photo by Ira Lippke for the New York Times
Artist Michelle de la Vega decided to generate extra income by renting out her house while moving into the standalone garage out back. But first, she had to transform the dumpy building into habitable space. Acting as her own designer and general contractor, Ms. de la Vega had the roof raised 4 feet to provide enough headroom for a sleeping loft. A small unfitted kitchen is placed along one wall and an addition to one side houses a spacious bathroom. The finished home has 250 ft2 (23.2 m2) of comfortable living space.
