Garage utility

jamie_128

Hi, 

After much deliberating on how to use the garage ive decided to make it a utility/storage room with a breakfast bar and tv. Its an integral garage with the door just off the hallway. 

Its directly opposite the kitchen with a narrow hallway in between, kitchen is not massive so a utility is drastically needed but i also want it as a little area people can have a quick cuppa or cereal in the morning too. It has a side door leading into the garden with glass in it. 

My plan is to build a stud wall directly in front of the garage door as this:

Saves money on getting a bricklayer and putting a window in and bricks not matching and so on.

Allows me to use that bit of wall to put floor to ceiling cupboards in for storage (will get the same units as the kitchen so it flows) 

And C allows me to potentially do the whole job. 

Does this sound like it would be okay? You wouldent be able to open the garage door at all but there wouldent be any need to. 

Also on the wall between the garage and my hallway, its brick, do i have to insulate it properly as it is not the EXTERNAL wall? Just that would give me like 10cm more width on the room if its only the external wall i need to insulate.

DD265

We've basically got this setup, except 3/4 of the garage is retained as a garage so the utility is smaller than you have planned. The internal wall (between garage and house) is still 'naked' on the garage side - I would expect there to be insulation on the hallway side of it but we've not had reason to put any holes in that wall yet. I wouldn't say our utility is cold, but then we don't spend any time sat in it. It has a small heater under the units in there (a space saver?) but also an extractor fan, which is the sort with a retractable cover.

I do remember - as this was already there when we bought the house - a query over building regs, but eventually I think the conclusion was they weren't required as it wasn't a habitable room/had ventilation.

jamie_128

DD265 said:

We've basically got this setup, except 3/4 of the garage is retained as a garage so the utility is smaller than you have planned. The internal wall (between garage and house) is still 'naked' on the garage side - I would expect there to be insulation on the hallway side of it but we've not had reason to put any holes in that wall yet. I wouldn't say our utility is cold, but then we don't spend any time sat in it. It has a small heater under the units in there (a space saver?) but also an extractor fan, which is the sort with a retractable cover.

I do remember - as this was already there when we bought the house - a query over building regs, but eventually I think the conclusion was they weren't required as it wasn't a habitable room/had ventilation.

Im planning on having it as a utility with a breakfast bar and tv so it will be 'habitable', i also plan on taking the door off into the hallway so it flows with the kitchen rather than being hidden behind a door.

We are hopefully staying here a long time but worst case if we were to sell would i run into massive problems if its not done to spec? 

FreeBear

Is the outer wall of the garage single skin or cavity ?

What is above the garage - Flat or pitched roof, or bedrooms ?

Depending on the answers, you may need to insulate the external walls & ceiling - You'll certainly need insulation on the floor.

Davesnave

jamie_128 said: We are hopefully staying here a long time but worst case if we were to sell would i run into massive problems if its not done to spec? 

Plenty of people sell houses with crappy garage conversions of one kind or another and an indemnity policy, so why should you be any different?

You either want to do it to meet building regulations and get it certified as such, or you don't care. There isn't really a half way house.

shorty31

We are currently having half of our garage converted into a utility/shower room.  We have retained the front part of the Garage, for storage, complete with new roller door to make best use of that space.
Our Garage was at the side of our bungalow with a flat roof.  Originally there would have been no access from inside the bungalow to the garage.  However, previous owner had a conservatory that linked the kitchen and Garage.
we have removed the conservatory and had a brick built extension to replace it, so we have not knocked through to the original bungalow footprint. 

We were required to dig up and replace the garage floor adding 100mm insulation.  Raise the flat roof and install a new “warm roof” insulate the walls but I can’t remember the exact requirements. 

As previously said, there are no half measures you do it properly, or you will always have a bit of a bodge.

Sistergold

Once the garage becomes habitable space that’s everything insulated, then the internal wall between the garage and hallway/kitchen surely then don’t need insulation?