Help with my garage? Please?

[chrisking73]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice if possible as I'm relatively new to this.

I recentley bought a new house which has quite a large garage (dimensions are on the picture attached). We also have two parking spaces outside and as we only own one car between us I was looking at using this room as a bit of a relaxation room. For example, pool table, TV etc.

A bit about the garage. It has a standard single garage door which is actually towards the left hand side when looking at the plan. It then has a single exit door to the garden at the back. It is attached to the house by one wall only. It has lighting and electricity but no heating. It is on a new development with a management company and I assume would not be allowed to change anything drastically (which I don't want to anyway to reduce costs).

Anyway I'm looking at suggestions or plans on what you would think is a good idea to achieve my goals.

im aware that doing it officially I would need another escape route if I was to block up the door. I want it warm and ideally carpet and plastered walls (currently all brick).

Thanks in advance

 

[Newboy]

The only way to make a habitable room from a garage is to do a proper conversion.

It will almost certainly be a single leaf wall and without insulation & heating it will always be a garage - no point in plastering and carpeting a garage!

 

[chrisking73]

Thanks for the reply. What would that involve? Could you provide details please?

 

[Newboy]

Essentially bringing the insulation properties of the floor slab,roof and walls up a standard where they would meet current building regulations. Usually achieved by studding the walls out and fitting insulation material into and over the void created. The roof/ceiling treatment depends on the existing roof construction (e.g. Flat roof/pitched roof). The floor slab is usually insulated and then (most simple) a floating floor laid. The existing garage door would need to be removed and the resulting gap filled. The existing back door may need to be replaced to bring it up to standard. Window(s) need to be fitted. New doorway into the house. Electrics fitted (power and light). Central heating extended into new space or alternative heating installed.

A partial conversion may be possible - leave a section at the front of the garage as it is and erect a stud wall to form a room in the remaining portion of the space.

Or keep it as a garage wear a thick coat to play snooker/pool!

 

[^woody^]

Check out one of the hundreds of "garage conversion" posts.

 

[chrisking73]

New boy - thanks for the replies. I was hoping to get away with a partial conversion and my idea is below. Let me know what you think.

Build a stud wall at the front with a door so you can still exit through the main garage door. Two benefits to this, firstly don't have to change the garage door and it still looks like a garage and secondly, it will then have two escape routes to satisfy building regs.

Then plasterboard all remaining walls and ceiling with the plasterboard that has the insulation fitted to it. Plaster the walls and paint.

Still not sure about what to do with the floor. Maybe a floating floor as you say?

It already has electrics and lighting so that sorts that issue but has no heating. I could install some electric heaters.

Let me know your thoughts.

 

[roboughton]

New boy - thanks for the replies. I was hoping to get away with a partial conversion and my idea is below. Let me know what you think.

Build a stud wall at the front with a door so you can still exit through the main garage door. Two benefits to this, firstly don't have to change the garage door and it still looks like a garage and secondly, it will then have two escape routes to satisfy building regs.

Then plasterboard all remaining walls and ceiling with the plasterboard that has the insulation fitted to it. Plaster the walls and paint.

Still not sure about what to do with the floor. Maybe a floating floor as you say?

It already has electrics and lighting so that sorts that issue but has no heating. I could install some electric heaters.

Let me know your thoughts.

This sounds your best route and its all removable should you need to make it back into a garage and probably wont cost you that much.

 

[Newboy]

What you're planning is a slightly less cold garage.

Sticking foam backed plasterboard will make a marginal improvement to the rate of heat loss through the walls but it won't comply with any building regulations and it may lead to condensation problems.

If you want to do a partial/garage conversion then have a search around for the details in multiple similar threads. If you want to make the garage a bit less cold then carry on.