Building Regulations for Garage Conversions

In the current housing market converting a garage is one of the best ways to add extra living space to your home and increase the value of your property too. In fact, garage conversions have become extremely popular as an alternative to moving home and ensure an extra part of your property is utilised that was before wasted.

These days the garage isn’t used for the purpose it was originally created. How many cars do you see parked on the drive or on the roadside, instead of locked away in the garage? More commonly, the garage is used as a place to store tools, old toys and pieces of furniture.
Garage conversion
So with the housing market struggling and the thousands of pounds in fees associated with the big move, why not consider staying put and converting your garage?

There are many rooms to convert the garage into and popularly you’ll see:

  • An extra or extended living room or dining room
  • An added bedroom or bathroom
  • A home office or gym
  • An extension to the kitchen/diner

One of the major benefits is that if you don’t alter the external look, you won’t need to worry about planning permission. This means that the only legalities you’ll need to address are Building Regulations. So how easy is this to navigate?

There are four main areas affected by Building Regulations:

  • In-fill garage door
  • Any walls below ground level
  • The ventilation
  • The flooring
  • In-fill garage door

When you choose to convert your garage, one of the aspects that will principally change is the removal of the old garage door. You’ll need to replace it with a solid wall it will require foundations for sound support. These features need to meet Building Regulations. A structural engineer or building control officer will be able to provide you with more advice on this alteration.

Walls below ground level

When it comes to a garage conversion you may need to improve the foundations of the walls to give extra support. The walls will also need to be frost and sulphate resistant to deal with natural elements and ensure of a long lasting effect.

Ventilation

Ventilation is needed through the home to meet health and safety regulations. How much ventilation you need will depend on what you want to use the room for. When you install a new wall it’s vital that you don’t inhibit ventilation. One of the best ways to improve airflow is with a purge in the window, acting as trickle ventilation.

If you want the garage conversion to become a kitchen or bathroom, you could install an extractor fan. This will help deal with condensation and odours too.

The flooring

The existing garage floor is probably strong enough for domestic uses. However, you’ll probably need to upgrade it to meet damp proofing and thermal insulation regulations. The level of the floor could even need raising to meet the rest of the property. One of the best ways to counter this problem is laying a timber floor on top of the existing concrete.

Why you should choose a reputable company

Garage conversion
So with a garage conversion, there are two options to consider; completing the work yourself or hiring a professional to take care of the job for you. If you ask a company to do the work for you, you’ll put the hassle of Building Regulations into their hands.

Of course, with DIY there’s always the chance of getting something wrong and you’d probably have to bring in experts for electrical wiring, construction and insulation. Get all of this with one go by comparing up to four free quotes from professionals near you.