This is No Small Plans, a series where we highlight some of Dwell’s best floor plans for real, practical inspiration.

The number of people working from home has doubled since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020. When where we live becomes where we work, no space can go to waste—not even the dark and dank garage-turned-storage shed in the backyard. We’ve combed through our archive of renovations to collect some of our favorite floor plans that show how these dimly lit, bare-bones spaces can be turned into bright, functional areas. Varying in size, cost, and location, these projects illustrate the scope and potential of renovating unused parking.

Garage Transformation by Barde + vanVoltt

When Bart van Seggelen and Valérie Boerma, cofounders of the interior design firm Barde + vanVoltt, stumbled upon a 1930s hardware store-turned-car park in Amsterdam, they looked past the industrial residue of stained concrete floors, thick pillars, and fluorescent lighting to see the potential for a sprawling, one-level home—practically unheard of in the city. The couple outfitted the once garage with new framing, replaced swathes of the roof with skylights, and upgraded the finishes.

Dark Matter by HyperSpace

Wayne Euston-Moore had only used the detached garage of his family’s Hertfordshire, England, house for storage. But when he started working from home, he wondered what his garage would look like as a backyard office that worked with the existing garden. Skylights flood the interior with daylight, large openings frame the surrounding trees, and the gaps between the charred wood shingles used for the new cladding house critters (and encourage biodiversity) along the envelope.

Ladera Heights ADU by DNA Architecture + Design

Shortly after buying a 1940s bungalow in Los Angeles, architect Valery Augustin of DNA Architecture + Design and his wife, Kim, transformed the existing detached garage into a bright ADU outfitted with a complete kitchen and durable surfaces. “Stylistically, I always look at open space, natural light—the simple things,” Valery says. “Daylight makes any space feel larger than it is, so I try to emphasize that in the design.”

San Diego ADU by Modern Granny Flat

Ross and Shannon Lohr brought only one car with them when they moved into their craftsman-style home in Carlsbad, California—not enough to fill the three-car garage attached to the house. After meeting architect Ramiro Losada-Amor, founder of Modern Granny Flat, they decided to transform the two unused bays into an ADU for guests or long-term renters.

A large chunk of the $140,000 budget went into a custom millwork wall system that not only divides the ADU from the remaining parking space, but hides all sorts of storage and stowable furniture.

Offset ADU by Byben

When the pandemic forced Courtney Wilk-Mandel and Danny Mandel to start working from home, their late 1940s L.A. home started to feel small. Ben Warwas, founder of the architectural design firm Byben, steered the couple away from expanding upon the main house and convinced them to renovate the unused garage in the backyard. The first level was enclosed, a second story was added, and a curving ipe rainscreen was wrapped around new and old alike, making the hybrid structure look like a cohesive whole.

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Spellman/Larsdotter Residence by Sean W. Spellman

Musicians Sean W. Spellman and My Larsdotter had been living on the road touring with their bands when they found themselves buying property in Westerly, Rhode Island. Rather than move into the 1930s cottage, the couple decided to rent it out and live in the two-bedroom unit above the detached garage nearby. They later converted an unused parking bay on the ground floor into a recording studio as a way of keeping up with their work during the winter.

Outer Sunset Garage Renovation by Jack Hotho Architecture + Design and Innen Studio

Rather than use the two-bay garage on the ground floor of their San Francisco row house, Jessica and Stig Olson hired Jack Hotho Architecture + Design and Innen Studio to swap out most of their parking for some extra space. “There was almost no light,” Hotho says of the original space. “We knew from the very beginning that diffusing light throughout the garage was going to be our goal.” This would be achieved by inserting glazing wherever possible and keeping the interior free of any opaque partitions.

Oak Cliff Casita by Best Practice Architecture

Amanda Pounds and Adam Amparan bought their home in Dallas with the intention of converting the backyard garage into a studio space for their creative pursuits. A few years and many different ideas later, the couple settled on turning the shed into an ADU for family and friends. Their long-time friend Ian Butcher, founder of Best Practice Architecture, partitioned the space to accommodate all the necessities of daily life and added several window openings to brighten up the newly refinished interior.

Kille Knobel’s ADU by MR Studios

While Kille Knobel’s L.A. home had initially suited all of her family’s needs, 15 years worth of change made the ranch house feel cramped. Killie had initially considered renovating the main home before discovering the potential of her garage. “My goal was to create a space so lovely I would want to live in it,” says Kille. While budget constraints prevented the garage from becoming the one-bedroom addition that she had imagined, MR Studio used clever workarounds like building niches into the walls and varying the ceiling height to make the open space feel like it’s made up of distinct zones.

Clinton Hill Carriage House by the Brownstone Boys

René and Heather Paula bought their home in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn because a curb cut on the sidewalk in front of it meant they could have their own parking space. The building itself was less inspiring. It was originally a carriage house that was later used as a garage—and later still as a junk shop. Though initially deterred by strict zoning and building codes, the couple found a blog posted by the the Brownstone Boys: a duo who had left their corporate jobs to commit themselves to historic renovation. With their help, the Paulas finally moved into their dream home three years, a new steel structure, and an extra story and a half later.

Top photo by Taiyo Watanabe.

Related reading:

22 ADU Floor Plans That Make the Most of the Backyard

Top 5 Homes of the Week With Interesting Floor Plans

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