Does converting your garage make your house more or less appealing at resale?

[dashfield]

We're in the process of planning a garage conversion at the moment and we have to choose between doing a partial conversion and keeping some room at the front as a very small garage for storage, or a complete conversion so the house would effectively have no garage. One of the big worries is whether having no garage will put off potential buyers when we come to sell the house in the future.

I know there's been some recent discussions about garage conversions on here, but they're more about the process. I'm asking more about the effect on the resale value, either positive, negative or neutral. I've checked planning permission and there's no problems from that perspective.

Here's a few details:
- We live in a 5 bed semi-detached and the garage is integral, sitting below our master bedroom. There's only one living room in the house, no study or other reception room at the moment.
- We have off-road parking for 3-4 cars, so that's no issue.
- The garage is 5m long and 4.12m wide with an up and over door at the front.
- The conversion will be used as a home office and home cinema. I work from home most days now and need somewhere better to work.
- Either way we'll put in new french doors that will open out to our side garden.
- If we go full conversion I'll build floor to ceiling storage cupboards down one side to store all the garage stuff. We'll also get a small garden storage unit for the lawnmower etc. I know the storage cupboards will take up a fair bit of space, but we need somewhere to store all the stuff and we'd still end up with a much bigger room this way.

I've roughly mocked up the two options and I'm interested to see which you think would be best?

Option 1 - partial conversion




Option 2 - full conversion

[johnnyguitar]

When we buy our next house, a garage is a must - preferably a double. But I have a weekend car and, if possible, I'd like to keep it in a garage along with the tools to maintain it, bikes, and all the other shite and trappings of life. And its a deal breaker

For a lot of people, it won't be, especially if you've got decent off road parking and space for a good size, secure shed. If yours is going to be the only house on the street without a garage, look at whether that's going to make a difference. I'm by no means an expert

[Estoril-5]

asking this question on a watch forum where most members enjoy cars/motorbikes etc is probably going to be a biased opinion.

I would really like a garage, however my wife would want the extra space inside.

Our garage hosts the boiler and tank, gas & elec meters, and squat rack and some weights, and then all the crap from the rest of the family, and all my tools. No way id want to put all my tools in a shed - so a garage is a must for me

[wileeeeeey]

We're looking at houses now and would much prefer one with a garage. A garage converted into part of the house wouldn't put us off completely but I don't think spending 50k would add 50k to the house. It will add something, but not what you've spent.

Whatever you do don't extend so far that you cut off side access. The amount of people who have extended their garage and now have zero side access is insane. We wouldn't even view a house like that.

[wileeeeeey]

Not sure on any cost difference but if you have a decent size garden I think you would get a much better return from a properly built studio in the back. Many houses now have home theatres, gyms, and work from home offices professionally built in the back of the garden. Most times that will offer more than converted garage.

[Estoril-5]

The amount of people who have extended their garage and now have zero side access is insane. We wouldn't even view a house like that.

For what reason?

Not sure on any cost difference but if you have a decent size garden I think you would get a much better return from a properly built studio in the back. Many houses now have home theatres, gyms, and work from home offices professionally built in the back of the garden. Most times that will offer more than converted garage.

Agree with this, would rather have an outdoor building and a garage in tact

[dashfield]

Thanks for yours responses so far. Just to be clear this isn’t an extension, it’s an existing garage integrated into the house below our bedroom. We have side access through a side garden so that’s no problem.

The cost for converting garage either way will be £4-5k, some done by professionals and some myself. All will be approved by local building regs.

I considered buying a garden building for a home office, but our garden just isn’t big enough or the right shape.


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[hogthrob]

The amount of people who have extended their garage and now have zero side access is insane. We wouldn't even view a house like that.

For what reason?

Something something back passage.

Many many houses don't have side access. The major downside is that everything to and from the garden has to come through the house, with the potential for damage to decoration and furnishings. Personally, I wouldn't discount a property out of hand because it had no side access. It's just another factor to take into account.

[dashfield]

Here’s one pictures to help.

The garage with our bedroom above. French doors will go onto the side under the Belmont window and a new window at the front in place of the garage door if full conversion.


We’re the last house on the road so just land next to us


And here’s the garage wall where the french doors would go



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[Omegamanic]

A garage is a minimum requirement for me, preferably a double, and more would be a bonus.

I would prefer to have my car in the garage, and need inside space for the motorbikes and bicycles. Ideally, I’d have extra room for a rowing machine, exercise bike, pull bars and a few other bits of equipment - but that’s not really possible with a car in situ.

I guess it comes down to area. Do you store anything in the garage, or is off road parking sufficient for your needs?

My ex/children’s house was redesigned with what would have been an integral garage being converted to a large downstairs bedroom - which better suited their needs, but didn’t/wouldn’t fit mine.

One other point being I always remember having a garage full of motorbikes growing up. So I’ve always had somewhere with at least a large single or double garage. No idea what the price difference would be in terms of an extra room or a garage, but I wouldn’t even consider a house without.

