Convert garage or not?

Bellalolo

Hi just looking for opinions as OH and I are in disagreement (whats new!).Have an attached garage that we will never use for car and driveway is big enough for two cars, the internal door leads to our kitchen which is small. Currently in the garage we have the boiler, fridge freezer, washing machine and tumble drier would not have room for these in kitchen. It works for us and happy with set up.Questions are,Do we leave garage as is, so when we sell we sell with a usable garage?(Wife's option)Section off garage to make a defined utility with insulation etc, leaving garage door in place and area for storage? So could easily be converted back.Remove garage door and fit PVC doors (standard not garage) and insulate whole garage making a utility and office/spare room? (My option).Knock through kitchen making it larger and having a kitchen diner?We expect to be in this house for 4 to 5 years so not so much as looking to add money but not to put future potential buyers off but also have the house work for us in them years.Opinions thoughts please.Thanks

Place_of_Design

what may help you decide is if you need building regulations. We are about to move, and are convering a garage and carport into a double room (photography studio) The building regs, change of use application and planning permision fees are in the £800 mark, and thats before we get a brick laid

not_loaded

How many bedrooms has the house got?

Do you already have a study/office or dining room or reception rooms?

Do you plan to stay and get the benefits of the new room, or are you going to be selling soon?

Bellalolo

Thanks for that info, knew I would have to look into BR but did'nt know the costs. Will check that out.

Bellalolo

It is 3 bedroom detached. We currently use all bedrooms though future buyers may not have two kids.Lounge and seperate dining room.Lounge leads through into dining room and door off dining room leads to kitchen so cannot be used as an office as cannot be closed off. We don't specifally need an office could be used for other purpose gym, playroom etc just wanted to note that space for designated utility plus additional room if required.We plan to stay minimum 4 years and benefit of the room would be for us but not wanting to put future buyers off. Currently garage is cold (but dry) and so apart from utilities in there will just be for storage if not utilised.

nollag2006

Could you build up above the garage? If you are going to the cost and disruption of converting, it could be worth your while to add an extra bedroom (and en-suite?) to your home

Bellalolo

Option to go up is there and would have been something we would look to have done if staying longer but do not know if we would get cost back, 4 bed next door bought only £20k more two months prior.General thought on garage is to change door to standard double door pvc and batten and insulate, stud wall in middle and plaster board out no real bricks and mortar. Would not be to disrutive I would hope as seperate to main living space.But would lack of garage be limiting future buyers?

pie81

A larger kitchen is always a plus point IMO. However from your description it sounds like an easier/cheaper way of getting a bigger kitchen would be to knock through into the dining room to create kitchen/diner, rather than knocking through into the garage (which would mess with the external house wall and so be expensive). Yes you would lose separate dining room but not sure how fussed most people are about this these days.

If you can get a bigger kitchen that way then I would go for your second option for the garage, i.e. section off garage to make a defined utility with insulation etc, leaving garage door in place and area for storage so could easily be converted back.

RobertoMoir

pie81 wrote: »

A larger kitchen is always a plus point IMO. However from your description it sounds like an easier/cheaper way of getting a bigger kitchen would be to knock through into the dining room to create kitchen/diner, rather than knocking through into the garage (which would mess with the external house wall and so be expensive). Yes you would lose separate dining room but not sure how fussed most people are about this these days. .

And if they were fussed about a dining room (I know I want one!) they could follow the first part of your plan to enlarge the kitchen then convert kitchen to a dining room? That's an interesting possibility. Depending on size of dining room might even be possible to section part of that as a utility area (even if not an outright seperate room) with ventilation, etc.

not_loaded

Bellalolo wrote: »

It is 3 bedroom detached. We currently use all bedrooms though future buyers may not have two kids.Lounge and seperate dining room.Lounge leads through into dining room and door off dining room leads to kitchen so cannot be used as an office as cannot be closed off. We don't specifally need an office could be used for other purpose gym, playroom etc just wanted to note that space for designated utility plus additional room if required.We plan to stay minimum 4 years and benefit of the room would be for us but not wanting to put future buyers off. Currently garage is cold (but dry) and so apart from utilities in there will just be for storage if not utilised.

With that amount of space I wouldn’t convert it, but carry on using it as required. Any new owner would then also have that choice. I’ve heard it said by agents round here that a garage adds £15,000 to a property. Not that anybody seems to put their car in it.

SailorSam

As not-loaded says most people don't use the garage to keep the car in, probably because a lot of attached garages are not big enough to fit a car in, but people do want somewhere to store the lawnmower etc. As long as long as you have a decent shed, i think from your own use and any future sale the best option would be a well converted garage, depending upon the cost of doing it.