How to Finish a Bonus Room Above the Garage

Check out how we finished our bonus room above the garage. This is a great space to gather with friends and family.

When we built the house we got the bonus room to sheetrock. This made it much easier to finish at a later date. Well that day is here! Are you ready to see how the DIY dark and moody bonus room above the garage turned out?

Bonus Room Above the Garage Before

Our bonus room is just under 1,000 square feet adding extra space to our home. I am planning to create a media room, home office and a game room in this flexible space.

Flooring

The first thing I needed to design for this space was the flooring. I wanted hardwood flooring. However I didn't want to worry about the floor when my kids' friends came over. My floors needed to be very durable and NovaFloors LVT is the perfect choice for that situation. I went with the French Almond Oak in the Dansbee Collection. I love the dark and light color combinations.

This LVT also has a wood grain texture and feel. It looks and feels like real wood floors but more kid friendly.

Installation

Nova floors LVT is a floating floor. That means the planks link together instead of nailing or gluing them to the subfloor. This is the first floating floor we have had and I am really liking it. Installing this LVT was so easy, as it has the underlayment attached to each plank. All you have to do it click and snap the planks together. I completed the entire room in less than 2 days.

Tools for Installation:

• Utility knife
• Rubber mallet
• Tape measure
• Speed square
• Pull bar
• Knee pads (optional - but helpful)

Check out my YouTube video for complete installation instructions.

How to Heat and Cool a Bonus Room Above a Garage

Since this room is over our car garage it can have extreme temperatures, both hot and cold.

When we were building our home we were hoping to get our ducting for the entire house over to the bonus room. However our roof lines didn't allow for that. The next best option was a ductless mini-split. This will provide ductless heating and cooling for the bonus space.

What is a Ductless Mini-Split

A mini-split has an outdoor unit that is attached to your exterior walls. And the indoor unit that is wall mounted. The 2 units are connected by refrigerant tubing and electrical wiring. It comes with its own thermostat and remote controls for temperature control. The nice part about a mini-split is this room only blows warm air or cold air when it is being used, which is uses less energy.

How to Divide the Space

In this type of room I used the ceilings as a way to create areas for my spare room. There are 2 areas with knee walls creating low ceiling on both sides of the big vaulted ceiling. This helped to create a natural division without any added walls.

Media Area

One of the lower ceilings sides I added a TV and console table next to the knee wall. I added furniture and a rug around the TV to help define this space and make a cozy living area.

Office Space

My husband also works from home and was in need of his own space and a quiet place to work. I found this big round table to float in the middle of the room. This allowed me to create a home office without sacrificing the flow and design of the room. The table is also a great place to play games, bringing us to the game area.

Game Area

We bought a double shot basketball hoop to put in the gaming area. I also added a few cabinets and a butcher block countertop for a little snack bar. At some point we will add a drink fridge and maybe a pool table. We also have a walk-in closet for extra storage in this second floor space.

Bonus Room Above the Garage Design

I have big double windows in our bonus room. This allowed the design style for this unused space to be dark and moody. The rest of the house is a light color so this is a fun way to change things up in this part of the house.

The ceiling joists added a beautiful vaulted ceiling I wanted to accent. To do this I went with high contrast with my paint. The dark walls highlighted the beautiful ceiling details.

Paint Colors

• Moldings - Cameo By Behr Dynasty
• Walls - Charcoal by Behr Dynasty
• Ceiling - Flat white ceiling paint

I was really impressed with how well Behr Dynasty covered. It is a great option.

I had raw MDF and it covered in 1 coat. However I put 2 coats on everything. I find I get a better paint finish when I do this.

I painted the ceiling first with a roller which covered most of the square footage. To apply the paint to the moldings and custom built-in bookshelves I used my Graco paint sprayer.

This paint sprayer gives a much smoother finish than a paint brush or roller. It does put out a lot of paint, so make sure to move fast.

After the ceiling and moldings were dry I taped them off and used a roller and paint brush to paint the walls.

Decorative Accessories

I didn't want to add too much decor to this space. Less stuff equals less worrying when people are over. A great way to add style to the space is through furniture

• Rugs - I was a little worried about adding 2 different rugs to this big of a space. I didn't want 2 of the same rugs so instead I found a rug with a print that would easily hide stains for the media area. I went with a solid color rug with a texture for under the table. Both of these rugs are the same color so they work well with each other.
• chairs - I love the canning details on these chairs with the black cushions. They are oversized chairs making them super comfy to hang out in.
• coffee table - I repurposed this coffee table. It used to be an old farmhouse table. Now it is a beautiful fluted coffee table. (tutorial here). This table brings a warmth to the space as well as a fun texture.
• couch - We moved our HomeReserve couch up here. It is such a great worry free couch as I can easily replace the cushions and covers should one get damaged. I can also rearrange the individual boxes to make this sectional fit my space perfectly.
• pillows - Help to bring a space together. I found pillows with white backgrounds to lighten the space just a touch. and one of the best ways to bring in some style.
• throws - I needed blankets for the media space. Why not make them decorative. I like to find throws that have a texture or pattern to them. This helps to add fun, functional decor to the space. And is it a great idea to cozy up with on chilly night.
• pouf - to bring texture and personality to this flex space.
• pictures - To make it feel like home is one of the most important parts and to do this I added these pictures of our growing family.
• curtains - I added curtains to the media space so we could make it dark for movies. Drapes also add style that you can use to customize your own home.

Decorating around a TV can always be rough. To keep it simple I added these 2 pictures to either side. I also added vases to to TV console with some greenery for some added color. View other ideas for decorating around a TV here

Custom Built-in Bookshelves

it is a good idea to have a main focal point of the room. There are many smart ways to this. I chose to make these custom bookshelves which work perfectly for that. I built these from scratch. See tutorial here.

To warm up the space I added some decor items to the shelves . I used a lot of books I got from a thrift store. Greenery is a great way to bring in a bit of color.

I added the baskets help to hide odds and ends I don't want displayed. The bench also opens up for additional space to store our blankets.

DIY Dark and Moody Bonus Room Above the Garage After

Here is our new bonus room. What a labor of love this room was because it is not a small room, but to see it all done and come together makes it all worth it! We are excited to start using this extra living space. It is so nice to have the extra room now be a useable finished room.

Look how the warm floors complement the dark cool walls, creating the perfect finished look. And it a moodier feel then the main level. This space is ready for lots and lots of parties and friends! If you need bonus room ideas be sure to check this out. Check out details of our home build here.

For this space I used my accessories to bring in lots of textures. You can shop my room below!

Hopefully this helps you create the perfect bonus room space for your family to enjoy!

-Brooke-