converting garage

patmor

We are thinking of converting our single attached garage into a small extra bedroom plus shower room/toilet. There will be access from our hallway to this room. This would incrase our house to four bedrooms and two bathrooms. We have a drive which will hold two cars and there is scope to widen it. If we thought of selling in the future would the fact that we don't have a garage put buyers off?

star1_2

Not an easy one to answer ....

If someone wants a garage (for a car or storage) in preference to extra house space, it might disuade them slightly. Providing the asking price, reflects the money it would cost them to return it back to a garage.

Alternativly - if someone wants an extra room in the house (over storage or garage space), then it will be worth it to them.

Just - don't expect a "garage conversion" to reap the same asking price if it were to be a "propper" custom build for the bedroom (how ever well it's been done).

Not a specific answer I'm afraid .... in the end it will all depend on what a potential buyer wants .... if you need a local opinion, why not ask a local EA !

clutton_2

do make sure you get Building Regs approval and certification, or else you will have difficulty when you come to sell it.

mi-key

I would say its not going to add any value to the house, certainly not more than it costs you to have it done.

Also, assuming your house is on two storeys, you are adding an extra reception room, not making it a 4 bed house ( bit odd to advertise it as 4 beds 'but one of them is downstairs' ).

Other thing to consider is if your garage connects to your neighbours ( like on a link detatched ) - if they also converted their garage, your house has basically become a semi, rather than a link detatched, which will be worth less.

We have viewed two houses that had garage conversions to give an extra reception room - neither was priced at more than houses that hadnt had it done, and as I'd rather have a garage, we had to factor in the cost of converting it back when considering what the house was worth to us.

I would say, if you want to add value with extra bedrooms, get a loft conversion or proper two storey extension done. No buyers are going to be fooled by a garage conversion.

MissMotivation

mi-key wrote:

I would say its not going to add any value to the house, certainly not more than it costs you to have it done.

Also, assuming your house is on two storeys, you are adding an extra reception room, not making it a 4 bed house ( bit odd to advertise it as 4 beds 'but one of them is downstairs' ).

Other thing to consider is if your garage connects to your neighbours ( like on a link detatched ) - if they also converted their garage, your house has basically become a semi, rather than a link detatched, which will be worth less.

We have viewed two houses that had garage conversions to give an extra reception room - neither was priced at more than houses that hadnt had it done, and as I'd rather have a garage, we had to factor in the cost of converting it back when considering what the house was worth to us.

I would say, if you want to add value with extra bedrooms, get a loft conversion or proper two storey extension done. No buyers are going to be fooled by a garage conversion.

I'm sorry but this in incorrect, the property would only become classed as semi-detached if it was attached at ground and first storeys. If both houses converted the garages it would still just be a link-detached house.

clutton_2

mi-kay has a point, in so far as the houses will LOOK as if they are semis, and put off potential viewers - i have seen a couple of areas where this has happened, and one house was on the market for nearly 18 months with all the agents in town before he got it sold.

MissMotivation

I agree that houses with garage conversions are harder to sell than those without, however a semi-detached house is defined as a pair of houses joined at both ground and first floor level, link-detached are two detached properties joined by a garage or room at ground floor and not first floor level.

mi-key

Technically they may still be link detached, but you need to consider why buyers buy detached houses.

For me, the advantage of a detached house is not having to worry about noise from next doors TV, Stereo etc... ( having lived in semis with thin walls, and more and more people have big surround sound TV's now ) - a garage attached link is a reasonable compromise, as the only part of your house connected to next door is a room that isnt used for living in.

Once you end up with two garage conversions joined, the lower storey of the house is the same as a semi.

But my main point, is that a true 4 bed house, doesnt have 3 beds upstairs and one downstairs - adding an extra ( proper ) bedroom to a house should increase the value, adding an extra reception room to a house that already has two may be a nice feature, but I doubt many people would pay more for the house because of it.

