Find a Builder you can trust in Bures.

What is your garage being used for? If your answer is anything besides your vehicle, you’re in the majority in the UK. In the country, according to a research by Admiralty Loans, several home and property owners now use their garage as dumping ground for all sorts of stuffs asides a car. Ultimately, this gives rise to garage conversions as the more or less underutilized space can be converted into a living space which can be more beneficial while also adding more value to the property.

A garage conversion is a fast and relatively affordable route to adding more floor space within your home. It’s basically the act of changing your garage into something other than a storage or a place in which you can park your car. This can be anything from a bedroom to a playroom and anything in between. It’s a great way to provide extra space to allow your family to spread out and have more privacy while still within the walls of your home.

A garage conversion project is a huge one which mostly does not require a planning application so far the conversion is internal. However if you’re planning to increase the garage’s size or change the exterior of your home, or convert your garage into a separate room, then you may require a planning permission before getting started. It’s always wise to consult your local authority before carrying out any work to be on the safer side.

A project of garage conversion’s magnitude is better left to a reliable professional who have the experience when it comes to dealing with building regulations and more. This way, you’d also get to save yourself some headaches and some extra cash which may result from possible costly errors.

Are you looking to create some more space in your home with your garage being almost dispensable? If yes, then considering a garage conversion project may be the way to go. Unlike many other extension options, garage conversion does not take up an additional space as it only changes the current structure of the garage. As a result, the cost of completing a garage conversion project can be relatively attractive when compared to other space creating alternatives. So exactly how much would a garage conversion project cost? Well, there’s no precise answer for this as several influencing factors come to play. However, in this guide we’ll give you a rough idea of the average costs that you’re likely going to encounter. Some of the factors that can influence your budget dramatically includes the following:

• The size of the conversion. The larger the size of the garage per square feet, the more cost you’ll have to expend.

• The type of your property - listed buildings are usually more expensive.

• Your location in the UK. If you stay in London where there’s a higher demand, you’ll most likely pay more.

• You’re likely to pay more if a specialist knowledge is required.

• The amount of glazing to be installed

• Quality of the materials to be incorporated.

• Quality of the professional to carry out the installation service.

On average, when it comes to garage conversion projects, you’re likely to pay the following depending on the per square metre given:

• A single garage of about 15 square metre will cost within the range of £6,000 to £15,000.

• A double garage of about 30 square metre will cost within the range of £12,000 to £30,000.

With the prices of buying a house skyrocketing, many of us are tempted to building our own house. This is sometimes an excellent choice, but you will first need to understand the costs of building a house from scratch. As per a general estimate, the cost of self-build ranges between £300 per m2 to £3,000 per m2.

As you can see, this is quite a variation in price from lowest to highest. Location is a prime factor in determining the costs. Building a house in London and the South is more expensive compared to other regions. Aside from location, several other factors make up the price.

Self-manage with subcontractors

You hire professionals directly like builders and carpenters. You also buy all the materials yourself allowing you to get the best prices.

Hiring a main contractor with other subcontractors

You will first need a main contractor who will help to create the watertight structure for your house. For the rest of the work, try hiring out subcontractors. Make sure that you buy all the materials yourself to get the best price.

External cladding materials

If you are looking to install other external material other than brick, you will also need to factor in the cost for the same.

Here are some example prices:

• Render on blockwork costs around £25 per m²

• Timber cladding is around £25 per m²

• Hand¬made all-weather tiling costs around £54 per m²

• Rubble walling or flint is around £90 per m²

• Reconstituted stone costs about £48 per m²

• Natural stone is about £75 per m²

Make sure to include these costs when coming up with the estimate.

Roofing materials

Non-standard roofing materials tend to add more to the cost and therefore you will also need to account in for this factor.

Here are some examples:

Welsh slate – £60 per m²

Second-hand slates – £35 per m²

Handmade clay tiles – £65 per m²

Reed thatch – £80/m²

If you choose to add any unique material to your roofing, be sure that you remember to factor in its cost.

Are you considering converting your garage into a more usable space in your home? If yes, then you’d probably want to know if you’ll require building regs before converting the garage. The answer to this question is yes. Although you may not require planning approval to convert your garage into a more usable space, but you’d usually need approval under the Building Regulations.

When re-structuring your garage into a habitable space, the following should be taken into consideration: structural alterations, ventilation, moisture proofing, insulation, fireproofing, escape routes as well as the submission of a building building notice or full plan application to the local council in order to inform them about the planned project.

• Walls

You’ll require an approval if you plan to infill the garage door with a window and a new wall. This is because the garage may have been built of a shallow slab which implies that a new foundation would be needed for the new wall construction.

• Floor

Even though there’s a high possibility that the garage floor is strong enough for domestic use since its designed to withstand the weight of vehicles, you may however need to upgrade to make sure it suitable for both thermal insulation and damp proofing. In addition, there may also be the need to to alter the floor level in such a way that it matches that of the remaining parts of the house.

