Most of the time, the garage of your home is nothing more than an old storage room. Or it may just a minor part of your home, used merely to park your car. 

But you can do much more with your garage than just parking a car or storing items. Garage conversion not only provides you with larger living spaces, but they also add to the value of your property. 

Therefore, we have curated a brief guide to get you through the garage conversion with the minimum possible expenditure and effort. 

Let’s begin.

Assess the Existing Structure 

Before starting the garage conversion, thoroughly assess the existing structure of your garage. It will help you understand where and how should you start the job. 

Assessing the existing structure of your garage space is crucial as it determines your future strategies and proposed plan for the space. it also helps you figure out if the existing conditions are optimal for heavy construction work.

Planning Permission

In most cases, you will not need planning permission for garage conversion as it falls under permitted development (PD). 
However, if your building is located in a conservation area, you’d need to consult the local authority before converting your garage and making any internal changes. 

The Party Wall Act Agreement 

If the garage is shared property between two or more parties through a party wall, you are required by law to serve a Party Wall Act Notice to all adjoining owners. 
It is where you’ll need the services of a Party Wall Act Surveyor. Your appointed Surveyor will legally serve a Party Wall Notice to all joint owners and make up the Party Wall Act Agreement.

Building Regulations 

Garage conversion falls under “change of use.” Thus, it requires building regulation approval in terms of moisture proofing, insulation, escape routes, fireproofing, ventilation, structural soundness. 
Submit a building notice or an application to the local authority to notify them about your garage conversion project. 

Calculate the Cost

After getting into the Party Wall Act Agreement and fulfilling other legal requirements, it’s time to calculate the cost for a garage conversion. Decide on what changes you want to make in your garage. Make sure that you have enough funds to walk through the projection of your garage conversion to its completion. 
Various factors that could contribute to the cost of your garage conversion project include; 

Planning applications

  • Dubious condition of the walls, roof, or floor 
  • Poor foundations 
  • Fees for design 
  • Cost for raising the height of the floor or ceiling 
  • Services of a structural engineer, and more

Fortunately, this project costs only a fraction of what other home expansion projects usually cost.
So, determine your budget wisely and calculate how much you are willing to spend for your garage conversion. 

That’s all and you are ready to go. If you are planning a garage conversion and looking for a Party Wall Act Surveyor in London, Seven One Associates is here to help.

Our Party Wall Act Surveyors at Seven One Associates are happy to help and advise on the correct procedure for issuing Party Wall Act Notice.

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