Converting detached garage to workshop

[Anonymous]

We have a small detached garage that's fully fenced into our yard. Just used for storage right now, but we'd like to make it a little more functional as a workshop by replacing the garage door with french doors, adding electrical outlets and overhead lights, better ventilation, etc. Doing some quick online research suggests that some jurisdictions would regard these kind of improvements as creating additional living space and therefore be subject to a whole different permitting process, etc. Does anyone have experience with this in DC? We were hoping to do this work with a handyman vs regular contractor.