Converting half a double garage

[Longheath8]

Has anyone done this? Do you regret it? Can it always be done simply or can it throw up issues? Any vague idea of how much it would cost. We are in the South West if that helps.

We’re about to have ours done. Fairly basic conversion of 3/4 of a double detached garage in the South: £15k. We were quoted up to £45k from some builders 😱

I have also asked for a quote and I will keep you posted! Also planning to convert half of a double garage to an office space. A fairly standard conversion so hopefully it won't break the bank!

We’re hoping to do the same in our new home - will be keen to see your quotes (husband currently thinks he can do it as a DYI job...).

I just had a planning person come round (we may need planning permission for ours due to the number of parking spaces vs size of property). South east and he told me to expect a 15 to 20K bill for half a double garage conversion! I have to say that's a lot more than expected!

@FollowingAmirage

What are you converting it to? That must make a difference?

A box-standard office space? We already have an existing window/door to the garden, which we are leaving. And we just need to add a separating wall (the garage is not the standard double...it's a long double where you are supposed to park one car and then the other at the back if that makes sense). We already have electrics in there...

Oh, hoping on here as just about to embark on this. Had 2 builders round to discuss and learning about lots of new things....all more complicated than I thought.

@areallthenamesusedup oh no. This is my fear. In what way is it more complicated? Do you mind sharing with me? We are hoping to do this in a house we haven't bought yet. I'm terrified we will get in and realise we can't do it or can't afford to do it. The house already feels like a compromise and I will be gutted if we can't get this extra room. I'm trying to learn as much as I can so we are going in with our eyes open. I didn't think it would be complicated to do!

Oh didn’t mean to scare you off. Think I was feeling a bit deflated by the time line more than anything. Mine is unusual as it’s free standing from the house but attached to next door, I am in a conservation zone so just need to double check first if I need planning. I will need building regs sign off. Plus I need party wall agreement. Nothing complicated just a faff. Neither builder nor surveyor could tell if single or double thickness walls so that has cost implications. We have done a fair amount of building work at various houses and I thought I knew more than I did as there may be a drainage issue with mine, I am calling more people (surveyor types) next week and am happy to update you, As I say think it was more timeline than anything with me. There do seem be a few threads on here at moment about this very subject so I am going to keep reading up. But we are going ahead for sure. Just slower than I thought.

Forgot to add, Building regulations are specific re insulation. Think that is a common issue with these conversions. Walls and floor will need insulation. Doing the floor means raising floor levels usually.

With all of these things if you are going to do it I think it’s worth doing well. I have seen ones before when you really know it was an ex garage. Different finish quality, ridiculous change in floor levels, door architecture didn’t match. Nothing significant but it all added up to a room that felt odd. Felt colder and darker than rest of house,

I am sounding gloomy. I do not mean to!

We made a makeshift office in our detached garage - free standing single. We left the front section and created a partition for the back. We maybe use 2/3 as the office. You can get room dividers get cheaply from B&Q, but we have a loft in the garage roof so we didn’t have the height to use them. We’ve just put a screen up which is suspended from the ceiling.

It’s been decorated and flooring put down. It’s turned into a really nice space with a sofa and bookcase too. It’s all very white and soft grey. IKEA even have a sound absorbing partition which we have between our desks (partner and I work on the same space). Really simple - we are renting so can’t obviously do anything more, but cost effective and most importantly, we aren’t in the house!

We're getting ours done in December. Had 3 quotes, ranged from £11.5k to £15k. We went with the middle one, simply because their main business is garage conversions and they do it in 10 days. The cheapest quote was a business that does other things, and whilst I really liked the guy and I'm sure they would have done a great job, it was going to take 4-5 weeks.

On top of that price is flooring and painting (we use a painter with very reasonable rates so that isn't much of a cost). Things that bumped up the cost slightly were having a door moved (we currently have a door from the back garden to the back of the garage, however that side of the garage is the one being converted so needed to move the back access door to the other side), having an small window installed where the door used to be (as well as the large window at the front) and having an extra light fitting (we've asked for 2 instead of 1).

We already have electricity in the garage, and the ceiling is plastered (our bedroom is above it, not sure if this is why). We're not having any plumbing installed, it is just going to be one big room.

We had to get a letter of permission from our house developer (new build estate), this cost £120. Company is dealing with building regs and certificates etc.

Just need to make a decision on flooring and colours for decorating, just can't seem to decide on either!!