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Original poster

Garage conversions

14 replies

Pigleychez · 21/06/2015 20:29

Anyone done this?

We are toying with the idea of turning the garage into a den/cinema room/photography studio.
We would extend the garage out the the front slightly, so it come out to underneath the tiled roof already there. (like a very small carport)
Then the garage would the same amount at the back to turn into a small utility room.

Anyone any experience? My DM was thinking that loosing a garage would negatively affect the house price even though your gaining 2 more rooms?

OP posts:
ipadmad · 23/06/2015 22:25

I think it depends. We wouldn't consider a house with a garage conversion but plenty of others do. Is there plenty of off road parking?

suzyrut · 24/06/2015 16:09

We live in a townhouse with integral garage, we were going to move partly because of location but partly because the layout was awkward. Long story short the chain fell apart so we have decided to stay and are in the process of converting two thirds of the garage into a kitchen and open it to the existing ground floor room so we have a proper kitchen/diner and living space on the ground floor. When we spoke to the EA about it before putting it on the market in the first place he said it would be unlikely to make back what we spend on it. However after the stress of the moving/not moving fiasco we've decided that it's more important to us have our home the way we want it and be able to live their comfortably for the next 5 years than try to pre-empt what a currently fictional buyer might want/want to pay in the future.

BTW none of our neighbours (and thinking about it no one I know) use their garage to park a car in so if what you spend on is as less than the value you'd gain from it I would say go for it.

suzyrut · 24/06/2015 16:10

live there comfortably!!

MrsLeighHalfpenny · 24/06/2015 16:13

Where would you keep your ladders, old pots of paint, cling equipment, kids' bikes, Christmas tree, and all the other junk useful stuff a family accumulates?

That's what put us off making the garage into a room.
That, and the fact that garage conversions make for pretty small, cold rooms.

yomellamoHelly · 24/06/2015 16:56

We lived here for 5 years before converting our garage. The car never went in it. The rooms we've put in there have made a huge difference to us though and it's a nicer house to live in for it. So if you can take the (potential) financial hit, and you''d gain a similarly valuable space I would say do it.

TheUnwillingNarcheska · 24/06/2015 18:05

We did it but kept a store at the back for all the things mentioned above. We do have a shed but prefer to keep electrical tools (sander, drill, tile cutter etc) in the store room.

Check with planning for requirements (change of use) and you will need building regs.

We did a double garage. The way to stop it looking like a garage conversion and part of the house is to match the new window with the existing ones rather than just infilling the gap left by the garage door being removed.

Go way beyond the insulation required by building regs, garages can be single skin rather than cavity walled so spend money to insulate well.

TheUnwillingNarcheska · 24/06/2015 18:06

Forgot to say, think about where you will get your water supply from and where you will drain to for the utility room.

ChablisTyrant · 25/06/2015 23:54

We've also just converted ours to a room. Nobody uses garages for cars anymore because they don't rust outside. We have plenty of parking outside. Don't care about re-sale. We are never moving.

limesoda · 26/06/2015 09:55

I'm not sure. A garage was a definite for us (Mr P is a petrolhead, so needs a covered space for projects, to leave tools lying around, whatever) and sort of thought we'd be in the minority, but EAs indicated otherwise.

BUT, if it is going to turn your house into something fab, then it could be worth doing. I would tend towards looking properly at the cost v the benefit.

Looserella · 26/06/2015 10:46

We converted our garage into a playroom and it's absolutely fab. But we were able to build another garage on the side. As long as you've got some sort or storage for bikes, lawnmower etc, I think it's a great idea

vienaa · 26/06/2015 11:45

We have kept 1/2 of the garage as more of a store room, but still looks like a garage and the other half another bathroom. The only thing which would bother me will there be access from the front of the house to the back garden without having to take your garden bin ect threw the front door. I know when we had to submit our plans for our side extension as we were bringing the new garage forward (as ours was in the back) we had to prove we could fit 3 cars on our front property.....

ExpressNigel · 26/06/2015 14:13

In our town there is a large estate of houses with internal garages. About half of them have been converted - they are seen as the more desirable ones.

Original poster
Pigleychez · 28/06/2015 12:49

Thanks everyone. We have a massive shed at the end of the garden (and I mean massive! ) that all the junk goes in. the only real issue would be DHs bike as he uses it daily to commute. We have quite a big drive so plenty or room for 3 cars. Our car is quite wide so doubt it would even fit in the garage anyway!

Those of you put off by buying house with a garage conversion is that because you worry about lack of storage ?

OP posts:
goldenlilliesdaffodillies · 28/06/2015 14:28

We converted our garage a few years ago and put in an extra floor. It house office type things and DD uses it as her dance studio. It also makes a great teenage den. We also have a shed and built a bike shed on the side.
It's a great asset as our garage was never used for parking the cars.

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