Garage Conversion (Office & Utility Room)

kai

kai

kai

Soldato
Joined
15 Oct 2007
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Location
Wales.
Working from home full time, I find it difficult to sometimes separate a work-life balance, especially as I work really long hours.

We have also needed to convert one of the bedrooms into an office. As such, I recently decided to split our office into an office/utility.

  • The garage is not utilized, apart from a dryer and spare fridge
  • It’s completely private. Behind the garage is protected forestry that no one can build on.
  • We have a large drive that can easily hold 3 cars, so putting a car in the garage has never been a thing.
  • Adding a side entrance from our garden.
  • The build will be done completely out of timber-frame and will be easy enough to remove should we ever sell the house.
  • Great excuse to kit the office out with some cool tech. For example the 65' Q70 TV will be going up above the desk :) (Heating, lighting, doors, security will all be WiFi)
Design.

The office will be 8sqm with a double partition wall. A 1200 patio door will be cut out of the single skin brickwork from the side entrance to allow access to the office space. The front opening of the garage will be a storage/utility area for kitchen cupboards, worktops, washing machine, tumble dryer etc.

Opening the garage from the front of the house will look like any other garage. You will not be aware behind the wall will be an office as its fairly long garage.

The office area will be heavily insulated and have underfloor heating.

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Side Entrance (from rear garden - double patio door to be installed)

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Looking good! Tell me please, how have you stuck your framing together? Nails, screws or magic? Pilot holes/whales?

On a more depressing note, are the backs of those planters the garage bricks, or more timber?

Last question ;): Why so many sole plates? (I am learning too and about to do a half-bottomed approximation of this)
 
Griffo said:
Looking good! Tell me please, how have you stuck your framing together? Nails, screws or magic? Pilot holes/whales?

On a more depressing note, are the backs of those planters the garage bricks, or more timber?

Last question ;): Why so many sole plates? (I am learning too and about to do a half-bottomed approximation of this)
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I have a builder doing the work - he is using screws. Nothing is nailed. The idea is that "should" this ever need to be taken down, it will be like a flat pack (in theory).

There is no depressing note - the is NO soil touching the brick work. Everything is timber front and back with railway sleepers, they are merely sunken at the back (out of shot). I will simply chainsaw the sleepers to create an opening to the patio door / for the builder to be able to disc the entry. Then entry will be slabbed and dressed with entry lighting etc.

The sole plates are to raise the flooring. The floor will be suspended to be the same height as outside. There will be no step up or down plus, its added protection as is only a single skinned brick.
 
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whitecrook said:
sole plates should have been pressure treated timber.
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Possibly, however surely there is no need to use treated timber so long as it is going to remain dry?

The framing - there is no direct contact with the concrete. The entire is area has been wrapped around DPM, drainage holes are also going to be used to let any water run away from any area (IF) we are to have any slightly damp leaking through the brick.
 
Will the double patio door let in enough natural light? Considering the front of the garage won't have any windows i presume? It doesn't make for a pleasant working environment if there's very little natural light!

Either way, cool little project going. Remember to keep taking lots of pics!
 
Semple said:
Will the double patio door let in enough natural light? Considering the front of the garage won't have any windows i presume? It doesn't make for a pleasant working environment if there's very little natural light!

Either way, cool little project going. Remember to keep taking lots of pics!
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mrbell1984 said:
Make some space for a window and it will be perfect! You need some natural light.
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I am hoping the patio doors will offer enough natural light. Putting a window on the back or side wall is not possible. This is next doors land and i will either be looking at their fence or into their garden. My only other option will be a sky light. However, i think the patio doors will be sufficient.

I have also selected a solid oak floor, natural oak desk etc to try and help.
 
Have a similar patio door 4ft total about 80 cm of vertical glass, desk nearby and it's fine with an interior 4K/daylight light
...eyes can focus on the great outside when necessary.

some ventilation is helpful .. I'm intrigued by the (electric ?) underfloor heating and roof insulation needs ?
 
jpaul said:
Have a similar patio door 4ft total about 80 cm of vertical glass, desk nearby and it's fine with an interior 4K/daylight light
...eyes can focus on the great outside when necessary.

some ventilation is helpful .. I'm intrigued by the (electric ?) underfloor heating and roof insulation needs ?
Click to expand...

danlightbulb said:
Following! Nice project, hope to see more pictures. Are you insulating the framing, and what about the roof?
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Electric : The garage has its own fuse box but is connected to the main house. They run off the same ring as i am using the electric to carry the WiFi out there. Brilliant bit of kit from TP-Link. (TL-WPA4220)
Roof Insulation: The garage roof is vaulted. The builder will be plaster-boarding across the beams, so we will have a good 15 feet between the plasterboard and the top of the roof. I can add as much as i like i.e. 270mm+
Underfloor Heating: i will be using; Underfloor Heating Kit for Laminate / Wood with a WiFi Thermostat that i can program across 7 days. So i will have the heating come on at say 5am before going in the office to start work at 6/7.

From the middle of the garage looking up, as its hard to explain.


The office side will be plaster boarded at the beams. Then it will blocked off so one side will remain as is (with a new utility) and a normal ceiling office side. This is why a sky light (at this stage) might not be possible.
 
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Get a bunch of light pipes fitted to the roof, drop extra natural light in a couple of places.
Small/single room MVHR is nice, keeps it warm and gives fresh air ventilation. Makes for a lovely space.
Get the insulation right so you dont cook in the summer months.
 
Slow progress due to the weather. Today, we got the floating floor down ready for the underfloor heating.

Tomorrow the electrics going in:

Underfloor heating; wired / wifi
5 x double / USB sockets (2 exterior side for utility room)
2 switches
Ceiling Spotlights
2 outdoor PIR/ lights
Camera System / PIR sensors

Hopefully this week, the patio door will be in and the oak floor laid, with the plastering early next week.

There will be 100mm insulation going into the walls and 200mm in the roof.


There is also a custom desk' being fitted/moved that has been made up to exact same dimensions ready to go onto the back wall when the floor and skirting are down.

* built-in a separate room.
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*garage
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quick question would this job require building regs to complete I assume it would as you are changing an out buidling into a heated main use room. I have a double garage and was considering bricking one door up and installing a window and door and partitioning it off leaving the other side as a garage/work area as we very rarely put the cars in the garage
 
adwol48 said:
quick question would this job require building regs to complete I assume it would as you are changing an out buidling into a heated main use room. I have a double garage and was considering bricking one door up and installing a window and door and partitioning it off leaving the other side as a garage/work area as we very rarely put the cars in the garage
Click to expand...

From my understanding "permitted development rights. These rights ensure, as long as the work you’re carrying out is internal, and you’re not trying to enlarge the existing structure, you’re free to proceed to the building regulations stage.
 
.. but you have to satisfy builing regs though (what he asked ?) so fire regs .... do you have to inform council, for re-evaluation, too.

moreover ... seems your desk is not facing the patio doors then ?
 
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