Garage conversions

[Vindec]

Know of people who lay the foundations for waste but then cover it up, leave it as is for a few years until they think planning won’t be interested, then put in the wc etc....adding a kitchen is simple enough....it’s a risk though, only takes one neighbour to report someone is living in it and it’s all over.

But what happens if the house is put up for sale and the first question the proposed buyer's solicitor will ask is where is the documentation for planning permission and building regs?

It's best to be truthful from the from the outset as decisions taken now could have future consequences.

[blue matt]

Know of people who lay the foundations for waste but then cover it up, leave it as is for a few years until they think planning won’t be interested, then put in the wc etc....adding a kitchen is simple enough....it’s a risk though, only takes one neighbour to report someone is living in it and it’s all over.

Ive known people do that, they know in 6 - 12 months time granny might be moving in, so just run the waste and fit a toilet if they do, even known someone fit a washing machine in the corner of the room, so the waste and pipes are run

talking of neighbours, i know of someone who was convinced his next door neighbour would grass him up, so as he was in the planning stage ( not planning permission ) he moaned to the guy about the cost of architects and the cost of planning and said he had just been charged this and that for the plans and to submit them, the power of persuasion

[dml1954]

You have been given some quite misleading advice here. Never take advice about needing planning or building regulation consent for a job from a builder. Nine times out of ten they will tell you not, to save time/money. In this case you will need to check if you have permitted development rights from the original planning or whether they have been removed. Almost certainly for a detached garage you will need planning consent for change of use anyway and also definitely building regulation consent for the actual work, which will involve at least partial rebuilding of the walls.

[dml1954]

Know of people who lay the foundations for waste but then cover it up, leave it as is for a few years until they think planning won’t be interested, then put in the wc etc....adding a kitchen is simple enough....it’s a risk though, only takes one neighbour to report someone is living in it and it’s all over.

Thats ok until you want to sell, even five or ten years down the line and then the first thing the buyers solicitors will do is a local authority search and the second thing is tell their clients not to buy it !

[blue matt]

Ignoring the obvious (and acknowledged) BC and PP issues here, I can't quite get my head around this. What are these 75x50 CLS "joists" bearing on? Surely they cannot be spanning anything so presumably these are actually resting on an existing slab? If so - I can see the logic of the DPM but why bother with the joists at all? Why not just float the P5 on the PIR? And to be honest at 50mm for floor insulation- why bother at all? The heat saving through the floor will be negligible, but surely most of the buildings you are doing this to are limited to 2.5m height and so even a 63mm loss of headroom is sub-optimal?

you are right they just sit on the slab, so no span / load bearing issues, 2 reasons for doing this

1. i have always done it like that, in the 90's people used to use polystyrene jablite batts

2., i run 32mm waste pipe from corner to corner under the floor ( i understand the required fall will not be achieved ), this is done for 2 reasons, if a client wants to put a washing machine in the corner, they can , if they want to run cables at a extra date, its easy to do, i just up turn the 32mm waste pipe and it lives behind the stud wall


Now the reason why i put insulation in, people like the idea of it, we are sold the more the better, a nice insulated floor ( despite the heat loss on the floor being very little )

Most garages are higher that 2.5M as they would either have been built with the house or needed PP to be built, i would guess that the height is most often than not 3M high inside

[blue matt]

Thats ok until you want to sell, even five or ten years down the line and then the first thing the buyers solicitors will do is a local authority search and the second thing is tell their clients not to buy it !

or its sold as a " posh garage " and you have to pay for a £150 Indemnity insurance to cover the building

[Tuerto]

You have been given some quite misleading advice here. Never take advice about needing planning or building regulation consent for a job from a builder. Nine times out of ten they will tell you not, to save time/money. In this case you will need to check if you have permitted development rights from the original planning or whether they have been removed. Almost certainly for a detached garage you will need planning consent for change of use anyway and also definitely building regulation consent for the actual work, which will involve at least partial rebuilding of the walls.

The advice you have given has been said several times in this thread. I agree though, Don't try and pull strokes. Do it right.

[Tuerto]

Thats ok until you want to sell, even five or ten years down the line and then the first thing the buyers solicitors will do is a local authority search and the second thing is tell their clients not to buy it !

They won't tell their clients not to buy it, they're solicitors, they haven't got a clue and they don't care. Things can be retrospectively inspected, put right, insurance policies taken out or the value slightly reduced. All a pain in the arse, but standard shit concerning house sales.

[goats]

Thats ok until you want to sell, even five or ten years down the line and then the first thing the buyers solicitors will do is a local authority search and the second thing is tell their clients not to buy it !

Exactly, if you are going to do it....don’t ever plan to move.

