Convert garage to home office space

[Jimbo747]

Hi All,

My wife and i are in the process of buying a bog standard 30s 3 bed semi. I need somewhere to work from home (not run a business, just work for my employer rather than travel to the office).

At the end of the garden there is a 16' by 16' double garage with off road parking for two cars. Parking is not a problem in our area (and in any case, we only have two cars).

I am thinking of putting a small (8 foot by 8 foot) office in the garage. I would first tank the floors and walls, then build a stud wall (think this is the right phrase) lined with a couple of inches of insulation. Same for the floor, and same for the ceiling. My father in law is a retired builder, reckons he can knock it up in a weekend, to building regs standards but has taken a - ahem - pragmatic view that "if you don't tell them they won't know because they probably don't apply anyway". The only external change would be to replace a current single glazed window with an external glaze. I might upgrade the external pedestrian door with one with better locking, but the roller door at the front of the garage would not be touched. There will be no toilet, water supply, etc. It's just a place where i will work for around 14 hours per week.
I'm not particularly concerned about impact on resale of the house, since if the new buyer has an issue, i'll just strip everything back to how it was before moving.

I understand that i will not need planning for this. However, i am confused about building regs as there doesn't seem to be a specific scenario described. If i were to build a wooden shed for working, for example, then the following would apply:

"If you want to put up small detached buildings such as a garden shed or summerhouse in your garden, building regulations will not normally apply if the floor area of the building is less than 15 square metres and contains NO sleeping accommodation."

That was what i'd read when we decided to buy the house. Now, though, i've started to read more about building regs and its not clear whether or not i would need this to convert part of the garage into office space. I suppose my worry comes from reading about needing to put foundations under the garage, maybe dig out and replace the floor, etc. Stupidly, i'd assumed that if the space could take the weight of two cars, it could take the weight of a couple of stud walls, a desk and a computer.

Does anybody have any experience to share?

 

[^woody^]

Its effectively a garage conversion, which although as you mention does not have sleeping accomodation, would still require building regs approval.

In practice the conversion is really about preventing damp, keeping in heat, and fire safety measures. You wont need to do any foundation work or major structural work unless the thing is falling down now.

 

[Jimbo747]

Many thanks - i appreciate it.

 

[Nakajo]

I think the Planning Portal guidance on garage conversions is pretty good. The small cost of regularisation aside, I can't see the advantage in doing the work underhand.

 

[Jimbo747]

I think the Planning Portal guidance on garage conversions is pretty good. The small cost of regularisation aside, I can't see the advantage in doing the work underhand.

Agree completely. I was just worried this was going to prove to be an expensive structural job to provide something that will probably only be temporary (since we are planning an extension with an office built in).

Thanks for your help

 

[tony1851]

Its effectively a garage conversion, which although as you mention does not have sleeping accomodation, would still require building regs approval.

In practice the conversion is really about preventing damp, keeping in heat, and fire safety measures. You wont need to do any foundation work or major structural work unless the thing is falling down now.

As it's a detached building < 30m² would he really need Building Regs anyway? (assuming non-combustible materials etc).
It's not attached to the house.

 

[^woody^]

It's all related to the use, and the amount of time people will be using it.

You can't build a small granny annex for instance, and say that it's under the 30m2 threshold.

Just like you can't convert the garage and say that you will still just have a few paint tins on a shelf so no b/regs required.

 

[tony1851]

It's all related to the use, and the amount of time people will be using it.

You can't build a small granny annex for instance, and say that it's under the 30m2 threshold.

Just like you can't convert the garage and say that you will still just have a few paint tins on a shelf so no b/regs required.

Beg to differ there; my reading of the exemptions is that a small detached, single-storey building <30 sq m. and not containing sleeping accomodation is exempt - whether or not conversion of an existing building.

 

[Nakajo]

Why am I thinking that the treshold is 15m² - what am I muddling that up with?

Doh, I suppose I could have googled that before asking out loud

exemptions:
- single storey detached buildings <= 15m²
- single storey detached buildings <= 30m², >= 1m from a boundary or constructed of substantially non-combustible material (e.g. brick - and not timber)

 

[^woody^]

Beg to differ there

Yes the Building Act says that, and it's mentioned in all the standard guides, but I recall a guidance note or was it an appeal that clarified things.

If i remember correctly, it was do with the concept that the Act was not meant to be onerous on basic buildings, but where the use was more than basic then the regulations should apply.

I'll have to try and find it, but until then, yes 30m2 and no sleeping is what the regulations say.

 

[Jimbo747]

Maybe i'll just do it, make sure its built to standards and worry about it in the future if we sell. I'm hoping it will be my last ever house purchase so resale isn't really an issue.
It will be 8 feet by 8 feet max, so within the 15 sq m and 30 sq m guideline.