cheapest way to build your own detached garage?

matt99b

Hi,

I'm not a home owner. I'm looking for the cheapest way to build my own detached garage. The purpose being to sound proof it for recording.

I'm not tied to any one area of the country, but my partner needs to work. So it would have to be somewhere near plenty of jobs.

I'm looking for advice on - how much should I budget for this, and how should I go about doing it?

Thanks

bubblesmoney

i remember there was an article over the last year i think about a movie room in a detached garage or shed etc for home theatre purposes. i think it was in 'what home cinema' or 'what hi fi' magagzines. a recording studio would probably require similar high end sound proofing and equipment. in that article costs were discussed briefly. see if that article helps on the costs issue.

lostinrates

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1552573&highlight=

I thought I remembered you, then found the link! Still looking? No luck in London yet?

Why not wait until your partner gets work and then soundproof somewhere where she finds work? Unless you buy how will you be able to build a garage/studio? Perhaps you could even find a suitable live work space once you've settled?

Pobby

A very cheap way of getting acoustic insulation is to use old egg boxes I am told. I would imagine that filling the cups where the eggs would have been with something absorbent to sound would also help. Maybe polystyrene.

seadee

This site suggest you would be looking at £8k

That is just for a garage, you will need to factor in the soundproofing (don't forget the roof, rain is helluva noisy) and your wiring and any internal walls to separate the studio from the control room.

matt99b

Pobby wrote: »

A very cheap way of getting acoustic insulation is to use old egg boxes I am told. I would imagine that filling the cups where the eggs would have been with something absorbent to sound would also help. Maybe polystyrene.

LOL... hi Pobby, it's a very sweet gesture but old egg boxes don't sound proof

But back on track, I don't think I need advice on how to sound-proof, my question was the cheapest way to build a detached garage/room from start to finnish including buying the land?

lostinrates

matt99b wrote: »

LOL... hi Pobby, it's a very sweet gesture but old egg boxes don't sound proof

But back on track, I don't think I need advice on how to sound-proof, my question was the cheapest way to build a detached garage/room from start to finnish including buying the land?

It depends on the area IMO. In some areas it may will be cheaper to buy and soundproof, when you factor in any delays in planning process.

matt99b

seadee wrote: »

This site suggest you would be looking at £8k

That is just for a garage, you will need to factor in the soundproofing (don't forget the roof, rain is helluva noisy) and your wiring and any internal walls to separate the studio from the control room.

Thanks seadee, £8k is do-able if it builds a damp-proof secure structure. Soundproofing would be on top. My main concerns are that if I buy land, I won't be able to get planning permission to build on it, or I will get permission to build a structure but then no permission to use it as a studio, or with the cost of turning an £8k garage into a damp-proof floor-raised livable space, and the cost associated with connecting the room to the country's electricity supply... financial/legal holes to watch out for like these. Insurance- will insurance companies insure for a single detached room structure with so much high expense eqipment in it. So many unknowns here. It seems there are too many pit-holes to guarantee avoiding for a novice, and what I don't want to find is that I've just completed building a perfect structure and there is a nasty little loop hole myself and my lawyer didn't think of and it ends up being illegal for me to work there, and I've just wasted my life savings.

matt99b

lostinrates wrote: »

It depends on the area IMO. In some areas it may will be cheaper to buy and soundproof, when you factor in any delays in planning process.

The planning process is another mystery to me. What I don't want to happen is to buy a plot of land, and then planning permission is refused. How can I avoid this? How do you get planning permission before you buy? How much does pp cost? Wht is the process? How long does it take? I realise it varies on county, and that just makes the whole thing more complex. Just so many unknowns here..

lostinrates

matt99b wrote: »

The planning process is another mystery to me. What I don't want to happen is to buy a plot of land, and then planning permission is refused. How can I avoid this? How do you get planning permission before you buy? How much does pp cost? Wht is the process? How long does it take? I realise it varies on county, and that just makes the whole thing more complex. Just so many unknowns here..

Exactly, depends entirely on area. e.g. we were looking at a property recently where to ASK A QUESTION, not to put in planning app, just to ask a very simple question, the local planning dept process involved us paying £400. For a question. Whereas where we live now the coucil are really helpful and provided me with a direct line phone number and invitation to ask anything I liked prior to making any application.

Right now, IMO, you have the cart before the horse. I understand how frustrating this will be for you, as you have had a long wait, with seemingly, no joy.

tomterm8

matt99b wrote: »

LOL... hi Pobby, it's a very sweet gesture but old egg boxes don't sound proof

But back on track, I don't think I need advice on how to sound-proof, my question was the cheapest way to build a detached garage/room from start to finnish including buying the land?

You can often get a free garage or workshop on freecycle or a cheap one on ebay if you are willing to pick it up and put it up yourself.

Buying the land, you look at auction houses, or go round the area you're interested in looking for parcels... the land could cost more than the garage. Also, planning permission can be a nightmare.

It is highly likely that it would be cheaper to buy a garage rather than build one...

matt99b wrote: »

The planning process is another mystery to me. What I don't want to happen is to buy a plot of land, and then planning permission is refused. How can I avoid this? How do you get planning permission before you buy? How much does pp cost? Wht is the process? How long does it take? I realise it varies on county, and that just makes the whole thing more complex. Just so many unknowns here..

You need to get the lawyer to write a clause in the contract, nulifying the purchase if planning permission is not granted.