Are you guilty of using your garage to store clutter or does it remain empty because you can’t be bothered to drive your car in and out every day?
As many as 51% of Brits rarely, or never, use their garage to actually park their car, instead filling it with tools or unused furniture, a study by Admiral Money has revealed.
In fact, there are so many redundant garages, nearly 600,000 homes could be built in the space wasted by them, according to Admiral’s calculations.
But what if you were to put your vacant garage to good use? Admiral also worked out a basic garage conversion can cost as little as £6,000 for a single garage whilst a full conversion would be between £10,000 and £20,000.
But the value it could add your home is much more – around £48,000, Admiral said.
The research, based on ONS data, comes at a time when homeowners who are keen to live in a more spacious home may be hindered by mortgage rate hikes and high house prices.
But, said Admiral, converting their garage offers an alternative because it means people can shape their homes to meet their post-pandemic lifestyles.
Indeed, the space can be used for installing home-offices for hybrid working, providing a place for at-home-workouts or meeting the needs of the increasing number of adult children who are living at home.
The research revealed the majority of homeowners who have converted their garage have done so to increase living space (67%) – it found utility rooms and offices were the most popular options.
But as many as 24% preferred to transform their space into rooms for leisure, opting for bars, home cinemas and gyms.
Converting your garage – the pros
As well as the value-enhancing potential, another major ‘pro’ to turning your garage into a room is that it’s unlikely you will need planning permission.
Charlie Syson, a property specialist, said: “It’s the most valuable conversion you can do with your property, as this requires no planning permission and most of the time, no structural work, therefore it is a very cost-effective way to increase square footage and living area.
“Although an upfront conversion cost could be off-putting, homeowners can increase the mortgage on their house to renovate the garage, which could increase property value by over £48,000 on average across the UK, according to recent figures, and by up to £150,000 in some London postcodes.”
What to watch out for when converting your garage
Before proceeding it’s important to consider carefully whether you – or a potential buyer of your property – may need your garage in future. For example, if you are in an area where parking is tricky or if you only have room for one car on the driveway.
Syson added: “The practical need or use for one is very situational. For example, you may wish to have a garage if you have a car and want to keep it off the road, however most modern cars are often too wide to fit into a garage.
“Most people who own electric vehicles would prefer a driveway and will charge their cars there as it’s more effort to drive the vehicle in and out of a garage, especially in a city.”
Designing your new room
If you are looking for clever ways to use the space, an architect can help. Professional fees for an architect and engineer can start at £1,500 and can be as much as £3,000.
Martin Hitchcock, an architect, advised the key to a successful garage conversion was to look at how you currently use your home and think about how you could make it even better.
He recommended asking yourself the following questions before launching into your plans.
- Would you benefit from extending an existing room into the garage?
- Could you convert part of it and continue to use the rest for storage?
- Do you have access to alternative parking if you undertake a garage conversion?
- Would your car be parked directly outside a window in your garage conversion, and how will that impact on the light in your new space?
He added: “Whether you choose to extend your kitchen, install a gym, set up a playroom or use it for something else, your garage can go from a place for forgotten clutter to a space that completely transforms the way you live.”
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Charlie Syson’s tips to maximise the space in a garage
Plan based on your current needs
Think how the space could be used and what would suit your lifestyle. Some people turn their garage into a living room, games room or bar, so it’s important to look at how these fit with your needs.
Avoid unnecessary costs and paperwork
As you own the land your garage is on, in most cases, a homeowner doesn’t need planning permission to convert it.
If you knock down walls to create a bigger, open-plan space, block off the garage door and add insulation, you can gain liveable space.
Make it self-contained
Creating a residential living space in the form of a self-contained ‘Granny Annex’ and adding a kitchen unit would boost the potential to Airbnb or rent out the space when it’s not in use.
For leasing a conversion, use a short-let specialist and the profit for inner city conversions could be upwards of £1,500 per month.
Self-converting? Make sure you insulate
If you don’t have the time or finance available to convert your garage then its best to ‘self-convert’ and use the space as a teenage den or home gym – habitual space will nearly always add value to a property.
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