Double garage conversion ideas

roccles

roccles

roccles

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I have been looking into garden offices and had specced up a 4m x 5m (45mm walls) with floor and roof insulation. This was coming in at around £4500 I would then need to lay electrics etc to the building which is quite a distance from the consumer unit and also build a solid base for it so i am guessing at least another couple of thousand just to get the basics in.

So this got me thinking could I convert my existing detached double garage approx (5.5m x 5.5m) into my office. The problem with my garage at the moment is that the only access is the large double garage door. It does not have any other windows or doors (although there is a possibility i could put a door on the side near the guy chopping wood).

This is the garage

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My initial idea was something like this (please excuse the mockup!)

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Would this work? Any ideas on ballpark cost?

I have looked in double garage doors with pedestrian access but not sure that is what I am looking for, as it would be nice to have one side dedicated to office space.

Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
 
get rid of the garage door completely. stick a large window there instead and a door and convert the full thing IMO. nobody uses garages for cars unless they have an exotic car and by the looks of it you have an old focus.

make sure it's fully insulated. ground, sides, ceiling. i'd say the more the better. that way heating costs in winter will be minimal and less leakage the better so it warms up fast. that is the key to a garage. mine is too cold to use 9 months of the year up here in Scotland.

don't build a partition wall, big open space IMO is better and makes it feel large rather than cramped.
 
Big open space is the plan but I thought a roller shutter might come in handy from time to time. I also wondered if planning permission etc might become an issue if i remove the garage door completely.

This is an old photo that car is long gone! Although its replacement is far from exotic and not even sure it would fit anyway (Skoda Superb) I have never tried.
 
A roller garage door is going to be cold unless you have an internal partition too. Whilst it shouldn’t be as much as £4500 to convert an existing structure, it’ll be a decent chunk of cash to do it properly with a proper wall, door, window and insulation. I guess it depends on what you’re planning to do in your office, but you need a few creature comforts to work for long periods of time.
 
tom_nieto said:
A roller garage door is going to be cold unless you have an internal partition too. Whilst it shouldn’t be as much as £4500 to convert an existing structure, it’ll be a decent chunk of cash to do it properly with a proper wall, door, window and insulation. I guess it depends on what you’re planning to do in your office, but you need a few creature comforts to work for long periods of time.
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The more I look into this I think you might be right it could even end up costing more to do it properly. back to plan A with the log cabin then I think, will have a much nicer view from there anyway!
 
tom_nieto said:
A roller garage door is going to be cold unless you have an internal partition too. Whilst it shouldn’t be as much as £4500 to convert an existing structure, it’ll be a decent chunk of cash to do it properly with a proper wall, door, window and insulation. I guess it depends on what you’re planning to do in your office, but you need a few creature comforts to work for long periods of time.
Click to expand...

I can't see how it'd be less than £4.5k to convert the garage. the door and window alone will be £1.5k and by the time you've paid for the wall to be bricked up, insulating the floor/walls/ceiling, plasterboarding, decoration, electrical wiring etc you'll easily be at £4.5k
 
My dad is quite the craftsman but getting on a bit now (67) and finding he can't do what he used to. He laid his own concrete base (he has a cement mixer) and really liked the look of the below. There was a 3 month lead time on it but it got fitting in March by 1 guy in about 4 days I think it was. My dad is really impressed with the workmanship (and he is a perfectionist). It's even got proper concrete roof tiles. He went with the 20x10. You get to chose where you want the windows / doors whilst it's being built.

I've been in it earlier in March and it looks fab, he just hasn't sorted out the electrics yet or done anything about insulating it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20x10-Ti...op-summerhouse-gym-stable-office/163423056006
 
where are you in the world? Before you get too far in the designing check what planning and building regs you need to comply with. This may have a planning issue, or at the very least require a full planning application vs what is permitted under permissible development.

edit you might also want to blur the number plate on the pic and re-upload?
 
roccles said:
The more I look into this I think you might be right it could even end up costing more to do it properly. back to plan A with the log cabin then I think, will have a much nicer view from there anyway!
Click to expand...

there is no chance converting a current building is more expensive than doing from scratch.

at best you are talking £2K in materials and £500 in labour if you do most of it yourself.

a log cabin of the same size would be £7K and not be made of solid brick or have the same type of strength or foundations.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
there is no chance converting a current building is more expensive than doing from scratch.

at best you are talking £2K in materials and £500 in labour if you do most of it yourself.

a log cabin of the same size would be £7K and not be made of solid brick or have the same type of strength or foundations.
Click to expand...

I can't get my head round how you'd buy all the materials for a double garage conversion for £2k? I'm past £2k with just the door, window, bricks and celotex. Need to add on loads of other things like plasterboard, plaster, floor insulation, roof insulation, floor finishes, electrics, paint etc.
  • UPVC door - £400
  • Decent sized window - £300
  • 2 packs of bricks - £900
  • 100mm ceoltex at £36/sheet is going to set you back over £750 just for the walls
 
You can get doors and windows off ebay for buttons second hand or gumtree.

You don't need to use celotex much cheaper insulation available.

Also a log cabin won't be insulated or plasterboarded either.

I'd just use loft insulation and chipboard the walls then screw reclaimed wood to the chipboard then stain.

A lot cheaper than celotex and plasterboard.
 
Personally I think it would cost about the same to convert the garage unless you intend to DIY. But also I think it makes a lot more sense to convert the garage. A double garage is a decent size and will permanently add to the value of the property, especially since it doesn't have a flat roof, it will make a very nice addition to the property.
 
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