How to……………Get a Garage Conversion
A garage conversion could be the easiest and cheapest way to add a new room to your house, and increase the value of your property. If you are considering getting work done, here are five tips you must consider before you begin:
1 – Explore the possibilities
Even if you hadn’t considered a garage conversion before, think to yourself “how much do I actually use my garage?” If you think you could live without it, then there’s a huge amount of potential space in your house that isn’t being maximised. If your garage has just become a storage space for old wine bottles and bags of cement or lawnmowers, you could be wasting a great opportunity to extend the living space of your property and significantly increase its value. When it comes to deciding what you want the new room to be, the possibilities are enormous: a kitchen, a dining room, a bedroom, a home office, a TV/home cinema room, a playroom, or even a new bathroom. And remember, you can convert single, double, tandem, or detached garages into new rooms for your property.
2 – Check for permission
Make sure you contact your local council to find out if you need any permissions before work begins. Generally speaking, planning permission will not be required for a garage conversion as long as no additional volume is being added to the property, but some local councils (mostly in London) have different interpretations of regulations so it’s definitely worth checking!
3 – House deeds
Another potential stumbling block might be the deeds of your house. It’s sometimes the case – particularly on new housing estates – that developers put clauses into the sale of your house that prevent you from altering its appearance. This is basically so that they can sell the rest of the houses in your estate, so normally these restrictions are lifted once the selling process on the estate is over.
4 – Don’t forget insulation
Remember that your garage didn’t have any insulation, so the walls, floor and ceiling of the new room will need to be upgraded thermally. The company you choose to do the work will be able to achieve this to the required standards, but may not have included it in their original quote, so make sure you ask them about it first! If you are planning to turn your garage into a bathroom or kitchen, don’t forget to factor in the water or gas points into your budget, and remember that there are regulations concerning the placement of these points as well.
5 – Blend the new room in for maximum return
To add the maximum value onto your property, potential buyers need to think that the new room was always there, and it doesn’t look like a garage conversion. There are several methods you can use to achieve this: firstly, make sure the entrance to the new room goes onto the hallway in the same way as the rest of the house. Secondly, try to ensure the floor and ceiling of the new room is at the same level as the rest of your house – this can be tricky as many garages are set a step below. Finally, the room needs to look good from the outside too, so ensure the brickwork and window(s) you choose are consistent with the rest of the house.
When looking for firms to carry out work for you, the universal rule for all home improvement companies applies: make sure that you employ a reputable firm with a proven track record! http://www.garageconversionquoter.co.uk can help you choose your supplier.
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