[xsnaggle]

from all this Mike, it sounds to me as if you might be better off demolishing the thing and building an extension to the house.
It may end up bigger better and easier lol

[blue matt]

You have been given some quite misleading advice here. Never take advice about needing planning or building regulation consent for a job from a builder. Nine times out of ten they will tell you not, to save time/money.

To be fair, Some builders will point out the risks aswell as the gains

In reality, you are taking a Brick / Block cube with no insulation ( often it will have power ) and adding insulation and Plasterboard, as long as its done in a safe way, it doesnt need to be over complicated

When i was looking to move 2 years ago, the amount of " buildings and conversions " that were listed on the details, a " roof room for storage " ( it was a 5th bedroom , but not signed off ) , " garden rooms / posh sheds / man caves / home bars " ( all that were unoffical buildings without BC ) converting buildings without the " red tape " is not a new thing ( i was doing it in the early 90's and people i worked with since the 80's )

Yes of course PP and BC is great, but at times it makes the project a no-go due to the extra expense, and sometimes the risk isnt worth the money , for example I once did a double garage conversion for someone who was planning for the mother to move into it, it had a wetroom ( with toilet ) and " kitchen pod ", all finished to a high spec, they went all out, The mother was living in it for 3 weeks then passed away the guy then turned it into a Games room and it was hardly used

[Tuerto]

To be fair, Some builders will point out the risks aswell as the gains

In reality, you are taking a Brick / Block cube with no insulation ( often it will have power ) and adding insulation and Plasterboard, as long as its done in a safe way, it doesnt need to be over complicated

When i was looking to move 2 years ago, the amount of " buildings and conversions " that were listed on the details, a " roof room for storage " ( it was a 5th bedroom , but not signed off ) , " garden rooms / posh sheds / man caves / home bars " ( all that were unoffical buildings without BC ) converting buildings without the " red tape " is not a new thing ( i was doing it in the early 90's and people i worked with since the 80's )

Yes of course PP and BC is great, but at times it makes the project a no-go due to the extra expense, and sometimes the risk isnt worth the money , for example I once did a double garage conversion for someone who was planning for the mother to move into it, it had a wetroom ( with toilet ) and " kitchen pod ", all finished to a high spec, they went all out, The mother was living in it for 3 weeks then passed away the guy then turned it into a Games room and it was hardly used

He should've turned it into a shrine to his mum. Selfish bastard.

[blue matt]

He should've turned it into a shrine to his mum. Selfish bastard.

Pool table and the full outrun cabinet

with a bar in the corner ( made from Scaffold planks for the bartop and crinkle tin roof sheet for the front i know as i built it for him )

[Michael Morris]

from all this Mike, it sounds to me as if you might be better off demolishing the thing and building an extension to the house.
It may end up bigger better and easier lol

Yeah it would. If I was younger and richer then that would be the best option. At this stage of my life I’m looking to wind down to the end of my mortgage not adding to it. Other houses around us have all had extensions or conversions. If we extended the garage backwards it would match up an extension on next doors.

Knocking it down and building a new stand alone building could be an option. I think I need a local builder to give me an idea. Lots of houses in the area have been improved.

An interesting set of responses. Thanks.

[blue matt]

Yeah it would. If I was younger and richer then that would be the best option. At this stage of my life I’m looking to wind down to the end of my mortgage not adding to it. Other houses around us have all had extensions or conversions. If we extended the garage backwards it would match up an extension on next doors.

Knocking it down and building a new stand alone building could be an option. I think I need a local builder to give me an idea. Lots of houses in the area have been improved.

An interesting set of responses. Thanks.

is it for a purpose though Mike ? ? ? like a granny flat etc etc

or for family to visit and stay ? ? ?

[Tuerto]

is it for a purpose though Mike ? ? ? like a granny flat etc etc

or for family to visit and stay ? ? ?

It's a love dungeon.

[Michael Morris]

is it for a purpose though Mike ? ? ? like a granny flat etc etc

or for family to visit and stay ? ? ?

Well our initial thoughts was to make an independent living space for our sons to use as a stepping stone. It could also be a guest area for when visitors come, If it was not being used by the boys at that time.

[Peajay]

Well our initial thoughts was to make an independent living space for our sons to use as a stepping stone. It could also be a guest area for when visitors come, If it was not being used by the boys at that time.

Just sent you PM........I think??

[xsnaggle]

Yeah it would. If I was younger and richer then that would be the best option. At this stage of my life I’m looking to wind down to the end of my mortgage not adding to it. Other houses around us have all had extensions or conversions. If we extended the garage backwards it would match up an extension on next doors.

Knocking it down and building a new stand alone building could be an option. I think I need a local builder to give me an idea. Lots of houses in the area have been improved.

An interesting set of responses. Thanks.

You could salvage the bricks from the existing, (if it is brick) and use them on the extension lol. I know a good honest bricklayer.