Additional Living Space from Your Garage

Adding a bedroom, playroom or guest room in the garage

For additional living space, Convert Garages converts the garage into a bedroom, guest room, playroom, hobby room or flexible room that can change use as your household does.

Because one room may need to do several jobs, the starting point is a clear picture of who will use it and when. We then assess the garage's condition, size, floor levels against the house, the doorway connecting the two and the services already in place. From that, a layout is drawn around the furniture that has to fit, a bed and wardrobe or a sofa and toy storage for example, along with window positions, the route through the door and where radiators and sockets go. If the room may become a bedroom later, it helps to say so early, since that can shape the design.

Planning and Building Regulations needs are pinned down before construction starts, and so is the question of who handles drawings, applications and inspections. A written specification and quotation follow, showing what the price covers, what it leaves out and anything you still need to choose. Our step-by-step process sets out each stage.

During the build, work runs in an order you have agreed to, and changes are discussed with you before they are carried out. On completion the new room is compared with the agreed brief, and the certificates and documents that relate to it are identified for your records. For a more sociable second lounge, see garage to living room conversions.

Who a garage living space conversion suits

A garage conversion suits households that need another room without building outwards: a growing family short of a bedroom, parents who want a playroom away from the lounge, or a home that often hosts relatives. It also works where someone in the family needs a ground-floor bedroom because stairs have become difficult. In that case we look closely at thresholds, door widths and the route to a bathroom.

It suits less well where the garage is the only covered parking and the car must stay inside, or where a planning condition requires the garage to be kept for parking. A partial garage conversion can keep the front section for bikes and storage while the rear becomes a room.

Layouts for a garage bedroom, guest room or hobby room

A single garage is long and narrow, so layout matters. Arrangements we can draw up include:

• a bedroom with the bed against the long wall, a wardrobe across the rear and a window where the garage door used to be
• a guest room with a sofa bed, so the space doubles as a snug when nobody is staying
• a playroom with low built-in storage along one wall and a hard-wearing floor
• a hobby or craft room with a worktop under the window, sockets at bench height and task lighting
• a bedroom divided by a stud wall from a small shower room

A double garage could give a bedroom and a separate playroom, or one large room with a home office corner.

Making a converted garage feel like part of the house

Much of the work is hidden once the room is decorated. The floor is often lower than the house and may need a damp-proof membrane, insulation and a new screed or raised timber floor to meet the hallway level. The infill wall where the garage door stood needs its foundations checked, insulation and a window sized for daylight and ventilation. Walls are usually insulated on the inside, and the roof or ceiling may need insulating too.

For bedrooms we pay attention to sound between the new room and the rooms beside it, to whether the existing boiler can take extra radiators, and to the fire safety measures a ground-floor bedroom needs. Matching brickwork and window style on the front keeps the change looking intentional from the street.

Does a garage bedroom or playroom need planning permission?

Converting an attached or integral garage into a room within the house, without enlarging it, does not usually need planning permission. That can change if a condition on the original permission keeps the garage for parking, if permitted development rights have been removed, if an Article 4 direction applies, or if the property is in a conservation area or listed. A detached garage needs a closer look, particularly if it will be used as a bedroom.

Building Regulations approval is normally needed whenever a garage becomes habitable space. The requirements cover structure, fire safety and escape, damp proofing, insulation, ventilation and electrical work. Convert Garages confirms both positions before construction and agrees with you who arranges each application and inspection. Our page on planning and building regulations explains the rules in more detail.

What affects the cost of an additional living space conversion

Convert Garages prices each room from its specification rather than a standard rate. The main factors are:

• whether the whole garage or only part of it is converted
• the condition of the floor, walls and roof, and how much levelling and insulation they need
• the infill wall and window in place of the garage door
• heating, either extended from the existing system or from a separate heat source
• plumbing for a shower room or basin
• sockets, lighting and data points
• flooring, joinery and built-in storage
• fees for drawings, Building Regulations and any planning application

The garage conversion cost guide explains more.

Frequently asked questions

Ask for a quote for your extra room

To prepare a quotation, Convert Garages needs:

• your address and postcode
• photographs of the garage inside and out, including the door and the doorway into the house
• rough internal measurements
• what the room will be used for, and by whom
• a full or partial conversion
• any planning documents or restrictions you know about

Send these through our contact page and we will arrange to assess the garage.