Garage conversion
Discussion
Whilst a garage conversion may not be a PH politically correct topic I thought I’d try my luck and ask anyway 
We’re just about to start an update on a property that has an integrated double garage. The house has a 3/4 car driveway and currently the garage is just full of junk. I have a unit at work for my car’s so no drama there if i lose the garage on the property.
My question is, would a garage conversion where we gain extra living space (bigger kitchen/diner) offer more or less appeal than a double garage to perspective buyer’s when we come to sell the property?
Thank you in advance
We’re just about to start an update on a property that has an integrated double garage. The house has a 3/4 car driveway and currently the garage is just full of junk. I have a unit at work for my car’s so no drama there if i lose the garage on the property.
My question is, would a garage conversion where we gain extra living space (bigger kitchen/diner) offer more or less appeal than a double garage to perspective buyer’s when we come to sell the property?
Thank you in advance
Think you've answered that in your opening sentence. Personally I wouldn't even consider a house with a converted garage no matter what. Garages aren't just for cars, as you say, yours is full of junk - you've got to store tools, extra white goods, bikes, kids' outdoor stuff, your own outdoor stuff etc etc somewhere. Would it add value to my property to convert my double garage? It's not something I'm even remotely interested in finding out.
Our integral single garage was converted by the previous owners.
Its great.
Main door still in place, but behind a stud wall, so looks ok from outside. Access through house plus side outside door.
Some secondhand kitchen units, sink, cheap laminated floor, dog stuff, washing machine, double sink, 2 x freezers, boiler, megaflow, drying space and old boots complete the look.
Too small for a car, can be converted back, acts as a dirt and mess trap.
Perfect.
Its great.
Main door still in place, but behind a stud wall, so looks ok from outside. Access through house plus side outside door.
Some secondhand kitchen units, sink, cheap laminated floor, dog stuff, washing machine, double sink, 2 x freezers, boiler, megaflow, drying space and old boots complete the look.
Too small for a car, can be converted back, acts as a dirt and mess trap.
Perfect.
But where will the next person store all their junk?
Personally wouldn't buy a house with a converted garage as a car enthusiasts. That probably doesn't matter much because most people aren't.
Maybe just clear out some of your junk and enjoy a hideaway / man cave. With the money saved you could buy another car?
Personally wouldn't buy a house with a converted garage as a car enthusiasts. That probably doesn't matter much because most people aren't.
Maybe just clear out some of your junk and enjoy a hideaway / man cave. With the money saved you could buy another car?
I DDI buy a house in the past two years.
Anyhting that came up on rightmove with a converted garage = ignore.
Its a very bad idea, personally.
As for the people who:
Anyhting that came up on rightmove with a converted garage = ignore.
Its a very bad idea, personally.
As for the people who:
PositronicRay said:
Main door still in place, but behind a stud wall, so looks ok from outside. Access through house plus side outside door.
That is even worse. The estate agents even used to list it as a 'garage'. Awful, worst of both worlds.It could reduce the saleability by putting off people who want a garage. I want a garage so would only consider a house that had a possibility of building one to replace the lost one.
For your own lifestyle the conversion might be great to add living/utility space for the time you are living there. Can you build above the garage ? Thus keeping it and creating extra room(s). Planning/Building Control to deal with but maybe needed for a garage conversion anyway?
What are your long term plans?
For your own lifestyle the conversion might be great to add living/utility space for the time you are living there. Can you build above the garage ? Thus keeping it and creating extra room(s). Planning/Building Control to deal with but maybe needed for a garage conversion anyway?
What are your long term plans?
Realistically storing junk is very low-value for most people compared with prime living space, though that sits alongside the basics of junk; it expands to fill the available space.
99% of people will buy the house ignoring the storage space, move in, fill the storage space and chuck as much of the junk as they need to. Removing the storage space is doing most people a favour!
There's obviously a balance to be struck, purely financially I suspect it sits somewhere around minimising the garage area so it will contain bikes, gardening equipment, tools etc. I reckon half a standard garage is going to be about right if you can turn the rest of the space from storage for stuff that needs to go in skip to prime accommodation.
If you can lose the space by adding an extra room then I would do whatever suits you. It's a more nuanced question once you start moving walls and making it much harder to convert back, which is where you might be with a large double garage.
If you can move a utility, pantry and toilet/shower room into the garage and make the layout work then that's where I would be, especially as you could heat and insulate the garage, convert it into a workshop and incorporate the functions of a utility, pantry, toilet and leave yourself with an awesome, comfortable space to work without actually losing the garage at all. Change the door to an insulated timber and glazed panel and it'll be great. If the layout supports that of course.
