How to fund garage conversion?

gwynlas

We took out a small mortgage which could only be for 6 years due to husbands age but this was at the start of last year when rates much lower found through local broker. Lender cannot lose as secured against house. Building control sign off was required and needs to be in place for future potential sale. Extra room and bathroom will increase value of property. Dependent on circumstances you might use equity release after taking professional advice.

Section62

_Sam_ said:

cannugec5 said:

Yes, we have looked into that. No planning permission or building warrant required, but I do appreciate other eyes/ view points looking at this in case we have missed something. 

We are doing a garage conversion too, and from what I understood if you are converting your garage into a living space you have to get building control approval. This is regardless of the need for planning permission. If you don't get BC sign off, the conversion will be illegal.

The OP's mention of a "building warrant" implies they are in Scotland.  The system and rules are different there, a building warrant is broadly equivalent to building regs in England.

I don't know enough about the rules in Scotland to know whether a warrant is needed for what the OP wants to do, I'm a little surprised if one isn't, but if they've checked already then all's good.

FreeBear

_Sam_ said: We are doing a garage conversion too, and from what I understood if you are converting your garage into a living space you have to get building control approval. This is regardless of the need for planning permission. If you don't get BC sign off, the conversion will be illegal.

No. If you don't get BR sign-off, the work is non-compliant. This does not make it "illegal". If you get served an enforcement notice and fail to comply, then you could be prosecuted (you could also be prosecuted for doing the work if the council found out within 12 months).

The biggest problem when doing a project that requires Building Control oversight without their involvement is the extra hassle when selling the property. Solicitors/conveyancers will want to see certificates or sell an indemnity policy. Attitudes are slowly changing, and it could be that a sale would be seriously compromised some years down the line - We are already seeing houses with spray foam insulation in the loft being given a zero valuation. It is not inconceivable that undocumented works could get the same treatment.

Doozergirl

Section62 said:

_Sam_ said:

cannugec5 said:

Yes, we have looked into that. No planning permission or building warrant required, but I do appreciate other eyes/ view points looking at this in case we have missed something. 

We are doing a garage conversion too, and from what I understood if you are converting your garage into a living space you have to get building control approval. This is regardless of the need for planning permission. If you don't get BC sign off, the conversion will be illegal.

The OP's mention of a "building warrant" implies they are in Scotland.  The system and rules are different there, a building warrant is broadly equivalent to building regs in England.

I don't know enough about the rules in Scotland to know whether a warrant is needed for what the OP wants to do, I'm a little surprised if one isn't, but if they've checked already then all's good.

My understanding is that the rules are tighter in Scotland.  There's no way one can't be needed for a habitable space.  

JGreenwood

We did this at home and we had to convert ours into a bedroom for my youngest. We had to get building control approval, and the process was lengthy because we didn't have the finances there and then to do it. At your age, and knowing the financial strain it put on us, you are doing the right thing doing your research.

_Sam_

FreeBear said:

No. If you don't get BR sign-off, the work is non-compliant. This does not make it "illegal". If you get served an enforcement notice and fail to comply, then you could be prosecuted (you could also be prosecuted for doing the work if the council found out within 12 months).

Hmm I'm confused - if you murder someone and no one finds out and you are not prosecuted, then the murder wasn't illegal? 


(I might be misinterpreting what you mean, but that's how it sounds to me!)

Section62

FreeBear said:

_Sam_ said: We are doing a garage conversion too, and from what I understood if you are converting your garage into a living space you have to get building control approval. This is regardless of the need for planning permission. If you don't get BC sign off, the conversion will be illegal.

No. If you don't get BR sign-off, the work is non-compliant. This does not make it "illegal". If you get served an enforcement notice and fail to comply, then you could be prosecuted (you could also be prosecuted for doing the work if the council found out within 12 months).

Section 35 of the Building Act 1984 provides that "If a person contravenes any provision contained in building regulations...he is liable on summary conviction to a fine..."

It could be an offence to carry out building work which is non-compliant, even though an enforcement notice hasn't been served.

The enforcement process is separate (Section 36 "Removal or alteration of offending work") - non-compliance with the notice isn't a separate offence, but the authority has powers to carry out the work in default.

Section 36 is without prejudice to the powers in Section 35 - so the authority can prosecute under Section 35 and issue a removal/alteration notice under Section 36.  But in practice prosecution is fairly rare, since the Section 36 approach gets the required result in any event (i.e. compliant work) and the authority doesn't have much to gain from a (not inexpensive) S35 prosecution.

With planning the offence is in the non-compliance with the enforcement notice.

Section62

Doozergirl said:

Section62 said:

_Sam_ said:

cannugec5 said:

Yes, we have looked into that. No planning permission or building warrant required, but I do appreciate other eyes/ view points looking at this in case we have missed something. 

We are doing a garage conversion too, and from what I understood if you are converting your garage into a living space you have to get building control approval. This is regardless of the need for planning permission. If you don't get BC sign off, the conversion will be illegal.

The OP's mention of a "building warrant" implies they are in Scotland.  The system and rules are different there, a building warrant is broadly equivalent to building regs in England.

I don't know enough about the rules in Scotland to know whether a warrant is needed for what the OP wants to do, I'm a little surprised if one isn't, but if they've checked already then all's good.

My understanding is that the rules are tighter in Scotland.  There's no way one can't be needed for a habitable space.  

That's what I would have thought... but if the OP is sure.

FreeBear

_Sam_ said:

FreeBear said:

No. If you don't get BR sign-off, the work is non-compliant. This does not make it "illegal". If you get served an enforcement notice and fail to comply, then you could be prosecuted (you could also be prosecuted for doing the work if the council found out within 12 months).

Hmm I'm confused - if you murder someone and no one finds out and you are not prosecuted, then the murder wasn't illegal? 


(I might be misinterpreting what you mean, but that's how it sounds to me!)

Semantics in a word.

The act of doing (or permitting) a conversion leaves you open to the prospect of being prosecuted. The conversion its self is not "illegal", just non-compliant (in England at least).

naf123

Depending on location , having an extra bedroom means you can rent it out for a year or so to a lodger to finance /pay off debts