already getting for your home. If for instance your main house receives a 3/4″ supply, you get the same maximum flow even if you choose a larger piping for the garage apartment. My opinion is that it is reasonable to use the same diameter as the use you already have for the house. 

How do I bring up the pipe inside the garage? You will have to dig under the foundation and cut the concrete floor in the garage in order to bring up the pipe. If your apartment will be directly on top of the garage, you can run the water conduit on the outside wall without having to dig.

How deep should I dig? This depends a lot on the climate in your region. It is reasonable however to dig at least 18″ below the frost line. For cold regions this would be around 4-5 feet. 

What about the drain? Regarding the drain, a 1/2″ to 1″ plastic water pipe is an excellent option in order to run water outside the garage. It’s important that you install a proper drainage system to avoid bad odours created by a poor hygiene system.

Should I also incorporate a bathroom and toilets? Many people considering converting their garage often wonder if they should incorporate a bathroom in their garage floor plan. Designing a garage apartment is effectively creating a new living space and many local authorities will require you install a fully functional bathroom, with a shower, and even sometimes a kitchen. In many cities, there are also prohibitions regarding the leasing out of the garage apartment space to paying tenants.

Putting up a bathroom obviously requires quite a bit of work, depending on whether you plan to incorporate a sink, a toilet, a tub or a shower.  

I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea. I have seen many bathrooms beautifully incorporated in apartment garages. You will however need to remember checking out your city zoning requirements.  

As far as sewage lines are concerned, I wouldn’t advise you to even try doing the work yourself. This part tends to be rather messy and involves quite a lot digging. You’d better leave that part of you garage floor plan to a professional plumber!