Many homeowners may reach a point in their current property where they want to expand on their living space. If this sounds familiar, contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t mean that you need to add space by extending onto your home or moving properties entirely. In fact, the solution may actually be closer to home than you think: your garage.
Many often overlook how valuable the garage space can be, only utilising it as a place to store their car or belongings. Here, we will look at the ways you can decorate your garage, transforming it into a usable living space for an affordable price.
Conversion ideas
First and foremost, you need to decide on what you want the main purpose of this room to be. A few suggestions are:
- A playroom for the children to enjoy
- A home office or study
- A gym area
- A spare room
- A second living room
Not only can renovating your garage provide a cost-effective alternative to moving home, it can also add value to your property. As such, it’s important to carefully consider every detail to ensure the room meets your exact requirements and is worth the time and money that you invest into it.
Planning permission
Prior to carrying out any work at your property, it’s important to establish whether planning permission is required for the project. According to Planning Portal, when it comes to garage conversions, “Planning permission is not usually required, providing the work is internal and does not involve enlarging the building.”
Some properties – such as those on a new housing development or in a conservation area – may have had the permitted development rights for garage conversions removed, so it’s imperative to check whether this is the case for you before any work is undertaken. It’s also worth noting that any conversion work at a listed building may require listed building consent.
Lighting
In most cases, garages have a limited number of windows – if any at all – which restricts the amount of natural light entering the room. Installing new windows can prove rather costly, so clever use of lighting inside the room will help to create a brighter, more liveable space for an affordable price.
Recessed lighting, such as skylights, can brighten up the room without overpowering the space. Not only that, this type of lighting takes up minimal space inside the room, making it the ideal solution for smaller garages with limited space.
Key considerations
Whatever you decide to use your garage for, there are several factors you will need to take into consideration when designing the room:
- Insulation
- Security
- Heating
- Air conditioning
- Plumbing
- Electricity
Whether you choose to convert your garage into living space, or simply use it to store your vehicle, it’s important to make sure it is a hospitable environment which won’t fall victim to the elements. As such, you should carefully assess the condition of the walls, floors, windows, ventilation, heating and insulation to check whether they need to be replaced.
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Author Bio:
This blog was written by Motorway Windscreens. They specialise in windscreen replacement and repairs for customers throughout the UK. For more information visit their website.
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