Extend Your Home: Loft and Garage Conversions
The reasons for moving house are many and varied but the most common reason we find when we value clients homes is because families have, quite simply, run out of space. That three bedroom dream semi-detached home may have been perfect for a young couple but, before you know it, you have two children and not enough room. The answer may be simpler than putting your house on the market and many families are looking at the alternatives; converting the space you already have.
In this feature, we take a look at the prospect of extending your home by converting your loft or garage. We cover issues like planning permission and building regulations approval as well as considering the costs and benefits of extending your home.
Why Extend Your Home?
There is a saying that we, as estate agents, hear a lot; ‘Don’t move, improve’. It’s a phrase that was coined by architects and home planners in response to the growing problem that homeowners face when reaching a space limit in their existing homes yet unable to afford that next step up on the property ladder. It’s become such a popular mantra that the BBC even produced a daytime television series to champion the idea of renovation over moving.
The simple facts are that space in a home is at a premium and realising the useful potential of any underused area in a property can not only add value but also increase the usability of your home. In the right circumstances (and done well), it’s a win-win situation that can offer property owners a few more years in their current home before they move on and release some additional equity in their property.
Image via Flickr.
How Much Value Does a Loft or Garage Conversion Add To Your Home?
Whilst converting the space offered by a loft or garage does diminish the storage capacity of your home and/or remove a useful parking facility, this kind of project can increase the amount of useful utility and/or living space. As a result, there is a potential benefit to you as a homeowner in terms of increasing the value of your property.
A special report by the Nationwide in 2014 concluded that by adding a double bedroom and a bathroom via a loft conversion could add more than 20% to the value of your home. In fact, just by adding an extra bedroom could increase the value by as much as 10%.
In terms of a garage conversion, adding usable space to your property by 10% could increase the value of your home by up to 5%.
With an average house price in Wokingham currently being £505,740, this means that:
- A bedroom/bathroom loft conversion could add up to £101,148 to the value of your house.
- A bedroom loft conversion could add up to £50,574 to the value of your house.
- A garage conversion could add up to £25,287 to the value of your house.
These figures are based on the initial report issued by Nationwide and may vary depending on the size of your existing home, the additional space converted and the quality of the finish. There is also some fluctuation by postcode.
What Planning Do You Need To Extend Your Home?
If you are considering a home extension by converting either your garage or loft then you will need to ensure that you have the appropriate planning permission and building regulations approval. Failure to comply with both of these constraints can invalidate your home insurance and you could face prosecution. In addition, trying to sell a house that has undergone building works without these documents in place is almost impossible.
So, what planning constraints are there for these two home improvements?
A loft or garage conversion may not need planning but will need building regulations approval. Image via Flickr.
Loft Conversion
A loft conversion is generally considered to be a permitted development and may not require planning permission so long as the plans for the new space do not breach any of the following conditions and limitations.
Loft conversions should only require planning if they:
- Consist of materials that are significantly different to the existing appearance of the house.
- Extend further than the existing plane of the largest elevation of the slope of your roof which fronts the road.
- Extend above the highest part of your house.
- Overhand the outer face of the wall of the original house.
- Have balconies, verandas or other elevated platforms.
- Increase the roof space by an additional 40 m3 (terraced houses) or 50 m3 (semi-detached/detached houses). This includes any prior extensions undertaken by any previous owners.
All windows that face to the side of the property and/or offer a view over a neighbour’s land must be obscure-glazed with an opening set 1.7m above floor level.
A loft conversion could be used to create an extra bedroom or a bathroom. Image via Wikipedia.
Garage Conversion
Most garage conversions do not require planning permission as long as you are not extending the space in your home or materially changing the façade of your property. However, some plans may require the permission of the local development office and may also require you to ensure that your property retains adequate parking provision. It is worth checking with your local planning office to ensure that your plans are not likely to require permission.
As long as the design for either of your conversions falls into the above approved development constraints then the only thing you need to obtain is building regulation approval. However, it is always worth double checking with the development control team at the local council to ensure that your plans are okay to proceed with before starting any work. This is important in case there have been any changes in legislation or with local planning bylaws of which you may not be aware.
You should also bear in mind that some residential areas have additional constraints in place when it comes to home improvements as do buildings that hold a listed status with National Heritage. Check if this applies to you before starting any conversion work on your home.
Image via Flickr.
Building Regulations for Home Extensions
Whether you require planning permission or not, you will need to obtain building regulation approval. This means that you will have to pay a fee to the local council planning development team to submit your plans for approval.
Your plans will need to detail all of the alterations being made along with the method(s) being used for the construction.
You will need to prepare these documents with a professional to ensure that your plans make it through the planning stages. Along with details of how the new space is to be heated, damp-proofed and ventilated you will also need to ensure that any and all electrical works are to be carried out by a Competent Person.
After your plans are approved a Building Notice Application will be issued and then you will need to accommodate site inspections made by the council during the construction phase. These site visits will ensure that your builder is following the plans as submitted.
Once the work has been completed, a final site inspection is carried out by the council’s building control office and only when they are satisfied that everything is in order will a Completion Certificate be issued.
How Much Does a Loft or Garage Conversion Costs?
The cost of a loft or garage conversion very much depends on what kind of room(s) you will be creating in the space and the size of the area you are working with. Other factors which may influence the cost of your project will be the level of ‘finish’ you are hoping to achieve as well as any existing constraints that you may be working within. For instance, a loft conversion where a hot water storage system needs to be moved/replaced/altered will bring additional costs.
However, a rough guide to the costs involved are:
- A 20 m2 standard loft conversion – £10,000 to £13,000
- A 20 m2 deluxe loft conversion – £20,000 to £25,000
- A 30 m2 standard loft conversion – £12,000 to £15,000
- A 30 m2 deluxe loft conversion – £22,000 to £27,000
- A single garage conversion – £4,000 to £8,000
- A double garage conversion – £5,000 to £10,000
Property Assistant: Should You Move or Improve?
The choice of whether to extend your home by converting an unused space comes down to many factors; whether you can afford the initial capital costs involved, whether you believe the extra space will be sufficient, whether you think that you can cope with the building works and whether or not you can get the necessary planning.
Property Assistant is able to offer you a free and no-obligation valuation of your existing home as well as our professional opinion about what additional value your investment is likely to add. Armed with this information you can make an informed decision about whether to move or improve.
Call us today to book your free property valuation on 0118 912 2370.
This article was first published on the Property Assistant website.