The existing garage had just enough height to qualify for conversion, but the sloped concrete floor reduced the usable clearance across the space. We carefully ground portions of the slab to recover the height needed for approval without creating unnecessary structural work.

Below the floor, several sewer lines from the upper level crossed the new living area at the wrong elevation. We rerouted sections and cut new trenches where needed so the plumbing could disappear below the finished floor instead of controlling the layout above it.

Outside, the larger risk was water. The backyard slab sloped toward the garage, so we removed it, rebuilt the surface to drain away from the house, and added linear drainage tied into the existing system.