DS wants to live in the garage...

[Lowerechelons]

Currently I live in a far to big for me family home which was fully renovated when we moved in, more than 20 years ago and now needs doing again, with adult 2 DSs. They're pretty good at "helping" but the responsibility is mine and I find it overwhelming.

A perfect new build bungalow is going up round the corner. Really well laid out living space and two big double bedrooms, one with ensuite. Small garden, drive and garage.

It would be perfect for me on my own and would work well enough for me and DS2. DS1 (nearly 24) should really have moved out,but it's not so easily for young people blah blah. Anyway, he's said he'll convert/live in the garage, until he can do something on his own.

How practical is that as an idea?

I would look at he cost of true conversion versus how many years of house share it would pay for.

Realistically, I'm not going to send him off to live in a house share, when he can live at home and save for a deposit though.

It worked for Georgie in Young Sheldon
Seriously depends on whether you needed the garage yourself, whether you'll be selling in future and health and safety. Obviously, he'll need to access the main house for cooking and showering so will need to pay his costs. He'll also need to pay for the conversion: how will he do that if he cannot afford to move out? If he is talking about just doing a DIY job, will he restore it all to how it was when he moves out? Heating? Damp?

If it’s a new build, still going up, can’t you buy it and then change the plans so the garage becomes a proper 3rd bedroom from the start? I bought a new build in Colorado that only had the foundation done, I negotiated changes to the plans with the developer and it was a lot cheaper than doing a conversion after completion.

Would you need planning permission do you think?

Is it a developer? Tell them you want to offer now and influence the build.

10-20K for a proper conversion. Has he got 15K? I assume not, as otherwise he'd have put it down on a house.
Permitted development rights > planning permission per se but still need to check/comply with building regs.

Unless he is literally camping out in the garage. Good luck with that.

I should have said the garage is detached.

I can and will pay for it.

I'll release some cash from the sale, so it's possible a solution might be to help him buy something, but obviously I'd need to be able to do that for DS2 too.

Can you give/lend a deposit for them both to use and they buy somewhere jointly and you then live on your own? Not sure if they are both working or not...

I literally camped in a garage for 2 years. With a newborn!

It’s perfectly doable. But depends how good the garage is.

Ours had underfloor heating, sky lights, bifold doors and a sink (which we used as the base for an air fryer kitchen). We had to go outside and into the main house for the loo.

Another issue to consider is running a whole house off a ring for a garage can be a challenge. We obviously had computers, tv, fridge, air fryer etc. There were times when you could overload the system and the fuse would trip out.

Very doable. DH and I converted a garage ourselves at a previous house. We're not builders but the building control people at the council basically came out at each stage and told us what to do next. Cost about £2k in total in materials. It was just the back of the garage, turned into a utility room, so we didn't touch the garage door or anything which would've increased costs. There's also rules around habitable rooms that we didn't have to comply with as it was a utility room.
What we did (what I remember, hopefully I haven't missed anything crucial):
Small wall all the way round inside 2 bricks high.
Stud walls on top of the small wall, plastic sheeting stapled to the back and insulation in-between the studs.
Damp proof and insulate floor, topped with floating floor boards and then lvt.
Plasterboarded the stud walls, taped and painted.
Insulated the ceiling then plasterboarded, taped and painted.
Added a small electric oil filled rad.
Plumber installed the sink with a pump to take the waste water out to the drain.
Plasterboarded the wall garage side with fire rated plasterboard.
Installed air vents round the soffits so the roof was ventilated.

If we hadn't added so much insulation the room would've been freezing.

How big is the garden in the new place? An alternative might be a garden room?

They are both working but DS2 has fragile MH, I want to keep him close and wouldn't want DS1 to take responsibility for him. Plus DS1 has a serious gf the reason he really needs to move out

You need to check what is legal. I have a friend with an outbuilding and you can't live in it but overnight stay is OK.

OK, then maybe it is worth converting it. When both men have moved out, would you have any use for the garage set up as an annex or office or so or would you want to use it as car storage? I'm thinking if you wanted it as an annex anyway then it makes sense that you pay for it. If not, then maybe your son should contribute too.

Difficult one as it’s detached which would in effect make it a house if you went for change of use.

It’s doable, but as the homeowner, do YOU actually want it done?

If you give him that money towards his deposit instead, how much longer would he need to save?

If it’s not that long, would it make sense for him to camp out in the sitting room for a while?

Just a thought.

Yes sorry I missed it’s detached. That will be trickier as it’s probably not built to the same spec as the house (ie. Insulated).

He is Georgie, I claim my £5 don't let DS1 impregnate his gf in the garage!

You'd need to check what's going in it and if it then counts as a living space as that means planning permission.

You'd need to check any stipulation when buying whether the garage must remain usable as a garage.

Passing building regs: heat and light in general, access to facilities, fire safety, drainage.

You planning on putting shower and toilet in there? Doesnt sound ideal really. Why not get one of those big summer house sheds instead?

I doubt there's room, but why would that be different? I think he picturing "camping" and using the facilities in the house.

Just it keeps your garage as a garage. You dont want to be faffing with planning/building control etc. and his comings and goings arent very private given its at the end of the drive. Summer house shed keeps it more separate- theres a lad near me does it in the back garden. Bit nicer with windows too as garages tend not to have any!

If he’s just using it as a bedroom, but using all the facilities of the house, surely that could work. Not ideal, but doable.

I don't want him to be too comfortable there 😆

Get a 3 bed alot easier