Garage conversion 11 January 2020 at 11:32AM edited 30 November -1 at 12:00AM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving 10 replies 639 views

Cazilou

Hi all,

Hoping someone can advise me on what to do. Our house is mid 60s and has a detached single garage in the garden. The garage is sectional concrete with asbestos concrete sheet roof.

The whole wooden front of the garage is rotten and is falling apart so needs replacing. The garage is no longer used as a garage and has no car access so we are wanting to convert it to a storage/summer house type building (not for overnight accomodation or anything like that).

Now, I was wanting to put a stud wall inside, waterproof, insulate and clad the walls and put in some new french doors. All good in theory however I am not sure if I will need to get building regulations to sign off the work and I know they won't sign it off with an asbestos roof and will require me to get a new roof. This is something I just can't afford at the moment (the quotes are coming out at around £2000 just for removal and replacement)

I am not going to touch the roof or do any work around the roof so I am not worried about it still being there but I can't get a building company to do the work as none of them will touch it with an asbestos roof present as its not covered in their insurance etc.

Basically I am wondering whether I can do the internal work, just basic internal cladding, not touching the roof, and not get building regulations. It is really important that I get the front of the garage sorted as it is so rotten it will fall down within the next year no doubts about it (definitely not meeting building regs in current state!)

Please someone just advise me what I can do because I am clueless when it comes to regulations.

FreeBear

If you are just using the garage as a storage area and/or "summer house", then you don't need building regs. Insulate the floor (with a DPC), walls, and roof - With a few basic tools, it is something you can do yourself.

Cazilou

thanks, you have cheered me up. I thought it was fine but then I saw that building regs would need to be involved but it all gets a bit muddled trying to sort attached garage conversions from an outbuilding conversion so I needed to clarify. I am planning to do all the work myself (alongside working full time and being a mum to 2 under 5's so will take me a loooong time!) I need to look into all the waterproofing and insulation requirements to make sure it is a sound job but I am confident I can do it myself. Hubby bought me a hammer drill for Christmas so I am very excited to get started!

Robin9

Take care with the asbestos roof - don't touch it if you can.

MovingForwards

Put a false ceiling up a few inches below the roof, that way you know the roof won't get disturbed and if any roof bits drop off over the years they will land on the ceiling.

Depending on the height of your garage you could do a sandwich ceiling, so battons round the walls, fix first wood panels on top of the batton, with a layer of insulation under it, with another wood panel fixed to the bottom of the batton; make it comfy and warmer in winter.

If you can get a set of screw head / Philips heads for your drill, it will be a lot quicker than doing it by hand. Or, see if your hubby will buy you an electric screwdriver.

As you get into this, have a play with a nail gun! They are loads of fun (still not sure why my big brother didn't let me use his for long )

Cazilou

Sandwich ceiling is kind of what I had in mind (not that I knew this terminology!) I want it to be quite cosy otherwise it will just be another room we barely use. Ceilings are quite low though so may need to raise up slightly into the roof space, not sure how this will work just yet!

Drill has come with loads of screwdriver fixings so no issue there, even my hubby was surprised when I opened the box at the size of it, its like a monster drill, tried it on the outside of our house (to fix something not just for fun!) and he said it was like drilling into butter, will make my life so much easier! I think my brother has a nail gun that i was hoping to borrow, although they do scare me slightly as I have seen those 999 programmes and there is always someone with a nail embedded in their eye socket or something!

It is certainly an exciting project but also seems like a huge undertaking so its reassuring to see that others are saying it should be straightforward. Got to wait for the weather to be a bit better first so I have a chance to clear out the junk and make space to work in there.

MovingForwards

I don't know the terms myself, I try and describe things well so people know what I'm on about!

If you do go with the 'sandwich ceiling' idea, get a long spirit level to try and get it as straight as you can.

Do battons on the walls too, that way you can put some insulation up, the board it out after.

With the nail gun, they do have safety features over here to prevent them being used inappropriately; there is a mechanism where the nail comes out that prevents it working unless it's pressed against something. Means the job is a lot quicker as you are not trying to knock nails in my hand; press the nail gun to the wood along where the batton is, press the button and that's one nail in.

It's all about having confidence in yourself, planning everything and taking a step back to assess how you are getting on.

Good luck and do tell us how you get on

Cazilou

Thanks,

Just need the weather to improve so I can get cracking, materials on order arriving next week. I am a bit of an over planner- scale drawings and technical plans for everything I do so no problems on the planning front, just the issue of execution!

Shelves are first on the agenda to clear the floor space so I can move in there.

I will repost in about 2 years when its finally done! :rotfl:

FreeBear

Cazilou wrote: »

I will repost in about 2 years when its finally done! :rotfl:

Only two years.... That is darned quick work
... Still haven't finished the lounge, and that was ~4 years ago I started that.

markin

Nail guns are just not worth the risk for a novice when screws will do, A little brad nailer for paneling is a little safer if you keep fingers away, A channel on youtube i follow just knocked out a load of teeth with a framing gun, it deflected and hit him in the face lucky it wasn't his eye or neck.

Cazilou

markin said:

Nail guns are just not worth the risk for a novice when screws will do, A little brad nailer for paneling is a little safer if you keep fingers away, A channel on youtube i follow just knocked out a load of teeth with a framing gun, it deflected and hit him in the face lucky it wasn't his eye or neck.

Youchy!

With spare time on my hands lately I managed to sort through the junk and build some shelving with the wood I had bought before lockdown. It's taken me this long to get any kind of cls delivered but finally got an order coming on 25th May and can get started! Going for screws rather than nail gun, just don't think it will be needed.