Garage conversion quote

gax23

Hi all,

Had a quote to convert a single garage into usable office space. What are your thoughts on the price for the works involved?

Works to be Carried Out:

Convert garage into office space.

Remove garage door.
Brick up bottom part of opening.
Supply and fit upvc window to top part of opening (assuming concert slap is a sufficient footing). From inner skin with studwork containing insulation with a plasterboard and plaster finish.
Instal new floating floor consisting of insulation and chipboard to bring up to house level. Electrical allowance for lighting and sockets.
Allowance for heating.
2nd fix carpentry to match house.
Allowance for decorating and floor covering.

Total Price for above works £9,750.00 plus VAT
Extra work if required to add RSJ steel work to take upper floor at later date. Total Price £2,624.00 plus VAT

Council fees and any drawings, calculations required are not included in price.

phill99

The last conversion we undertook was a couple of years ago and it was a similar price. Jut make sure you get building regs on it other wise it becomes a nightmare if you sell.

Doozergirl

I'm a bit concerned that they expect to brick up and assume that there is a footing for it. There won't be. Also the flooring - insulation and chipboard only?

Neither of those is sufficient to meet building regs.

You can dig down and create a footing or put an rsj across to carry the weight of the new bricks and transfer the load into the footings of the existing walls. The insulation should have a concrete screed over.

I can see these being added as 'extras' when the BCO says no. I'm suprised that they think that you can build the wall off a concrete slab.

Are they toothing in the brickwork at the front to make it look less like they've just bricked up the garage? It doesn't sound like it if they haven't mentioned it.

The price is in the ballpark, but the spec doesn't sound amazing.

somethingcorporate

Just had insulation (cellotex) and chipboard floor over a garage slab signed off by building control. It was a private inspector who advised it was fine at the start and came back to see the insulation going up on the walls and down on the floor before signing it off, he came over 5 times in total.

Your works look expensive to me with VAT added. I paid £15k to convert our garage - 6.5m of a 9m garage that has a sloping roof we put 3 large veluxes in (costing £1400 alone), 2 new rads, fully plastered & decorated, new french doors and a huge floor to ceiling window where the old door was. If you can be bothered to project manage it yourself you could use individual trades and avoid paying the large chunk of VAT. Our joiners did most of the work - £6k, electrician was £1.5k, builders £1.5k, plumber £700, plasterers £700 and the rest was materials (£1500 alone on insulation!).

Ours is now a beautiful family room with 3.5m ceilings sloped roof and huge french doors opening (eventually) onto a patio. Well worth the cost & effort.