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Original poster

Garage conversion for link detached house?

19 replies

blackrabbitwhiterabbit · 23/08/2020 09:53

Our house is link detached, in that our garage is joined on to next door's garage, which is then joined to their house.
Will I need permission from these neighbours in order to get our garage converted into a room? Can they say no and stop us doing it?
Thanks

OP posts:
SoloMummy · 23/08/2020 11:03

You'll need the usual planning permission. They can object as usual. Not sure if they could object due to noise levels this would then no doubt create?
However, by doing this, you could run the risk of the land registry saying its not detached but semi detached. This is it happened could in theory,reduce the appeal to some who are only interested in detached.

deplorabelle · 23/08/2020 21:03

In our area you are required to keep the garage door so it doesn't make the houses semi detached. People in our road have put a room in the garage with a wall just far enough back to give the up and over door clearance to open.

Original poster
blackrabbitwhiterabbit · 24/08/2020 09:19

Thanks for responses.

I don't know if it would make the house semi-detached as there will still be the neighbours' garage between our houses?
I thought you didn't usually need planning permission for a garage conversion, or maybe we do as its directly attached to next door's garage....

OP posts:
missmarplesapprentice · 24/08/2020 09:29

If you convert your garage to a room, will you still have access to the back garden of your property without going through the house? Can you go round the other side?
I am also pretty sure there was on thread on here about an OP who bought a linked detached house and the neighbour had converted their garage to a room. The neighbour then told the OP that there was an agreement that they used the OP's garage to access their garden. I can't quite remember but i'm sure the OP was advised to tell the neighbour to F Off.
I can't help with the planning questions....it was just something to think about.

Original poster
blackrabbitwhiterabbit · 24/08/2020 11:12

Thanks for this. Yes, we have our gate to the back on the other side of our house, and so do our neighbours, so it's not a factor.
Thanks for message though!

OP posts:
CatkinToadflax · 25/08/2020 08:18

We did this in our former bungalow a few years ago. We did apply for - and get - planning permission, though our architect said it was a ‘borderline case’ (my words, not his) re whether we actually needed planning permission or whether just going through Building Regs would be enough.

We sold the house a couple of years later, still described as link detached. Our neighbour sold a year or so after we did and he didn’t have any issues either regarding it being link detached. However I assume that if his house did a garage conversion in the future then the houses would inevitably count as semi detached, especially as they’re bungalows!

We had no difficulties with it though and weren’t asked to keep the garage door in place (just as well, given that we converted the garage into two bedrooms!)

RevolutionRadio · 25/08/2020 08:40

The issue is if the other house also do this you'd then be semi detached, I assume this would lose value off your home.

We specifically avoided link detached with garages next to each other for this reason.

Figmentofimagination · 25/08/2020 09:46

If only 1 garage is converted and the other garage stays a garage then it will be classed as link detached.

If both garages are converted they become semi detached.

It's the same with semi's becoming terraced. If 2 semi's extend over the driveways to the side and those extensions join, they become terraced. It's why some people leave a tiny gap between the extensions, keeps the value up as it's still classed as a semi but may make it difficult to maintain.

pandora206 · 25/08/2020 10:07

I have a property like this and had a garage conversion about 15 years ago. I didn't need planning permission but had to meet building regulations and have it inspected. The work was completed by a specialist builders who guided me through the process. There have been no issues with neighbours at the time or since.

I didn't ask for permission from my neighbour beforehand as their property wasn't impacted, and there is good insulation so noise wouldn't have been an issue. I have side access to the rear of the property so that wasn't a problem either.

CatkinToadflax · 25/08/2020 10:22

I should have added to my post above - we didn't need to ask our neighbour for permission either.

WellTidy · 25/08/2020 10:56

My parents live in a link detached (the houses are linked by garages and the breakfast room behind the garanges). Their neighbours previously turned their garage into a bedroom. The biggest difficulty they had was levelling, they had to build up a great deal so that there was no step into the bedroom from the breakfast room, and so they lost ceiling height. They also had to insulate very well.They've since sold the house and the bedroom is now a playroom.

Sound is now an issue - the room is being used loads more in the day time now than it was when it was a garage or a bedroom. Something you may want to consider!

No planning permission needed.

Seeline · 25/08/2020 11:01

You may require PP - it depends whether there were any conditions imposed when then house (and garage) were originally built. It is quite common for a condition requiring the garage to be kept as garaging. If this is the case PP will be required for the relaxation of that condition. How old is the property?

You will need to check with the Council. You may be lucky and find the original PP on their website, but it will depend on how old it is.

JacobReesMogadishu · 25/08/2020 11:11

@blackrabbitwhiterabbit

Thanks for responses.

I don't know if it would make the house semi-detached as there will still be the neighbours' garage between our houses?
I thought you didn't usually need planning permission for a garage conversion, or maybe we do as its directly attached to next door's garage....

I think it would still count as a semi and if in years to come you come to sell the house a lot of buyers would consider it a semi. After all there's nothing to stop your neighbour doing the same at any point.
CatGos · 29/05/2023 21:41

Hello, I know this is a few years old but we're looking at buying a link detached with view to convert the garage. Did you go ahead with the conversion?
Thank you!

TopHatWonderer · 30/05/2023 09:02

@CatGos you need to @ someone so they get an email notification but also a little red 1 next to their profile person symbol. If they are not actively checking this board they will miss it. I will ping them now so they can answer.

@blackrabbitwhiterabbit did you go ahead with the conversion?

To add, we lived in a link detached and there was a covenant in place that said you could not convert the garage and the council did not allow change of use for link detached homes on my estate.

Dingle66 · 27/09/2023 16:45

I'm in the middle of a mutual exchange but I have a linked garage with tenancy but I have lost my key other mover knows and is fine with it can this stop my exchange or do I try to break in its not joined to house down the road in a block

Flubadubba · 27/09/2023 18:28

@dingle66 you'll get more answers by starting your own thread :)

Dingle66 · 27/09/2023 18:50

I am in a middle of a mutual exchange and my terraced house has linked garage and it's in a block down road but lost key will it be a problem if other people know

Flubadubba · 27/09/2023 19:07

@Dingle66 You might find these instructions helpful to start. Anew thread:

Go to the topic you want to discuss, eg roperty/DIY and right at the top, it says "Start a new thread within this topic" - click on that and write the subject and your message and then click "Create conversation" at the bottom.
if you are on your phone, use the Add Thread button on the toolbar at the bottom, or click on the downward arrow next to the topic title and click on Add Thread.

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