Unconvert Garage Conversion that didnt have building regs

neas

i think the concern comes from it not being done correctly... hence curious if i had to make back to garage how much it woud cost.

no indication if they insulated external walls or garage loft cavity. if i could get away with it as it is with an indemnity and it didnt

a - invalidate insurance i.e no building regs?
b - didnt cause too much issue when selling.

i think primary thing is. is it safe?

thanks for all input guys. (electirc fire was freedstanding btw its alreadt been rrmoved just sockets, 1 radiator, carpet and light fittings left.

keystone

I'm inclined to think that it was done without Building Regs. Otherwsie whilst try and pretanet theres still a useable garage behind the door. Most sensible people would remove the door, brick it up and put a widow in but then that advertises what they've done. I would have thought you could reinstate it for a few hundreds of pounds (£500?) if you were so inclined If you did there is no reason to involve LABC if they weren't involved in the first place. How are they to know?

Cheers

neas

I didn't want to get caught out 'converting' it back to a garage and fall foul of updated B/C like for example the floor technically needs to be lower to stop fuel flowing into house.... i wouldnt keep a car or fuel there anyways.

Or the door leading into garage would have to be a fire door. These sort of issues :P. Dont want to subsitute one problem for another if you see what i mean.

cyclonebri1

It's obviously not a pukka job, no way would the existing up and over door be allowed to stay.
My guess that that was just a way of disguising what had happened within.


Moving on, most people would have the opposite view, given the option of the garage or the extra living space, they would prefer the living space.

I think the key is when was it done? I'm sure there is some "statute of limitation" covering the councils involvement here.

To be honest a decent window frame, some additional brickwork and studwork and the job would probably be fine.

1 clue, check the floor, is it suspended or solid?
If it's flush with the rest of the house it's 99% likely to have been raised and sat on dpc pads, (garages are drive in, living rooms above water level so to speak).

If you don't want a house without a garage,, then please ignore my ramblings.:rotfl:

macman

It's possible that there is (or was-how old is the conversion?) a restriction on doing such conversions in the form of a restrictive covenant on the house or the whole estate. Ask your solicitor to check this point.
So that may be the reason they've left the garage door in place to disguise the conversion.
If the EA is playing hard to get, then ask the owners directly, or tell the EA you are not interested in making an offer unless they provide the info. It'll come up on the search anyway.
Looks like a horrible bodge-up to me, so I'd be wary of any other work they've done.

aylesby

Neighbours did theirs and it did not need planning but there were building regs to comply with. Bricked up the front and installed windows.
Theirs has considerable condensation and as it does not get used as much in winter I suspect it is cold.

neas

macman wrote: »

It's possible that there is (or was-how old is the conversion?) a restriction on doing such conversions in the form of a restrictive covenant on the house or the whole estate. Ask your solicitor to check this point.
So that may be the reason they've left the garage door in place to disguise the conversion.
If the EA is playing hard to get, then ask the owners directly, or tell the EA you are not interested in making an offer unless they provide the info. It'll come up on the search anyway.
Looks like a horrible bodge-up to me, so I'd be wary of any other work they've done.

Yea most conversions have removed door.. whereas my worry is that as i can't open door I can't easily check the otherside of stud wall other than when damp comes in.

I agree most people would prefer the room converted but it seems to get it up to BC regs I'd have to damage it anyways to survery insulation, DPC, Electrics and roof insulation along with blocking up garage door.

macman

If you are still keen on buying it, ask the vendor to provide an indemnity policy at their expense as a condition of sale.

fwor

If you do decide to convert back to a garage, it ~will~ need a fire door to the rest of the house - that has been a requirement for many, many years.

In some places it is impossible to get permission to convert a built-in garage to living accommodation. At my last property, I only got permission because I added a second parking space in the front garden. My neighbour was refused permission as he did not have enough space to add more parking to compensate.

However, another neighbour converted without any permission, and this was not noticed for more than (IIRC) 5 years, and he was allowed to keep it as converted when he came to sell up. But he did not try to hide what he had done...

cyclonebri1

But when was it done?????????????, 3 folks have asked ???