A helpful guide to garage extensions

Enhancing your potential in your property in terms of a home improvement project can be an excellent way to maximise the space you currently have, plus you’ll be planning ahead looking at the long term investments of adding value to your house for when the time comes that you decide to move.

There are many improvements you can make to a property, including a garage extension. For most of us, our garage isn’t actually used to keep our cars in but rather a place to store extra belongings that can’t fit in the house. By extending your garage you could even turn it into a suitable living area, bedroom or playroom to name just a few of the possibilities that are open to you.

To help make sure you’ve considered a few things before your extension, we’ve come up with a little handy guide to refer to for your garage extension project.

Money

Consider how you’re going to fund your project. The best and cheapest option is to extend your current mortgage agreement or start a new one, however this is reliant on you having a good credit rating. Other than this, your next option would be a loan but again this relies on your credit rating.

Planning Permission

You shouldn’t just assume that you won’t need any permission to carry out the work you want to. It’s always worth checking with the local authorities planning department first. To give you an idea of what regulations you may need to follow, visit Planning Portal.

First Floor Extension

Building a first floor extension on your existing garage is more cost effective than extending outwards on the ground floor. The success of this depends on the current foundations and whether they can cope with the future plans (you’ll need to seek advice from a surveyor on this). You’ll more than likely need planning permission so again, you’ll have to get further advice and information for guidance on building regulations. Also, you won’t have to sacrifice any garden space in the process, which can help retain value to your property.

Converting the Garage

Once the actual extension is done, if you decide to use the space as an extra room to your house you’ll then have to focus on converting the garage into an actual room. This includes:

• Assessing the damp-proofing and re-doing it if required.
• Fix the wiring, plumbing and drainage if required.
• Install new ceiling and floor
• Improve the insulation (wall and ceilings)
• Cover ceiling and walls with plasterboard
• Replace the windows and doors

So for a great way to add extra room to your house which can give you plenty more storage space – and a cheaper alternative to moving – why not consider a garage extension?

For any information about garages or garage door installation such as roller garage doors throughout Manchester, please get in touch with the friendly team here at Dimension Garage Doors.