Has anybody converted an integral single garage into a bedroom?

[BigonaBianchi]

Its just an idea right now but I have an integral single garage which I think would make a nice bedroom.
I've done a fair bit of googling on the subject, but would be interested to hear about peoples experiences etc.

 

[DCLane]

Yes - we did ours when we moved into the current house. Planning permission wasn't an issue and we made a new door from the hallway, blocking up the one to the back passage.

It's used as a study rather than a bedroom, but could have multiple uses.

 

[Arch]

No.

 

[ColinJ]

My sister had one put in. She had the garage door replaced by a brick wall and a double-glazed window. The room needed a lot of insulation put on the outside wall to make it warm enough. She had a doorway knocked though into her kitchen and used a sliding door to minimise the space it took up.

She had a tiny ensuite put in (just a toilet and wash basin) which comes in handy when one of her kids is monopolising the upstairs bathroom.

It is handy for overnight guests. I used to have to sleep on her living room sofa and got pestered by her cats all night long!

She has a driveway big enough for 2 cars so she never needed to use the garage.

She had the gas and electricity meters moved to the outside of the wall to make more room inside but she wanted to keep her central heating boiler and washing machine at the end of the room because she had nowhere else to put them. I occasionally get woken up by the sound of the boiler if the heating comes on early in the morning, or somebody runs some hot water.

I think it was a useful addition to the house - the garage never really made much sense.

 

[sheddy]

I know its not an issue for you, but some Councils might take a dim view if a car parking space is being removed.
Best to ask around locally to see what their policy is ?

 

[slowmotion]

That's a good point that Colin made about insulation. I don't think that the building regs require builders to insulate integral garages when they build them. I could be wrong.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I have a large drive, so plenty of off road parking. Clearly by doing this I'd lose my.garage for car use.
I doubt the council would object, but I'm wondering if losing a garage would reduce my properties attractiveness for sale at some point...I guess it's horses for courses as it would have an extra room...


...rather than add a new front wall and window I was thinking of getting some really good double glazed garage style glazed doors (not up and over but open like.normal doors) so if ever it needs to go back to a garage it's easy.

Call them French doors if you like.

Would need an.internal door adding onto lounge, but there was a door there before so it just needs opening up again.

Already got electric, would need to run.a radiator from lounge into new room.

Plaster, cove, laminate floor job done. I read I don't.need planning permission but need building reg inspection.

It's an integral garage so should have damp proof already on three walls.

Prob need floor damp membrane on top of concrete floor.

It's a standard sized 1970s single garage ...

Reckon I could get this done for iro 3k ?

I think.main costs would be the big door, internal door, plastering, radiator.
I.can fit the flooring coving, skirting, etc.

 

[Archie_tect]

You need planning and Building regulation approval. Ring your local Council or go on their website to download the forms and a guide to what information they [and you] need to do the work properly.
Depending on whether the external walls to the existing garage are either cavity or single brick will determine what insulation you need ... if it's single brick with brick piers inside you'll need a separate [usually timber frame] inner leaf to stop driving rain and damp penetrating the brick.
Garage concrete slabs usually slope down to the garage doors and are usually 100mm lower than the house floor so you can level the floor through on a new damp proof membrane [turned up the the walls which will be covered by the plasterboard wall linings] with insulation between timber joists overlaid with moisture resistant chipboard. Best put radiator on the 'inner wall to the house to save taking pipes under new floor.

Speak to people who've had similar work done on your street who can recommend who did good work and get quotes from the people they rcommend, unless you are doing the work yourself in which case you just need help with the drawings to plan it properly.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

We did it at our old house. Done on a Building Notice, planning wasn't required. We insulated the wall and put a timber stud inner skin on. Built up the garage door in matching brick, we had to narrow the opening it a bit to ensure we had enough brick work from the corner to comply with regulations and put a large window in. Can't remember exactly what we did to the floor. We knocked through into the hallway and put in fully glazed double doors so there was lots of light going both ways. We used the room as an office/study and occasional bedroom for guests. Worked really well I thought, think it cost us about five grand all in IIRC.

Big tip - we sealed up the the hallway with plastic sheeting taped all around when we knocked through to contain the dust away from the house, we had to use a side door rather than the front for a short while. The amount of dust you generate is amazing so best to keep it out of the rest of the house if you can!

 

[Venod]

I made an extra room into a garage ! our house was the ex show house the garage was the sales office, we are the second owners & I figured a garage would be of more use than a room, the wife wasn't so sure but I convinced her, we took of the patio doors to the front & put in a new garage door, I took the floor up & boarded out the loft with it, I now have a heated workshop/garage/gym

 

[Night Train]

But where are you going to put all the bikes?

 

[BigonaBianchi]

But where are you going to put all the bikes?

They already live in the kitchen...hallway and on occasion the bedroom

 

[Archie_tect]

....then nobody knows you've done anything at all...

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Yep thought about that, only then the room could have no window.