Can I fit patio doors on my detached garage without building regs/ planning permission

ToneControl

anyone done this?

i.e. replace the up and over doors with french windows

Phil_aka_Pip

I've not done this but I suspect they will hassle you for changing the use of the garage, and then the Poll Tax wallahs will tell you that you have now got an extra "living room" and try to charge you more for living there. If your garage is not visible from the street you may well get away with it and just not tell anyone. That's just an opinon and may not be worth much.

boogieman

If it's not fitted out and is obviously not used as proper living space, eg not plastered, no heating inside, you'd probably be ok without planning permission. Otherwise, it's not worth the risk and you might end up having to rip everything out again. Also, are your neighbours likely to dob you in ?

Jalapeno

Doubt you'd need build regs, but planning permission - depends - if you're going to use it as an office/workshop - prosibly not. If as a bedsit - probably yes - there'd also be fire regs, thermal efficiency rating etc.

Go to the planning office and ask to speak with a planning officer - it's what they are there for.  You don't have to give them your address.

Iamnobody

I think you could probably swerve planning permission but would need building Regs approval.

Out of interest where are you sourcing your patio door?

I'm moving in a few weeks and one of the first jobs is replacing an aging 11ft wide aluminium patio door with a UPVC one. I've been getting a few quotes in and they vary quite a lot as you might expect.

Danny1969

No need for planning permission unless you alter the external structure in terms of size. Building regs in terms of insulation and damp apply though

Personally I bricked up my garage door and changed the garage into a studio and told no one ... it's not like anyone normally gives a shit unless your gonna house a family of illegal immigrants or something

ToneControl

a local one-man guy, small scale so no vat I think

£1900 for 2 garages done as patio doors, £2140 for french windows (one static window and 2 opening doors for each garage)

Phil_aka_Pip

Danny1969 said:

Personally I bricked up my garage door and changed the garage into a studio and told no one ... it's not like anyone normally gives a shit unless your gonna house a family of illegal immigrants or something

 I know a chap who turned his garage into a studio, and kept the up& over door, except there was a solid breezeblock wall behind it. The entrance was from a new door he put in his hallway. No officialdom was consulted, no questions were asked, and no lies were told.

PolarityMan

Danny1969;524449" said:

No need for planning permission unless you alter the external structure in terms of size. Building regs in terms of insulation and damp apply though

Personally I bricked up my garage door and changed the garage into a studio and told no one ... it's not like anyone normally gives a shit unless your gonna house a family of illegal immigrants or something

I put a studwork wall up across half of mine to make a mini drum room. tbh if it was a problem would be piece of piss to pull down again.

Danny1969

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Danny1969 said:

Personally I bricked up my garage door and changed the garage into a studio and told no one ... it's not like anyone normally gives a shit unless your gonna house a family of illegal immigrants or something

 I know a chap who turned his garage into a studio, and kept the up& over door, except there was a solid breezeblock wall behind it. The entrance was from a new door he put in his hallway. No officialdom was consulted, no questions were asked, and no lies were told.

Mine was 2 openers rather than up & over but yeah I did the same ........ this is actually mine ... photo taken in progress :

And this the inside of the wall when finished :

I still miss that garage studio ........ even though I have a 3000 sq ft one now

bobblehat

Planning likely not required but building regs compliance will depend on the size and use.There's also other factors like is it attached to the house and accessible from the house? If it is and you are changing the use It may then be classed an extension even though you haven't built anything new. 

Danny1969

I asked a guy working for the council about this and he said you can do what the hell you want in your garage as long as you don't sleep in it .......... some people put cars in em some people use em to play table tennis or pot flowers ..... as long as you don't sleep in it your good

Phil_aka_Pip

and how will they know if you do sleep in it?

Danny1969

Yeah I wondered that !

Iamnobody

ToneControl;524487" said:

a local one-man guy, small scale so no vat I think

£1900 for 2 garages done as patio doors, £2140 for french windows (one static window and 2 opening doors for each garage)

Cheers

The best quote I've had for the 11ft one is £850 and £250 for fitting so sounds about right. Mines on the house so need to check its decent quality with modern locking system etc.

bobblehat

Phil_aka_Pip said:

and how will they know if you do sleep in it?

Because one of your friendly neighbours who's recently had planning permission refused will let them know  

Sambostar

Either that or, assuming the best of people rather than the worst, a neighbour will pop in to the planning office and cite your garage as a precedent for permission for theirs.  I'd like to think it is mostly that way around, rather than embittered busybodies ruining it for everyone. Although it probably isn't.  Unless you rent it out, in which case you deserve to be buried.

musicegbdf

If you ever come to sell you will get hassle if you do not have a FENSA certificate.
Suggest you look into Fensa or similar. May also need to check any restrictive covenants'.

ToneControl

musicegbdf said:

If you ever come to sell you will get hassle if you do not have a FENSA certificate.
Suggest you look into Fensa or similar. May also need to check any restrictive covenants'.

only applicable to the main house I think, inhabitable rooms I think 

ToneControl

I called the council, and found they'd "removed the permitted development rights" for my house, so I have to apply for planning permission (for free) for everything you can normally do without asking to the outside of your house.  It's because it's a pretty house, and the council don't want us to mess it up. The planner said it should be fine to do the garage though

WezV

ToneControl said:

musicegbdf said:

If you ever come to sell you will get hassle if you do not have a FENSA certificate.
Suggest you look into Fensa or similar. May also need to check any restrictive covenants'.

only applicable to the main house I think, inhabitable rooms I think 

Questions will still be asked either way, and sometimes this is enough to disuade potential buyers.  Just the fear its not done properly will scare some off

 

I have a seperate brick built garage  which has had the back section made into an "office space".   When we brought the house we were told in no uncertain terms that the garage & back room could not be used as a living or work space even though the estate agents listed it as an office/workshop.   There were also a couple of small internal modifications to our house which the seller claimed "were like that when he brought it" completely at odds with what he had told us when viewing.   all this managed to slow the process down a lot even though it was never as issue to us.  Its probably one of the reasons the sale had fallen through 3 times before.