• Ventilation

According to the Building Regulations requirements, there’s a need for adequate ventilation for each individual rooms which includes garage conversions for general health purposes. What’s going to determine the ventilation level that’ll be required is the frequency at which the room is used. Ventilation can be provided through purge or simply opening the window or via trickle ventilation.

The answer is yes! Houses whose external walls have been insulated are more valuable than their uninsulated counterparts. And not only does it add to the value of a home, but also significantly reduces the amount of electricity consumption. This is a major turn on for potential investors which implies a greater demand and ultimately, a higher price. The real estate market is a very dynamic one which can be hard to predict at any particular time. The frequent changes in price are usually down to factors beyond the owners’ control, but if you’re looking to put up your house for sale in the near future, it would be a wise decision to consider ways in which you can increase its value. While renovating each room can be on the expensive side, a great solution would be insulate the external walls.

An insulated house is one that is well secured against the harmful impact of extremely high or low temperature, humidity and other atmospheric factors. Hence, the reason why a house with external wall insulation has a greater value which you would not want to miss out on. What’s more? You’ll get a great thermal insulation with the top notch materials like foamed polystyrene, high quality renders, mineral wool or polyurethane.

With an external wall insulation, you know the transaction will always be favourable on both ends. You get to smile to the bank, while the buyer also gets to enjoy great value for every penny spent. To employ the services of a reliable external wall insulation expert, simply conduct an in depth research from family and friends, online and other sources. Go through their online reviews and ask questions to become more familiar with the process and its value-adding potentials.

Finding a builder nearby can have enormous assistance when it comes to your build. Period on site, their familiarity of local planning permission, constructors’ dealers and other local trades are all vital bits of knowledge that you’ll welcome on site.

It is always wise to walk around in your local area or drive to a site where any construction work is going on. It’ll give you a proper impression of the constructors who are active nearby. You don’t have to like their style of work or the project they are currently carrying out – after all, a builder can only produce what’s on the plans in front of them.

Find a Builder Other Tradesmen Recommend

If you’ve had to call an electrician before or a local plumber and liked their work, you can always ask them if they have any builders whom they would recommend. Maximum tradesmen get used to seeing the similar acquainted names from one place to another in the sites they are working on and every so often has favourites for who they like to work with — and who they see as a good source of work.

Always Talk to Previous Customers

Once you’ve found a builder you would like to work with, ask them for a list of previous customers they have worked with; they ought to be glad to offer particulars if they’re self-assured they’ve done an effective job.

Look for a builder online

A decent place to start looking for builders online is on sites like the ours so that you can find quality tradespeople and see genuine reviews from previous customers. Not all online review sites can be trusted to display real reviews.

Due to the fact that we live in a country (the UK) with so much history as well as architectural beauty, there’s a need to have what’s commonly called “Conservation Area. A Conservation Area is basically an area which is designated by the local authority and is established in order to protect and enhance areas of historical and architectural interest which includes both rural and urban areas. Therefore, when it comes to refurbishment project in a conservation area, there’s usually a lot of things that needs to be put into consideration as well as hurdles to scale in order to make alterations to your property without any interruptions from the law.

In general, all properties in a conservation area have strict regulations governing the outlook of the houses, as this plays a major role in the appearance of the area as a whole. As a result, if you wish to bring down a building, fence, wall or even railing and the likes, you’ll need to obtain prior consent before you proceed. An easy way to go about any refurbishment plan is to to ensure the usage of exactly the same materials that exists in the current house. When you abide by the rules, you’ll be in a more favourable position to acquire the needed prior consent.

The short and simple answer to the question is yes, you can refurbish a house in a conservation area but subject to the approval of the local authority through a planning permission. And when it comes to submitting a planning application for approval, some are aspects will usually be subjected to more intense examinations than the others. Hence, the need to make sure that your refurbishment plans are all friendly in a similar way to the neighbouring buildings and environment.

Over the years, garden rooms have gradually become a popular choice amongst homeowners as a cost effective way of expanding living space within a home or property. A garden room is basically a living space and a type of pavilion building made from wood that’s well insulated, double glazed as well as electrically wired. It’s however a building which is subsidiary to the main one, built with the purpose of creating an extra functional space within the property. These garden outbuildings are very functional and can be used as a garden studio, office, salon and much more. They can also be incorporated for recreational purposes for evening relaxations, family and friends get-together, lounge or even spa. Other possible uses of a garden room include gyms, pool houses, playrooms, dens, home cinemas and game rooms.

Garden rooms are functional living spaces that are usable throughout the year. And with the rate at which their popularity is growing, you’ll find some companies offering cheap and low quality alternatives featuring shed like construction and felt roof. Garden rooms, on the other hand, are a valuable investment with superior designs and top notch build. They’re constructed in a very similar way to houses with timber frames. Furthermore, they are fully insulated and can also include the normal building solutions such as heating and running water, electricity and many more depending on the requirements of the home or property owner. With the durability of garden rooms being a major objective, they’re typically clad in natural solid timber like Cedar, Larch or Acacia. Materials such as EPDM rubber or cedar shingles are normally used for the roof covering. What’s more? They usually have large expanses of glazing and glazed doors fitted.