Garage conversion - garage below house level

ascoli

Silvertabby said:

Would using it for storeage really be a waste?  It could actually free up living space in the house by clearing out things that are needed but not used every day.

We used to put our car in the (integral) garage, but it was becoming harder and harder with each new 'improved' model.  We finally called it quits when we bought a VW T Cross (Polo on steroids) so we changed the up and over door to side openers, painted the floor and fitted a work bench and storeage racks.  Mr S is chuffed to NAAFI breaks with his man cave, and I have a storeage rack for all the bits and bobs I need, but don't use on a regular basis. 

We don't really have a lot of stuff to be honest. We also have a large shed in the garden which can store everything we'd need it to. The idea of more liveable space is definitely appealing

ascoli

Working_Mum said:

My friend had a similar set up in her old house. She decided to keep a portion of the front of the garage as easy access storage for bikes, etc - this was accessed by nice double doors. She had a great storage set up and it kept lots of things handy and neat.

The rear half of her garage she converted into a downstairs loo and utility room. From memory it was at the same height as the rest of her ground floor.

I converted an integral garage in my previous home - the renovations naturally brought it up to the same height as the rest of the ground floor and we used it as a family room off our kitchen - we installed a beautiful bay window at the front. 

I would definitely suggest getting things done properly and with the proper permissions and sign off. It saves so much time and hassle at selling stage.

I think it's quite an exciting project for you - as Stephen Covey says "start with the end in mind" so I'd give some serious thought as to what you want the space to be when completed and work backwards from there.

WM

Thanks for the input, good to know it's been done similarly!

ascoli

casper_gutman said:

We had our separate garage knocked down and a proper side extension built. We made the front part of the extension an externally-accessed storeroom with side-opening double doors. It's too short and too narrow for a car, but it's really useful for all our bikes, roof racks, camping gear etc.

If I had your garage I would consider building a raised floor in the back part and adding a utility, downstairs loo, study or whatever at the same level as the rest of the house. Then I'd use the front part of the ex-garage as a storage room accessed via new doors where the garage doors used to be.

I'd also look into how best to use the space under the new utility/whatever room. The height will only be, what? 1.5 metres or thereabouts? But perhaps it could be used for storing something, e.g., a trailer, bikes. Possibly it might be a useful space in future for something like a battery or thermal energy store to complement solar panels.

There is already a downstairs toilet next to the back of the garage, but a utility room definitely appeals as currently the washing machine is in the kitchen.

Would your idea mean that the front part of the garage would be at normal height, and then the back part (under the utility) would be accessed by essentially ducking down?

jennifernil

I would suggest that you take the opportunity of having access under the new floor, to insulate that floor with Kingspan or similar fitted between the joists.

And to keep out cold air I would build a well insulated stud wall between the new room and the outdoor accessed store, and continue this right down to the existing garage floor level.  If you want to have this additional limited height storage  below the new floor, I would make an opening with doors to close it off from the little bit of the original garage that remains.

The new room would be of a good size, so if you wish to create a utility room you could take the existing small room as the utility, and the new room as a study/ bedroom/ or whatever you fancy.  If you do decide to do this, organise all the plumbing first while access is easier.

casper_gutman

ascoli said:

Would your idea mean that the front part of the garage would be at normal height, and then the back part (under the utility) would be accessed by essentially ducking down?

Yes, that sounds like the sort of thing I had in mind. There's a terrible sketch below showing a section through the building.

The internal wall between the store room and the new utility/whatever space could be built in line with the main external wall of the house so the store would just be the extra extension bit on the outside, or it could be moved further back as shown to give a better size of store room.

The pink lines show where @jennifernilmentioned you'd need to insulate. The void would need ventilation to avoid damp, but this is no different from any other space under a suspended ground floor.

ascoli

jennifernil said:

I would suggest that you take the opportunity of having access under the new floor, to insulate that floor with Kingspan or similar fitted between the joists.

And to keep out cold air I would build a well insulated stud wall between the new room and the outdoor accessed store, and continue this right down to the existing garage floor level.  If you want to have this additional limited height storage  below the new floor, I would make an opening with doors to close it off from the little bit of the original garage that remains.

The new room would be of a good size, so if you wish to create a utility room you could take the existing small room as the utility, and the new room as a study/ bedroom/ or whatever you fancy.  If you do decide to do this, organise all the plumbing first while access is easier.

Thank you! All very helpful advice 

ascoli

casper_gutman said:

ascoli said:

Would your idea mean that the front part of the garage would be at normal height, and then the back part (under the utility) would be accessed by essentially ducking down?

Yes, that sounds like the sort of thing I had in mind. There's a terrible sketch below showing a section through the building.

The internal wall between the store room and the new utility/whatever space could be built in line with the main external wall of the house so the store would just be the extra extension bit on the outside, or it could be moved further back as shown to give a better size of store room.

The pink lines show where @jennifernilmentioned you'd need to insulate. The void would need ventilation to avoid damp, but this is no different from any other space under a suspended ground floor.

Many thanks for this! Great to see it visualised