Plus us men need garages to put all our tools, and to hide in and pretend we are doing something really important when we want to get away from the wife and kids

MissMotivation

mi-key wrote:

Technically they may still be link detached, but you need to consider why buyers buy detached houses.

For me, the advantage of a detached house is not having to worry about noise from next doors TV, Stereo etc... ( having lived in semis with thin walls, and more and more people have big surround sound TV's now ) - a garage attached link is a reasonable compromise, as the only part of your house connected to next door is a room that isnt used for living in.

Once you end up with two garage conversions joined, the lower storey of the house is the same as a semi.

But my main point, is that a true 4 bed house, doesnt have 3 beds upstairs and one downstairs - adding an extra ( proper ) bedroom to a house should increase the value, adding an extra reception room to a house that already has two may be a nice feature, but I doubt many people would pay more for the house because of it.

Plus us men need garages to put all our tools, and to hide in and pretend we are doing something really important when we want to get away from the wife and kids [B/]

Lol.......now we are getting the truth :rotfl:

ioscorpio

mi-key

patmor wanted impartial advice of the pros and cons of converting a garage, not a personal opinion from a man who does not want to spend time with his family.

UK007BullDog

I have a converted garage and it was the buying point for us.

The previous owners used it as a play room for their kids. We made it our "posh" dining room and my home office.

If my mom ever needs to come and live with us I would convert the dining room to a bedroom/day room for her so she does not need to climb stairs too often, as the kitchen is also downstairs.

Most people on my street are starting to convert their garages. We were one of the first and a number of people came to us to look and find out who did the conversion.

A lot of the new build town houses have a bedroom with en suite down stairs. One can see a number of those now starting to convert their garages to usable living space.

As far as I am concerned I can do without a garage as it is just wasted premium space as the car would fit in but no way to get out once parked. Some people use the garage to storage stuff they wont look at for years to come and just clutter it up. Nearly everyone here has a garden shed to store stuff in anyway.

Some have converted but from the inside by bricking up the door and then opening up the whole lower floor. So unless you were ever inside you would think its a garage. From the 40 or so houses in my street only 3 use their garages to actually park their cars. One has let out his to a plumber who stores his tools in there. The rest are either just storage places or converted. I would say about 15 are converted, 3 or 4 from the inside with the garage door still showing.

But in the end it is the person living in the house who needs to make up their minds if they need the extra space. If I had more than the usual 2 kids and needed another bedroom then I would convert the garage as it is the cheapest way to convert the space. As for the noise level, there is none, I cannot hear my neighbors any more in the garage than I would if I were upstairs. If I had the space to add a good sized 2 story extension, plus the money then I would do that as well. I would really like a conservatory but my hubby thinks that is a complete waste of money. But more and more people in the neighborhood seem to be doing just that.

Most of the terraced 3 story town houses in my street have been converted in some manner. My kitchen used to be on the first floor, now that room is a double bedroom and the kitchen is downstairs which used to be a bedroom or reception with the only access to the garden. Most people have taken the kitchen downstairs or converted the garage to make downstairs a huge living room, with double or triple doors into the garden.

With the right planning and with the help of a good architect one can make an originally 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, living room kitchen and garage into a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, kitchen/diner, living room, and large spare room house.

Because I am not too bothered about having a garage if two houses were presented to me identical but one with a conversion, I would choose the conversion.

So I guess it is in the eye of the beholder, plus the fact you get a lot of house/space without reaching the 3% stamp duty mark, at least not yet, maybe next year?

Would I convert just to sell? No I would not. Too much hassle. Here in my area it does add value as space is premium. The only way to find out is to ask the local EA's. A converted house adds about £8000 to £10000 more. Not a lot, so I would only do it because I personally want to have the space. I am not doing it because to up the price.

Having said that I am looking at houses which have a double garage to convert that into a granny exe once my mom comes to live with us. She might need a wheelchair in the future so I am planning a bit ahead. So for me personally a house with a good garage is worth the extra money.

But that is just me so others are free to disagree, especially hubbies who hide in their garages :rotfl: