We Heard Elon Musk’s Mom Sleeps in a Garage—We Can Only Hope It’s as Good as These

The Internet was abuzz earlier this week when it was revealed that Maye Musk, mother of über-rich Elon Musk, sleeps in a garage when she visits her son’s Texas home near the SpaceX station. Her unconventional arrangement apparently only consists of a bed and a side table, but according to Maye’s tweet, she’s perfectly content with the humble setup. “What more do I need?” wrote the model and author. The Tesla founder also took to Twitter to defend himself by suggesting that you can’t have a fancy house near a rocket site and insisting that he’s “done a lot with the place.” 

We’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt only because we’ve seen some pretty creative transformations of underutilized car parks, and the best part is none of them required a billionaire’s budget. Insulation, natural light, and nonconcrete flooring will get you fairly far. Here are three spaces we think Maye wouldn’t mind spending the night in.

Make It Work for You and Your Guests

With the clever use of plywood, PVC pipes, and a Murphy bed, Emily Brownell turned her Culver City, California, garage into a chic office-slash-dwelling for when her relatives come to town.

Create a Sense of Coziness

In Joshua Tree, creative Claire Thomas turned a 20-by-25-foot box off of her main house into an adobe-style hideaway by carving out an arched sleeping nook with micro-cement and heavy curtains. 

Break Down the Door

If you want to make use of this space 24-7, tear down the barrier between your house and your garage, à la Indiana-based DIYer Brit Arnesen. With the right sleeper sofa and a room divider or two, you can easily turn a converted living area into a bedroom. Elon, take note.