99% of people will buy the house ignoring the storage space, move in, fill the storage space and chuck as much of the junk as they need to. Removing the storage space is doing most people a favour!
There's obviously a balance to be struck, purely financially I suspect it sits somewhere around minimising the garage area so it will contain bikes, gardening equipment, tools etc. I reckon half a standard garage is going to be about right if you can turn the rest of the space from storage for stuff that needs to go in skip to prime accommodation.
If you can lose the space by adding an extra room then I would do whatever suits you. It's a more nuanced question once you start moving walls and making it much harder to convert back, which is where you might be with a large double garage.
If you can move a utility, pantry and toilet/shower room into the garage and make the layout work then that's where I would be, especially as you could heat and insulate the garage, convert it into a workshop and incorporate the functions of a utility, pantry, toilet and leave yourself with an awesome, comfortable space to work without actually losing the garage at all. Change the door to an insulated timber and glazed panel and it'll be great. If the layout supports that of course.
Number 5 said:
Whilst a garage conversion may not be a PH politically correct topic I thought I’d try my luck and ask anyway
We’re just about to start an update on a property that has an integrated double garage. The house has a 3/4 car driveway and currently the garage is just full of junk. I have a unit at work for my car’s so no drama there if i lose the garage on the property.
My question is, would a garage conversion where we gain extra living space (bigger kitchen/diner) offer more or less appeal than a double garage to perspective buyer’s when we come to sell the property?
Thank you in advance
A house with no garage would have me scrolling straight past on Roghtmove.We’re just about to start an update on a property that has an integrated double garage. The house has a 3/4 car driveway and currently the garage is just full of junk. I have a unit at work for my car’s so no drama there if i lose the garage on the property.
My question is, would a garage conversion where we gain extra living space (bigger kitchen/diner) offer more or less appeal than a double garage to perspective buyer’s when we come to sell the property?
Thank you in advance
I would convert at least one half of the double to living space and probably both. Your house would be worth a lot more as normal people simply don't care about garages. As many have said they just become dumping grounds as very very few people put cars in them nowadays.
We converted our narrowish single garage, read junk storage, into an office/gym last year. Initially hard but got rid of lots of junk and put some stuff in loft/shed. House will be worth loads more as generally women choose houses and garages don't compare to living space. In my opinion at least, wasn't overly happy about losing storage but now realise it is better. Might be different if I had an old classic that rusts at the sight of damp though.
We converted our narrowish single garage, read junk storage, into an office/gym last year. Initially hard but got rid of lots of junk and put some stuff in loft/shed. House will be worth loads more as generally women choose houses and garages don't compare to living space. In my opinion at least, wasn't overly happy about losing storage but now realise it is better. Might be different if I had an old classic that rusts at the sight of damp though.
Megaflow said:
A house with no garage would have me scrolling straight past on Roghtmove.
What about a house that has a external garage door and enough depth for tools, workbench, couple of cycles and car cleaning stuff, but not a car.....the space behind it has been partitioned off and has a delightful heated utlity / drying room, in a house which would otherwise just have a fairly small kitchen and no where to dry clothes in winter.I only ask as that is the situation I am in, currently about to convert rear 3/4 of the garage for this exact reason. To my mind, the majority of people (families in particularly, which is what the area if full of due to schools) would rather have usable and convenient internal utility space, than they would a cold empty garage with a concrete floor....
MattyD803 said:
Megaflow said:
A house with no garage would have me scrolling straight past on Roghtmove.
What about a house that has a external garage door and enough depth for tools, workbench, couple of cycles and car cleaning stuff, but not a car.....the space behind it has been partitioned off and has a delightful heated utlity / drying room, in a house which would otherwise just have a fairly small kitchen and no where to dry clothes in winter.If you could easily remove a stud wall, life would go on, but if the house had come to depend on the space your' back to square one of not having a garage.
I had this conundrum when buying my house a couple of years ago. I wanted a double initially, but they were just out of reach so settled for looking at houses with singles. I went right past any houses that didn't have a garage, or at the very least the land on which to put one.
In the end, I got a 3/4 integrated garage! The previous owners took the back off of it to make the kitchen larger (along with the utility room that was behind the garage). So I have a 3/4 length single garage. I was fine with this as a single garage is useless for cars anyway, and a 3/4 is as good as a 4/4 when it comes to storing tools/having a workbench/keeping miscellaneous crap.
