Domestic & Commercial Builders · Tyne & Wear
Garage Conversions
Turning dead garage space into a warm, usable room that matches the rest of the house.
Most garages are storing a freezer and a bike. Converted properly, a garage becomes a room you actually use, for a fraction of the cost of building an extension. We convert garages across Tyne and Wear into kitchens, gyms, bedrooms, offices and utility rooms, and the finished room is as warm and dry as the rest of the house.
What a proper conversion involves
A garage is built to keep the rain off a car, not to live in. To turn it into a habitable room the floor is insulated, damp-proofed and usually raised to meet the house. The walls are insulated and lined. The roof is insulated, and if the garage has a tired flat roof this is the moment to deal with it. The door opening is bricked or rendered up with a new window, and the electrics, heating and plastering bring it up to the same finish as every other room.
Building Control is involved on every conversion. The work is inspected as it progresses and signed off at the end, so you have the paperwork when you come to sell.
Jobs we have done
In Jarrow a garage and utility were converted and the flat roof over the front was replaced with a pitched, tiled one with new rooflights, finished with a new bay, porch and drive so the frontage looks like one design. In Washington a garage became a kitchen, with a new entrance porch and a full house render tying the front together. In Shiremoor the old garage became a home gym as part of a rear kitchen extension, and in Cresswell the garage conversion was one part of a whole-house renovation.
Where we work
We convert garages across Tyne and Wear and the surrounding towns: Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland, Washington, South Shields, Jarrow, Hebburn, Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, North Shields, Wallsend, Cramlington, Cleadon, Boldon, Whickham, Low Fell, Heaton and Jesmond.
Every garage conversion we build is fully insured and carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee.
Common questions
Asked about garage conversions.
Do I need planning permission for a garage conversion?
Usually not. Converting an attached or integral garage is normally permitted development when the work is internal and the outside does not change much. The exception is homes where permitted development rights have been removed, which is common on newer estates, and homes in conservation areas. We check this before quoting.
Does a garage conversion need Building Regulations approval?
Yes, always. Turning a garage into a habitable room means the walls, floor and roof have to meet current standards for insulation, damp, ventilation and fire safety. Building Control inspects the work as it goes, and you get a completion certificate at the end, which you will need when you sell.
Will the converted garage be cold?
Not if it is done properly. Garages are built as unheated sheds, so the floor, the walls and the roof all need insulating and damp-proofing, and the floor is usually raised to meet the rest of the house. That is the difference between a room you use all year and one you avoid from November to March.
What can a garage be turned into?
Most things. We have converted garages into a kitchen in Washington, a home gym in Shiremoor, and a garage and utility conversion in Jarrow. Bedrooms, offices and playrooms all follow the same process.
What happens to the garage door?
The opening is filled in with a new wall and usually a window, built in brick or render to match the house. The giveaway on a poor conversion is the front elevation, so we match the brick, the coursing and the window proportions so it looks like it was always meant to be there.
What does a quote cost?
Nothing. We come out, look at the garage, the floor levels and the roof, talk through what you want the room for and give you a written quote. No obligation, and the 10-year workmanship guarantee comes as standard.
Where we work
Garage Conversions across the North East.
Planning garage conversions?
Quote, advise, or sound it out before you commit. The first call costs nothing.