Garage Conversion (Office & Utility Room)

[kai]

Wow, 30K!!! That’s always a bonus!

Do you know what insulation was used between the studs? And the spacing used? And did you have to do anything with regards to building regs as well?

I think it was 600mm spacing for the stud. I also used Knauf insulation doubled up so 80-100mm. It was a single skin garage. Insulation is excellent with the heated floors, it maintains an average temperature of 18-22 in the winter. As for building regs' i just made sure i received an electrical certificate. I was lucky, while this was being finished i had a building inspector come to the house to sign off our extension. He basically, said it was fine with some off the record advice what to do.

 

[kai]

Do mind me asking how much this project cost you? We are considering something similar. Also do you have a door from your house directly into your office room? Or do you need to use the patio door for access?

Costs roughly

£3.5k labour and materials (including doors)
£250.00 Flooring
£200 underfloor heating
£400 alarms & CCTV
£160 blinds
£60 lighting
£300 plasterer
£80 paint
£150 carpenter to move existing desk.

£5,100. Yet to pay the electrician, but i budgeted like £400

Then another £600 i would say for the utility room including worktops, fitting etc.

I know what you mean! I'm 90% done on mine, working out there as I go.
How did you tackle insulating around the door frame? My batten + insulation board + plasterboard is about 90mm all in which would stick out too far into the door way. I'm debating whether to buy some thinner insulated plasterboard and mechanically fix it to the wall around the frame to save on the 25mm from the battens.

No idea, i left that to the builder. It has a lintel and that's all i know!

Also do you have a door from your house directly into your office room? Or do you need to use the patio door for access?

I access the office from my back garden - there is no connection to the house.

 

[kai]

Hey @kai how's the office going? Any finished pictures? Would you recommend the under floor heating?

I'm about to start my garage conversion myself. Similar size to yours, I'll have 2.7 X 2.7 (7.29 Sqm). Im worried it will feel too boxy/small... How is yours? Mine will be a door inside of my garage to access the office room. The front of the garage will remain as a workshop/storage. I'll have a window on one of the side walls and may consider a light tunnel/roof velux if light levels are poor.

Interested to hear how you've got on with yours?
I'm currently working in.my garage and it's F-F-F-Freezing!

Truthfully, i love it. It's the exact same size as my old office inside the house that we have now turned into a walk in dressing room. The main objective was to have a direct distinction from home and work which i feel is very important. Covid to one side, i have worked from home for 4 years now, so for me this routine is fairly normal. However, being detached from the house helps. The fact its added almost £30K to the value of our home, is a bonus.

We also have a utility room the side of the wall, plus room for a car.

I spend a lot of time in my office, as its not uncommon for me to do an average 80 hour week.

The underfloor heating is great, i have it set to come on at 4am every morning until 10 am (during the winter). In the summer, on warm days its boiling. During the winter It holds a steady 18-20 all day. It's WiFi so its hooked into Alexa and set on routines. If its a little cold, i have a floor heater i can turn on for 5 minutes to whack the heat up (i have used it maybe twice on a very cold afternoon if i have opened and closed the door a lot with the dog).

Lighting has been fine, i have a large patio door that streams light in. During the summer the door is open all day, so i am not concerned as i have not really noticed any difference during the dark winter months.

Here are some photos i have taken this morning.

 

[kai]

Can I ask what your room dimensions are now it's finished? I'll be building mine up to that pillar blocks on the very right of the second picture which is 270cm length x 270cm width.
Can I also ask what you did for the flooring? Was it Damp Proof Membrane > Floating floor (loft boards) > Heating mat > Flooring (is it vinyl?)
Any other insulation, etc detail you can share?
Any tips you would offer of things to do/not do? I'll be doing mine myself with the help of some trade friends.

Sorry for the barrage of questions. I've been mulling this over and doing stuff to make it happen since March! Believe it or not the garage has had a lot of stuff cleared out of it, and more since the photo's. I'm awaiting a shed to move the rest of it out.

I will try my best.

• The internal room measurements changed a little bit as i decided i did not want to eat up to much of my garage. The floor size is now around 8.2 sqm.
  
• Flooring, it was a floating, as i needed the floor level with the outside garden. There is no drop or step up as you walk in. Its loft boards > Heating mat > insulation > engineered hardwood/LVT
  
• I left the insulation to the builder. Kingspan was used throughout, and lots of it.
  
• I set a budget, but i found the finishing touches to actually be expensive. Initially, i had no plans for coving etc, but during the build, i wanted it to be a finished product. For example, Perfect Fit blinds built around the glass only for the patio doors, £160.00 The alarm systems, hue lighting, wifi products quickly added cost albeit not essential.

 

[kai]

Hi @kai
Interested to know what sort of flooring you have? I'm moving on with my conversion and have just had the first fit electrics done. I won't be going for under floor heating, and will instead a WiFi panel heater on the wall, but can't decide if I should go for a wooden/vinyl/carpet/other flooring?
As a side question how have you found it now you've been in there a while? Anything you wish you'd done differently?

LVT. I would not pick anything else. We just had the entire house done - the stuff is bulletproof. I used: https://nwfloors.co.uk/cat/luxury-vinyl/luxury-vinyl-style/parquet-luxury-vinyl/

I spent a fair amount of time planning the office element as i work long hours. It was important the environment was comfy but had all the mod cons such as home automation. I might consider putting in a sky light at some point but its certainty not essential.

 

[kai]

Hi @kai , thanks for the reply. I trust yuou are still enjoying your office? Thanks for the link on LVT, any issues/marking from office chair wheels or have you got a mat or something under it? If your interested, here is a link to my project thread.

Project: Garage Office/Workshop Thread | Overclockers UK Forums

Yes, i love the office. Especially, since i have a 2 week old baby - I can escape from the house with no noise to work without distraction.

LVT wont mark or scratch. It has a 15 year commercial warranty. This is the sort of stuff used in large footfall shops etc. My Bulldog gives it a absolute hammering when playing. I have just had 55sqm laid in my living room as a parquet pattern.