In the end, I got a 3/4 integrated garage! The previous owners took the back off of it to make the kitchen larger (along with the utility room that was behind the garage). So I have a 3/4 length single garage. I was fine with this as a single garage is useless for cars anyway, and a 3/4 is as good as a 4/4 when it comes to storing tools/having a workbench/keeping miscellaneous crap.
On here, it would put most off. I suspect in the real world, a good conversion would add value.
I have an external garage and a half which had a single garage door. None of my cars have ever fitted in my garage and it was just a junk store. I got rid of the junk and converted it into an office/party room with pool table/summer house with bi-fold doors into the garden. It helps that I have a drive that can take up to 8 cars so don't have to use off street parking. I've not had the house valued since but I doubt very much whether I will have lost any selling appeal (the opposite in fact) or value including the conversion spend.
I have an external garage and a half which had a single garage door. None of my cars have ever fitted in my garage and it was just a junk store. I got rid of the junk and converted it into an office/party room with pool table/summer house with bi-fold doors into the garden. It helps that I have a drive that can take up to 8 cars so don't have to use off street parking. I've not had the house valued since but I doubt very much whether I will have lost any selling appeal (the opposite in fact) or value including the conversion spend.
Demolished my detached garage earlier this year & extended the house over its footprint. Full PP etc, all signed off now.
Was too small for any car post 1980 & full of ‘stuff’
Have a large shed (planners specified anyway, you have to have cycle storage) for that stuff & space for 3 cars to be parked off road.
Not selling for a few decades. If any prospective buyers drive past / it’s their loss !
Was too small for any car post 1980 & full of ‘stuff’
Have a large shed (planners specified anyway, you have to have cycle storage) for that stuff & space for 3 cars to be parked off road.
Not selling for a few decades. If any prospective buyers drive past / it’s their loss !
PistonHeads is probably going to be skewed towards keeping the garage. Sign up to Mumsnet and ask the same question... 
We converted our single garage into another room 20 years ago. I would recommend it if you don't need a garage.
From the front of the house, it looks no different with a garage door in place. We added a side window for more light and over the years the room use changed:
Was a bedroom for our teenage
Then when she moved out it became a home gym
Then it became a room for a dependant elderly relative at which point we added a shower cubicle
Now it's a twin bedroom for the grandchildren, albeit with the shower cubicle still in place.
We learned a few lessons regarding the conversion. We went with the builder offering the cheapest quote. A mistake! He did not insulate the outer wall properly and the room can get very cold. We added an oversize radiator but an expensive mistake given the energy costs! I would have added more sockets too. For some stupid reason, I got all the sockets added at one end of the room DOH!
From the front of the house, it looks no different with a garage door in place. We added a side window for more light and over the years the room use changed:
Was a bedroom for our teenage
Then when she moved out it became a home gym
Then it became a room for a dependant elderly relative at which point we added a shower cubicle
Now it's a twin bedroom for the grandchildren, albeit with the shower cubicle still in place.
We learned a few lessons regarding the conversion. We went with the builder offering the cheapest quote. A mistake! He did not insulate the outer wall properly and the room can get very cold. We added an oversize radiator but an expensive mistake given the energy costs! I would have added more sockets too. For some stupid reason, I got all the sockets added at one end of the room DOH!
We own a property where half the street have converted the garage (internal art ached to the kitchen so you get a bigger kitchen or den off the kitchen) these houses sell for the same as those with garages it’s not as if you spend £20k converting it so the house is worth £20k more than next door.
As for desirability that’s subjective. Some will want the garage / storage others will want the extra living space.
As for desirability that’s subjective. Some will want the garage / storage others will want the extra living space.
BoRED S2upid said:
We own a property where half the street have converted the garage (internal art ached to the kitchen so you get a bigger kitchen or den off the kitchen) these houses sell for the same as those with garages it’s not as if you spend £20k converting it so the house is worth £20k more than next door.
As for desirability that’s subjective. Some will want the garage / storage others will want the extra living space.
Interesting real world comparison. It doesn't surprise me, plenty will prefer the space one way, plenty the other way, but like loft conversions while it might be easier or even cheaper With stamp duty, than moving, it doesn't make a profit.As for desirability that’s subjective. Some will want the garage / storage others will want the extra living space.
As suggested, garages are not designed to be rooms, and doing the job well such that the space is nice, rather than slightly cold damp, oddly shaped room, will cost strong money.
My partners parents did it, and the room which was a single garage I believe got reasonable use by teenaged children as a bolt hole for playing musical instruments, watching tv, and later revision etc, but is also a bit funny narrow slightly cold feeling room, down a step, off the back porch space, still has the boiler in it, etc.
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