Garage into listening room?

OP

approximately where do you live?  Is the garage climate controlled?  How hot will the summers be and how cold the winters?  If you are going to have to open the garage doors to tolerate weather then it doesn’t matter what sound treatments you do.  And even if you drive prosaic cars, leaving them outside will cause them to age faster.  Squirrels and mice love to nest in engine blocks and chew on cables (I know several people that have to park outside that have encountered this).  And then there is the most dangerous mammal of all, the car jacking homo sapien.  Parking outside makes you a more vulnerable target.

  In short, a terrible idea, imo.

@audiodwebe ,

just go for it. I did. My shop is 30x40, 12' ceiling, 16' in the lift area. Fully insulated and sheathed. Temp controlled.

When i met my now wife, got married, and she moved into my house, I lost the privilege  of listening to my system. I had to comprise, so I built two shops. Is it treated? No. I final assemble/restore classic vehicles, so my system is in a ''clean'' area. Treatment right now consists of a 64 vette, 57 shortbed, and the remainder of shop stuff. I do take time out to do some ''critical'' listening, but usually just position my speakers where i'm working to get the best results. I welded up some speaker stands,roughly three feet tall, on full swivel rubber casters. Klipsch Forte III, modified, ARC Ref 5se, Ref 75se, Aurender A15, ethernet, muon filter. I love it.

Do it. Enjoy it. Listen to the music and live. Life can be short.

good luck

I refurbished a small garage that was on our property. Seemed like a good size. 14X19X8 inside. Heated, airconditioned great year round. Constant temps and humidity keeps things comfy. Cheap to heat and cool too.

No issues with waf. No issues with having audio equipment in our living room. No decorating compromises, only considerations like what's needed for best SQ. 

Considerable amount of work but kept cost down by doing all of it myself. I can listen as loud as I want any time I want. Not sure why more people don't do this. 

@ernstmach 

Is the garage attached to the home?  If not do you live in a warm climate?

I live in Chicago.  Even if I had a heated garage the thought of trooping out to an unattached garage with my galoshes and multiple layers of clothing in winter would definitely cut down my listening time.  My wife wouldn’t be to thrilled about bundling up if she needed to tell me something.  And no telling what friendly neighbors with firearms I might encounter as I trudge back into the home.

  Now are you getting insight into “why more people don’t do it”?

@mahler123

Seems we share the same weather patterns. I'm in Michigan so we just wait for the weather to head east across the lake.

The garage is a few feet from the house. A patio connects the house and garage together. Easy to keep the snow cleared during winter. We use an old phone with intercom when the need arises. Mostly just walk back and forth.

Chicago is a great city. My wife and I travel there several times a year.

I can understand your concern about neighbors. We live in a small town and have more space between neighbors and the natives are friendly. Not much sound gets out, so the neighbors never hear anything.

Seeing photos of expensive audio equipment set up in a living room is very nice but trying to get the most out of it when there are restrictions from our better halves or open floor plan and vaulted ceilings usually means big compromise. I know many don't have other options.

While my room is nothing fancy and there is some compromise with also using it for home theater, it works. Nice for those Saturday dinner and movie date nights. 

"Now are you getting insight into “why more people don’t do it”?" Yea, I get it but there are ways to do it.

Thanks for your response!