When people begin to plan to convert their garage, they often get caught up worrying about steps which are not necessary. Therefore we thought we would share the common misconceptions that we come across.
Planning permission
The most common misconception that we have come across is that you need planning permission to convert your garage. People will often apply for permission to convert their garage, but this is a big mistake. The council will still take the money you paid for the request and then can take weeks to respond. By doing this you are wasting time and money that could have gone towards your conversion.
A question that often follows is ‘What about if I’m extending my garage?’. The same still applies, you are allowed to extend your garage backwards, in width and in height without permission. The only time you will need to apply through the council is when extending your garage in the front.
The only thing you must ensure is that your converted garage complies with the different regulations.
Permission to let
A popular way to convert a garage is to turn it into a self-contained accommodation, this a great way to maximise space and can allow you to let out the room while keeping it separate from your house.
Commonly people have the belief they will need a legal document saying that they can rent out the space, however, this is not the case. You can rent any space in your house to whoever you want. This makes the self-contained accommodation a great use of the space and can give you the opportunity to make some passive income from your garage conversion.
It doesn’t add much value to the home
People have been led to believe that converting their garage will not add much value to the home or even decrease the value. This simply isn’t true, by converting your garage it can increase the value of your house by up to 20% in value.
Garage conversions are too expensive
Finally, that garage conversions are too expensive. This, however, is not the case. While you can spend lots of money converting your garage this does not have to be the case. Converting a garage can cost as little as £5000, yes this still is a lot of money, but as we previously stated it can increase the value of your house by up to 20% so it is definitely a great option for investing in your house.
If you are looking to convert your garage, get in touch today for a free consultation on your garage from our expert team!