When undertaken with caution, a well-thought-out garage conversion may increase the value of your house by as much as 10% in the Glasgow area. Garage conversions are one of the most cost-effective methods to increase the market value of your property while also adding living space.
In this blog, we’ll talk about the different technical and design concerns you’ll need to be aware of before taking on the task.
Considerations for Planning and Space
The average internal area of most single garages is likely to be longer and thinner than most rooms within the home, measuring 3 metres wide by 6 metres deep.
Consider putting up a stud wall or partition to divide the area into two rooms rather than one – for example, a bedroom and an ensuite – to give it a more natural form.
Before you start hiring builders or erecting barriers, think about how you want to use the area.
Do I Need Permission from the Planning Commission? a hand stamping a ‘approved’ stamp on a plan
If you aren’t changing the property’s architecture, you won’t need planning clearance.
If you don’t meet the following criteria, you won’t require planning clearance.
If you reside in a listed building or a conservation area, you’ll almost certainly need to apply for planning approval for even the smallest changes.
You dwell in a brand-new structure. Some contemporary constructions were created with the understanding that if a garage is used as a parking area, an application must be submitted to remove it.
If you have a solitary garage, you may need to apply for ‘change of use’ planning approval in order to convert it to a residential space or a commercial space, such as an office.
Should I Think About Purchasing Insurance?
If you’re doing a garage conversion yourself, it’s a good idea to get conversion insurance to cover both the restoration and the existing structure.
If you try to file a claim for loss or damage during renovations on your current house insurance policy, most insurers will deny your claim.
The present building as well as any future additions will be covered by site insurance. You may rest easy knowing that any harm that occurs during the work is covered.
In addition, the policy will cover materials, tools, and equipment, as well as public and employer responsibility.
Building Regulations: A Comprehensive Guide
All UK construction requirements must be followed when converting your garage into a living room. This entails submitting a “building notice” to your local government.
Complete adherence to the following regulations is required:
Moisture proofing and damp proofing
Ventilation is important.
Fire Retardant
Routes of Exit
Insulation is a term used to describe the process
Integrity of the structure
Taking this into mind necessitates that all design considerations include the following:
You’re essentially building a new room if you opt to partition the garage into two portions. Escape routes and ventilation standards must be followed in each new room.
To pass structural and foundation norms, changes such as the necessary infill wall replacement will be required.
A lady installing damp-proofing and insulation in a garage.
Insulation is important.
Use two layers of 150mm fibreglass patchwork for a pitched roof. One runs between the joists, while the other runs over the top.
For a flat roof, another layer of rigid insulation board will likely be required in between and another below. This area can’t be completely filled; there needs to be a 50mm air gap for ventilation.
Damp-Resistant:
It’s likely that the concrete in your garage was poured over a damp-proof membrane if it was erected in the previous several decades. Damp won’t be an issue if you finish your concrete floor with polythene or paint-on DPM.
Floor coverings
In most garages, floor insulation is not available. However, having some is essential, especially if the area is being converted into a living area. Of course, breaking up the concrete to simply recast is neither practicable nor logical for the financial account.
Because garage floors are often lower than interior floors, adding a layer of insulation underneath a chipboard deck, for example, can help bring the two levels closer together.
During renovations, a photo of a garage converted to living space was hung on the wall.
External walls are extensively addressed by building codes and are a critical component in achieving moisture and insulation requirements.
If the walls are an extension of the home, they should be easy to comply with rules. Otherwise, you may need to build a stud wall within the existing outside wall to run electricity and water lines, as well as instal insulation.
If you’ve divided the area into different rooms, you’ll need to make sure they’re all fireproofed. For stud walls, this means a few layers of fireproof plasterboard, but blocks walls aren’t frequently an option.
Any door connecting rooms must be FD30 certified, and rules may demand a step in the floor to prevent flames from travelling along the flooring.
Wiring & Plumbing
It’s critical that you or a skilled expert draw out a complete design of the house and garage plumbing and wiring systems. If you’re installing an ensuite, look for water outflows as well as soil outflows.
House with two single garage doors insulated garage doors
Another option you might want to explore is insulated garage doors, which are a speciality of ours at Eastern Garage Doors. Replacing present doors rather than converting the wall completely means you won’t have to change the façade of the garage, lowering any external wall building restrictions and providing another layer of insulation.
It also means that if your circumstances change and you need to convert the space back to a garage, you have the choice to do so.
If you’d like to learn more about this, our surveyors would be delighted to help.
What Are the Benefits of Converting My Garage?
a view of a garage conversion from the outside
Renovating a garage is unlike converting any other room in the house in terms of freedom. You’ve got a virtual blank canvas on your hands (subject to legal and technical restrictions).
Other portions of the house are frequently constrained in terms of size and structural considerations.
Converting a garage into a livable space is a more cost-effective means of increasing the value of your property than, say, converting a loft or constructing an extension.
There’s No Need to Move: Adding room to your house generally necessitates a relocation. Moving your family, on the other hand, is costly to your money account as well as your mental and physical well-being.
Converting your garage to a living area allows you to expand your living area without having to relocate.
Council Tax: Upgrading from a three to a four-bedroom home might place you in a higher council tax band, which means you’ll pay more in taxes. Garage conversions have no impact on tax brackets.
Of course, any big home remodelling will take both time and money. However, it’s vital to remember that, despite the inconveniences, the end product is well worth the effort.
We’ve been in business for a long time at Eastern Garage Doors, and we know that converting a garage into a living area is a terrific way to add room without the trouble of a home extension or even moving into a new property.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your garage needs, please contact us and one of our knowledgeable customer service representatives would be pleased to assist you.
Click here If your looking for more information on a Garage Conversion in Glasgow
