All garage conversions will require a Building Regulations application. Garage Conversion Plans will take care of this on your behalf.
Garage conversions have to comply with the Building Regulations, which are part of the Building Act 1984 (Amended by the building regulations act 1991). These regulations stipulate the precise method of constructing a building in 14 different areas of construction.
A Building Regulations application fee is normally priced between £160.00 and £200.00 dependant upon your Local Authority. We will fill out all application forms and submit the application for you.
We have to take into consideration the following Building Regulation points when converting your garage in to a living space:
1) Foundations
A foundation must be provided to carry any additional masonry loads, such as when a new inner skin to external walls is built or when filling in the garage door with brickwork and a window. The condition and suitability of the existing foundation/floor can be checked when the door infill area is excavated.
2) Wall Thickness
If the existing wall is single skin construction with piers, it must be checked for stability and absence of defects. If satisfactory, it is likely that the wall would be considered suitable for structural purposes.
3) Weather Resistance
A wall of single leaf construction must be treated in some way to make it weather-proof.
Common ways to do this are:
• To dry line the wall using a moisture barrier linked to a damp proof course or membrane at floor level. Treated battens, insulation, and polythene-backed plasterboard would complete the installation.
• To provide a lightweight blockwork inner leaf (if the floor is adequate to support this) with appropriate insulation in the new cavity. The provision of an inner leaf to create a cavity wall will require a cavity tray at the base of the wall unless it is possible to create a 6"/150mm deep cavity below finished floor level between the new inner leaf and the external skin. Floors (new and existing) should also incorporate a suitable damp proof membrane (1200gauge polythene for example).
4) Insulation
It will be necessary to insulate the walls, roof and floor to habitable standards. Windows must achieve a ‘U’ value of 0.18 W/m/²K. The wall insulation value should be equal to 0.35W/m²/K, the roof 0.16W/m²/K if pitched or 0.25 W/m²/K if flat and the floor 0.25W/m²K.
5) Ventilation
Windows must incorporate openable vents of an area equal to 1/20th of the floor area of the room and 8000mm² of trickle vents to provide background ventilation are also required. A window with a clear opening of 450 x 733mm will be required (for escape purposes) if the new room can only be accessed via another room. Roof space ventilation will usually be required when the garage roof is being insulated for the first time.
6) Sound Resistance
Any party wall between the garage and an adjoining property will have to adequately resist the passage of sound. A cavity or 9”/225mm masonry wall will usually be acceptable but a single skin of brickwork (4”/100mm thick) as is often found between neighbouring garages is not sufficient and will need upgrading. This will normally be done by adding an extra skin of masonry, timber stud, plasterboard or mineral wool.
Internal walls may also need to resist the passage of sound depending on the new layout.
7) Electrical Installation
All Electrical Installations to Building Regulation Part P, Electrical Safety. To reduce the hazards posed by unsafe domestic electrical installations and thereby help to reduce injuries from electrical shocks and burns. It is also hoped to reduce injuries arising from fires in dwellings due to electrical components overheating or arcing.
