They're lovely, but I think when you get down to it, I'd rather have the garage. . . . if I lived somewhere where I didn't need a car, this would be a very neat idea, though!

Uh, this is illegal in some cities, and would affect the re-sale of the property. Based on what I've seen, many converted garages were done illegally (read without a permit, and not built to safety codes). It's a considerable liability, plus the city has the right to have the owner convert the garage back at his or her expense.

Generally, in my opinion, converting a garage is a bad idea.

I agree with glowingmoon - and I didn't even know it was illegal in some cities. But it drastically lowers the value of a home.

I'm with Glowing and Kim. You HAVE to check with your city to see if it's legal to convert your garage. It would be a complete waste of money to convert it and then have to convert it back because your city doesn't allow it, or because you didn't get the necessary permits.

#7 is lovely and makes a great guest house.
but definitely agree with other comments that i don't know whether this should be done at the expense of a garage, for practicality mainly as i'm sure it's all legal in the uk.
i've just cleared out our garage for my mum's 60th birthday party and we've put sheeting up and around with fairy lights so we can use it as a workable space which doesn't feel too much like a garage. it's where the bar's going to be!
just suggesting that even without a conversion, you could make better use of your garage anyway if you sifted through the inevitable piles of junk which are most likely sitting in there.
(now i'm thinking when the gilmore girls clear out the garage for the band to rehearse in!)

I like this idea and if the changes to the garage weren't permanent (adding an area rug, couch and/or chairs) it might avoid the legal issue and if you have a reliable parking spot then it would solve the parking issue.