garage that can't be used to store a car

Made_Without

Welsh_Totster wrote: »

Out of the 45 houses we viewed this year when buying at least half had garages and out of those 20 odd garages we saw 1 that was actually used as a garage, every other one was either too small (built in the 30s) or full of shelving and junk. More often than not people dont use garages as garages! However if the house youre interested in is being sold as having a garage which might push the price up and its not usable, Id be looking at knocking some cash off the price.

I am most likely to use the garage for storage. There is a drive-way which I would most likely use to park the car - not the garage - however, you've hit the nail on the head - until today, I had believed this was my choice and that if I had wanted to I could use it for my car.

FATBALLZ wrote: »

I live on a new build estate. All the houses have garages, but they're all too small to fit a car in. Well except an Ariel Atom perhaps. It doesn't seem to be the fashionable thing anymore.

Yeah, I need the garage just to hide the three huge wheelie-bins we have in the area!

G_M wrote: »

I don't understand.
"The council did come to inspect that it was all ok - and it was." Presumably this was Building Regs?
"the issue preventing it to be fit for storing a car is the side house wall. It has windows and apparently these would need to be blocked up."
How come the council did not mention this or decline BRs?

The current owner doesn't own a car. The council came around and said it needed some felt roofing and she had it done. I'm guessing that as there was never an intent to store a car there, they didn't have any concerns. The vendor has diligently passed on the info to the estate agent - the EA is the one who failed to tell me.
Also, should the surveyor have commented on this - or would this fall out of scope?

Made_Without

phil_b wrote: »

What would actually stop you putting your car in it? Would someone from the authorities come round every night to make sure? Unlikely.

Besides, blocking up the interal windows would be a simple job.

No one I guess would stop me... (unless there are nosey curtain twitching neighbours) I'm guessing there is a health and safety reason for not doing so.

How would I block the window? Any idea of cost?

tomitma wrote: »

I have a garage at the bottom of my drive, but I never put the car in there, these days cas dont rust as much as they used too, so the garage is better being used as a storage room or a secure shed.

Agree - just not sure a future purchaser will agree too

PasturesNew wrote: »

It's probably a fire risk thing, that a car enclosed could be on fire for longer before anybody spotted it - and that window would be more likely to be burst by the fire, thus having it spread to the house more easily.

As has been said, it's not actually a garage, but if you stick your car in it then nobody's going to comment. However, if the house was sold "with garage", then that would have pushed the price up by some £££s, so you need to be looking at a reduction really. And the EA might have broken the rules about misrepresentation.

Any idea by how much a garage would increase / decrease value?

Made_Without

puddy wrote: »

i dont understand why you cant store the car, are you saying you are not allowed, or are you saying its too small to put the car in?

Not legally allowed. I drive a small car so it would fit.

pinkteapot wrote: »

If there is a door from the house directly into the garage, it will have to be fire-proof.

I don't know what the other requirements are; perhaps your council planning people would or could point you in the direction of someone who does? Or if you know a builder they may be able to advise?

Good idea ! Thanks - will try giving them a call on Monday.
Any builders on the forum who can advise?

olly300 wrote: »

The OP is complaining about mis-leading advertising by the EA, which is pretty common.

The "garage" isn't a legal garage so even if it was big enough for the car can be stored there it shouldn't be sold as a garage.

Having had 3 purchases fall through, the last thing I want to do is rock the boat. I just wish the EA had told me earlier. If it's something easily and cheaply rectifiable; I'm happy to deal with it - but if not, then yes, I would like to renegotiate on price.

C*F

tyllwyd

Not sure about the drain in the garage, but I don't see why a side window should be a huge deal. It shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred pounds at the very most to get a builder to brick it up (and I guess replastered & decorated on the inside?) If the door & window open onto the garden behind, I don't see why they need to be anything special. I don't suppose you want windows opening into a dark musty garage anyway.

