[Marky1973]

Hi all

Just moved house and contemplating the conversion of the garage into a cinema room for meself and maybe the wife if she behaves herself.......the garage is an integral one surrounded on either side by my hallway and the neighbours garage and upstairs by our "study".

As I am a cheap bugger and relatively capable with a hammer and nails, I thought I would try and do as much of it as possible and have been reading the threads on here with great excitement at what actually is possible with such a small area. Stud walls, insulation and plasterboard here we come!

However, I am a little concerned over whether or not I need to get any planning permission and building regs checked over. I will need to get a door put in from the hallway to gain access from the house, which will need checking over and I will get this done by a professional. It is the garage door that I am confused over. Many people on here seem to have simply installed a couple of stud walls, sealed with plastic sheet on the outside edge with insulation in the middle. This seems like a great option to me and realtively easy to do, but how does this sit with change of use etc.? Is it just a case of what they don't know about doesn't hurt.

I also read on here something about building regs and needing two exits to the room for fire regulations......i guess this is immaterial if doing it myself and not telling anyone, but then I guess this is not too much of a problem for a room that is not used permanently and wouldn't be possible in say an attic conversion.

I guess what I am trying to decide is what people think is the most sensible way to go, by taking the door off and putting a wall in with a window, getting planning and doing it all officially, or doing it the sneaky way so it still looks like a garage from outside and also so it can be converted back nice and easily if we decide to move.

Sorry if this is old ground for many of you, but my wife seems quite positive about doing this at the moment, so thought I had better take advantage!

Cheers

Mark

[Baloo]

Sounds familiar. Here's what I did with mine.

I installed a stud wall in front of the garage door and also had a doorway cut into the garage. I didn't bother with Planning Permission as this room is still a 'garage' albeit a posh one. I won't sell the property as having a extra room downstairs so thats where the change of use bit doesn't apply (or thats what the kind man from the council said), it is still a garage.

To do this you must treat the room as a garage with a doorway connecting it which means you need a drop of 100mm from the inside room to the garage (for fire regulations; oil spills e.t.c) a 30 minute rated, self closing fire door and fire sealing strips (I forget the name) around the inside of the doorway which 'seal' if there is a fire inside.

You do need building regulations though, who will come out and inspect the work but thats pretty cheap and as long as you've got the correct lintel, the doorway is the correct size, e.t.c it shouldn't be a problem.

Good luck

[Marky1973]

Thanks mate, so I guess the first thing to do is the door, get it checked and then keep shtumm about the rest!

Cheers

Mark

[IronGiant]

Building Regs told me I didn't need building regs to brick up a garage door and install a window in said wall, but would happily advise me on any further changes I might propose if they involved change of use/insulation/heating etc as these might need building regs. Planning told me it didn't strictly need planning so long as it didn't change the number of bedrooms and we could still park two cars offroad, but as enclosing the porch alongside did require Planning we were best to put it all on the application to be safe.

Dave

[jonny round boy]

I think it varies depending on whereabouts the house is. I'd suggest you ring your local council, and speak to someone in the relevant dept.

Just tell them what you want to do and what area you're in, and they'll advise what's required. You don't have to give your name (or use a false one ), if they ask for the address, just give them the road name & say you don't know which number it is as it's just a property you're thinking of buying).

That way, if it's not good news you can just do it anyway & sod the beurocr, beauroch red tape!

[leaky5]

When I did my garage conversion, I did not need planning permission, but I did go for building regs.

They checked the following.

Insulation ( floor and cavity wall ), fire escape window and they did want me to put footings in for the brick wall. But let me get away with a product called 'Brick Tor'. Basically a strong wire mesh between a few layers of the wall. The window was also put in by a FENSA company, otherwise they would have had to check that as well.

You also get the building reg certificate at the end. If you don't have this, you could have trouble when you come to sell the property.

heres summat to think on peeps, youve just invested all that cash in a nice new PJ, speakers and amp, and some bugger breaks in an pinches it, no problem ill claim on the insurance, hang on its only a garage still and my policy only covers me to £1000 in there(as most do) cricky this means my new kit aint insured.

Also meeting building regs is a breeze, its there for a reason to be honest, so your walls dont go black with mould or its always freezing in your new garage room, and when you wanna sell it you can with it in full glory on the estate agents paperwork.

Im chuffed with my room and it no way feels like im going out into the garage at all.

[Marky1973]

Thanks for al the suggestions guys......will be a while before I can really get started but will do some checking with the council and see what I can do. Obviously seems important to get building regs checked out, but not necessarilt planning required.......only thing I am a little confused on is the comment made about not being a change of use? surely a garage turned into a cinema room (or whatever) is a change of use? or is it just major distinctions like changing it from a utility style room to a bedroom?

[Marky1973]

Quick call to the planning office and they want me to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate at the cost of £70 including architectural drawings of what I plan to do......just to tell me whether or not I want planning permission!!! Even if I am just planning to put up some stud walls and not actually brick up the garage door......quite keen to do things "right" so I don't have to worry about the change of use issues when/if I come to sell the house, but seems like I have a long road ahead of me before I get to do any work!

[woody67]

There are lots of threads about this.

There is no 'change of use' for changing use of rooms. Change of use is a specific planning term relating to 'use classes' ie only applies to changing from say, retail use to industrial use.

You don't need permission to block up the door. However you may need permission if your house is listed, in a conservation area or has conditions placed on it as part of the original planning permission.

You don't need planning permission for any internal alterations

There may be conditions relating to the original planning permission, which require you to keep a garage.

You only need to get a copy of your property planning history to see what conditions it has.

For certain extensions and alterations which would normally require planning approval, then you may well have 'Permitted Development' rights - which then require no formal planning application. Search google for more info

There may be other obligations via the deeds. You should check these to see if you can convert the garage - but this is separate to any planning legislation.

You should also advise the mortgage company as it is a normal condition of the mortgage.

You should inform your insurers, as mentioned above. Else your policy may well be invalid for any high value claim you need to make.

Building regs require an exit to an external door, or via a hallway - not via another room. If you can't achieve this, then you need a window of certain openable dimensions to act as an escape window.

[Marky1973]

Hi Woody

That is really helpful, certainly given me some more to think about.

Cheers