The typical post war house often had an integrated garage. However the cars in those days were shorter and thinner. So with our modern cars it is uncomfortably tight to get the car into these garages and they become dumping grounds for stuff – DIY, gardening, bikes and junk that never made it into the loft or the recycling yard. What to do with it? It occupies a critical part of the Ground Floor and it seems a shame to waste it. Well unless you own an Eco car when it may be small enough to still fit the garage and leaving enough space for some of the list noted above, we have the following suggestion. What about keeping the garage doors? You still need a place for bikes and you still have to keep some practical stuff. The garage doors are part of the face of the house and seldom do you see a successful conversion where the new windows look right. Shorten the garage and use the space behind as a Utility Room, Cloakroom, Study or Hobby Room. This doesn’t need to cost a lot and you have made sensible changes. There are issues relating to the Building Regulations but not big ones.
‘Spend money wisely.’
Practicals:
1. The space you are using is uninsulated and often has a floor level lower than the finished floor level in the house. The space is going to become ‘habitable’ if it becomes an extension to the living accommodation. All current standards will apply.
2. If you choose to fully incorporate the space, then consider the type of window to install so that it suits the room that you have formed and how to infill the space left by the removal of the doors so that it all fits in.