In the past we had a garage between our house and next door. Although the garage had its own wall, it had a window facing onto the neigbour's window (so as not to block her light so much) separated by less than a metre. When we rebuilt the garage, the building regs man wouldn't allow the garage window because of the fire risk.

We rebuilt the entire garage for about £5K about 10 years ago, so that is probably the maximum if you did pull it down and build it again. It doesn't sound as if that is necessary though.


Do check out about the drain though - some people on the forum have had trouble because they didn't have build over permission for a drain.

Made_Without

tyllwyd wrote: »

Not sure about the drain in the garage, but I don't see why a side window should be a huge deal. It shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred pounds at the very most to get a builder to brick it up (and I guess replastered & decorated on the inside?) If the door & window open onto the garden behind, I don't see why they need to be anything special. I don't suppose you want windows opening into a dark musty garage anyway.

In the past we had a garage between our house and next door. Although the garage had its own wall, it had a window facing onto the neigbour's window (so as not to block her light so much) separated by less than a metre. When we rebuilt the garage, the building regs man wouldn't allow the garage window because of the fire risk.

We rebuilt the entire garage for about £5K about 10 years ago, so that is probably the maximum if you did pull it down and build it again. It doesn't sound as if that is necessary though.


Do check out about the drain though - some people on the forum have had trouble because they didn't have build over permission for a drain.

That's quite reassuring - thanks.
Now to work out whether the drain is a problem ... ooph it's never simple this house buying lark is it!

olly300

Chocolate*fish wrote: »

Any idea by how much a garage would increase / decrease value?

Depends where you live.

In London a garage would add a lot due to the difficulties in parking and residents parking zones. In other parts of the SE outside the M25 away from city centres, as long as you can park on your property they are not a big deal unless of course you have a motorbike or classic car.

BTW if you do get a garage build I wouldn't advise you to say you parked your car in it for insurance purposes. Otherwise the night you park on your drive and the car goes missing, then the insurance won't pay out.

mostlycheerful

Yes, as other people are suggesting, would anyone notice or care what you did with your garage and what was in it? If there was an issue about it would you perhaps be able to deflect any jobsworths wasting their time on the subject? Or just move the car out for a while? If you take the building then once you’re in there it might take years before anyone would ever question what you were doing in your building and maybe it wouldn’t even happen at all.

timmyt

Chocolate*fish wrote: »

Went round to see the place I'm hoping to buy today (yay) with the fixtures and fittings list and met the vendor who couldn't have been more helpful.

Everything seems fine and in order but.. the garage

So it turns out the garage cannot be used to keep the car in.
The vendor was surprised I hadn't been told this as she had asked the estate agent on more than one occasion to do so.

It was created about 10 years ago - but did not require planning permission. The council did come to inspect that it was all ok - and it was.

It used to be a car-port but the owner wanted to block up the space for security reasons (doesn't own a car so had no need to have it suitable for that purpose).
The garage doesn't have 4 walls - the front has a up-and-over garage door, there is a side garage wall built, the other side wall is the house wall and then at the back is a normal door and a window.

Apparently, the issue preventing it to be fit for storing a car is the side house wall. It has windows and apparently these would need to be blocked up. I also noticed the drain opening within the garage - would this be an issue too?

I am obviously a bit miffed now that I have a garage that I cannot actually store a car in. Any idea on what I would need to do to remedy this and the costs that I would need to incur?

Even if I live with it, I am worried that in the future this will be an issue for resale. People would expect the garage to be fit for storing a car.

C*F

it goes to valuation only, so get a price reduction, but know the eventual buyer from you will expect it to be sold without an ability to park a car

Made_Without

timmyt wrote: »

it goes to valuation only, so get a price reduction, but know the eventual buyer from you will expect it to be sold without an ability to park a car

Can anyone advise on what type of price reduction I should try to negotiate?

C*F

poppysarah

Fire spreading from a car to the house would be the main reason for not wanting to park in it.

Get a builder to quote for making it meet the regs.