Convert garage or not?

ET1976

If I were you I would only do the section-ing off of a small part as a utility room, if anything. I say that because you say you could move in 4 years. That's not very long, especially when you consider how long it would actually be before you had your conversion finished and usable.

If you were planning to stay in your house long term, I would say do whatever conversion makes the best use of space for you. But as you aren't, I would keep the flexibility of the garage as I think that would be more appealing to buyers than a 'bespoke' use of the space.

lincroft1710

Don't change anything if current layout is workable for your lifestyle. Let future buyer make their own decision about the space.

mathsmaster

Just for the counter-argument, not having a garage would be a deal breaker for me. I have never, ever left my car outside, despite the fact that there is only 2 inches clearance either side of the wing mirrors, but I concede it's one of those things that you are either a garage person or you're not. I also think the front of the house looks very strange when you start changing the garage door.

PasturesNew

For me, I'd want a proper garage.

To really find out the answer, you should speak to local estate agents to find out what buyers in your area are looking for and what difference in value they'd put on it. What buyers want changes from house-type to house-type and area to area.

Estate agents are ultimately the ones who know who the buyers would most likely be and what they'd want - and how differently they'd value the two options.

Then make your decision based on their feedback (ask several of them) and what you want/need as a family.

sunshinetours

ET1976 wrote: »

If I were you I would only do the section-ing off of a small part as a utility room, if anything. I say that because you say you could move in 4 years. That's not very long, especially when you consider how long it would actually be before you had your conversion finished and usable.

If you were planning to stay in your house long term, I would say do whatever conversion makes the best use of space for you. But as you aren't, I would keep the flexibility of the garage as I think that would be more appealing to buyers than a 'bespoke' use of the space.

I agree with this It won't add value by doing a full conversion so if you are only staying 4/5 years then create a "proper" utility area and keep teh frontage the same and you ahve a useful storage area for tools, bikes etc

We did a full conversion but we plan on staying for the forseeable so the space is used for our best purposes. We also now have a large cabin in the garden as well as a shed so outside storage is covered. I think if you have a good sized garden then garage conversions make more sense

Bellalolo

Thanks everyone for your opinions, we do have ample sized garden with large shed and room for another if required so storage for bikes etc not a problem.I am starting to swing to the option of sectioning of a proper utility area and leaving the rest.It's a shame we are not planning on staying longer than 4-5 years otherwise would have converted.As a note we viewed many house before buying all quite similar and never came across a garage that was actually used to park a car. They generally seemed to be for storage and utilities. These were the newer 12years old max house that as said in a previous post only leave a few inches to actually get out once in.As for approaching estate agents, I found it hard enough to get info/replies when actively looking to buy let alone just looking for advise.

gjchester

I'd just echo some prior comments, we specifically wanted a garage for the car when we moved. There were other houses on the road we now live with conversions and we just excluded them. They were a little more but the conversion only added £10 K at most to the asking price which probably would have been less if we negotated.

I too have about 2 inches clearance on the mirrors through the door, (gets a bit wider inside) but it's worth it to not have to de-ice the car in the mornings, plus it's out of sight to anyone who wants to walk by scratching doors or bending aeriels.

It really is horses for courses, if you convert it you may lose some buyers, if you leave it you may lose some buyers, but they can always convert it later. Personally if I saw a half done job (be it botched up or just half hearted) I'd be concerned about the state of any other DIY done in the place and that would make me think twice.

Jue_xx

I personally wouldn't even view a house if it didn't have a garage, even though we've never kept a car in one! We use the car to store motorbike, bikes, camping gear, windsurfing gear, lawnmower, tins of paint, tools, fishing gear, demo equipment for work (I'm a rep), garden tools, plant pots, kids' scooters, garden furniture....

We just wouldn't be able to find a big enough shed to store it all in!

Can you convert it in a way that's easy to change back to a garage if necessary?

planning_officer

Place_of_Design wrote: »

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

Just to correct this info - there's no change of use involved (it's a residential use, both before and after a garage conversion) - you will only need planning permission for a garage conversion if there is a restrictive condition on a previous planning permission at the site, restricting the use of the garage for parking cars only. Otherwise, converting a garage and replacing the door with windows is not generally held to be development and does not require planning permission.

Mum_of_3_3

How much room do you have to the side of your property?

Friends of mine have converted their integral garage & then built a detatched garage, so they have the best of both worlds.

Although if you are only staying 5 years max it may not be financially viable.

M_o_3