[wileeeeeey]

After seeing the pictures I would make it part of the house and depending on the floor plan I think it would be likely to add value, especially with French doors below the upstairs window and a new window next to the front door on the other side.

I was tunnel visioned thinking about all the houses I've been seeing in London and forgot other house styles exist!

[PhilipK]

For us, personally, a garage is essential and we would not even consider a house where the garage has been converted into something else. Other people will have other priorities.

Your best bet may be to talk to a couple of local estate agents - they should have a good view on what the impact on the value and ease of sale of the house would be.

[wileeeeeey]

For what reason?

Can't imagine 20 years of mowing the garden and then carting the mess through the house along with bicycles and everything else. If we buy a semi or a detached house side access is a non-negotiable for us. It can be a small alley if the house is extended but we want something.

[Kingstepper]

If you’re not thinking of moving soon, I’d do if works best for you.
Think it will look good, unlike some where, projecting from the house it’s obvious was a converted garage.

[TheFlyingBanana]

An interesting question and one my sister and B-i-L faced some years back - and they did the conversion, but left the first five feet or so of the garage as a store.

Personally, I wouldn't consider a house without a garage (actually has to be a double) but then the conversion you are doing would be very attractive to many as well.

As you have plenty of off-road parking, could you not build a seperate single garage elsewhere on your property? Brick built is one option, but there are some superb timber constructions you can have done. We had a two storey double detached wooden garage with large (nearly 500sq ft) room over the top. This is now a games and movie room.

The entire thing came as a huge flat-pack on a low loader from Scandinavia (so built to survive Scandinavian winters), and once the concrete base was done, the entire construction took about seven days.

[walkerwek1958]

I would never buy a property without a garage. In this case the garage is a useable size too, unlike the pathetic 8’6 x 17’ integral things that the typical modern detached houses feature. Converting a garage thats too small to fit a modern car into makes sense, but not if the garage is a decent width.

Like many on here I have an interest in cars, I own a classic and need space to work on it, if I didn’t gave an old car I’d probably get an interesting modern car and I’d want to keep that garaged.

Stick a garden shed up for all the gardening stuff, keep garages free for cars, that’s what I like to see when looking at houses with a view to buying.

[Mr_Mac]

When we last moved any house with the garage converted was immediately discounted. Personally I’d see it as lowering the value not increasing but I guess it depends on your priorities/needs as a family.

[Ummar01]

I'd make the conversion but leave the partial garage including door at the front.
Gives any potential buyer the option of turning it back in to a garage without too much work and means you can make your current home work for you as you need it to in the mediumterm

[ralphy]

I'd make the conversion but leave the partial garage including door at the front.
Gives any potential buyer the option of turning it back in to a garage without too much work and means you can make your current home work for you as you need it to in the mediumterm

This is what I did with my late parents home and it worked out fine.

R

[dashfield]

Thanks everyone for your comments. It looks like having some sort of garage is important to many (although I appreciate the audience maybe slightly biased given our shared interests).

We counsel afford to build a separate garage but there is room to do that if a future buyer wanted.

I agree that by keeping the front as a garage it makes it very easy to convert back to a garage at a later point, so this makes sense. It means we get the room we need now and hopefully won’t put off buyers in the future. So we’ll probably go with the partial conversion.


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[Omegamanic]

My best mates brother has just converted his big double garage to a bar and games room. Still looks exactly the same from the outside, but now all lined, carpeted and insulated, with heating and lighting. Looks like it shouldn’t take too much to change back if needed, and he has the extra entertainment space he wanted.

[Devonian]

I had a double garage and converted one of them to a bedroom as I need 5 bedrooms. Cost around £8,000 from memory and well worth it. I can always convert back if needed.

Not having a garage could knock some value off your house, though what you do with the space could in theory add value. You will lose some potential buyers just like I know with my house I’ll lose some as it’s reverse living. People who own bungalows will lose buyers to people wanting a house etc etc.

If you are planning on staying relatively long term I’d do what works for you now and enjoy the many years of use.

[Mr Curta]

I went for a ruby in the week with a mate who was telling me that they were looking at moving to a house further up the same road because he wanted a double garage. I suggested that it might be a lot less hassle and expense to convert their adjacent dining room but he wan't convinced.

[TomGW]

You obviously have sufficient width to build a future 'garage', potentially with through access to the rear garden and a deck off your 1st floor bedroom, with an attractive open view over the countryside. Possibly a bit tight for a car but plenty for the usual storage space that most people need. If you are considering selling in the future I would suggest that you get such a scheme drawn up and obtain planning approval before going on the market, so that you address any concerns that potential buyers may have. Some people have no vision so having it designed and approved, with good visuals, will be a huge help with a sale.
Our needs are all different. I have recently added an additional 3+ car garage to the original 2-, probably roughly 1400 sq ft in total, so clearly not the best person to advise on wiping out garage space altogether.

[snowman]

Can't imagine 20 years of mowing the garden and then carting the mess through the house along with bicycles and everything else. If we buy a semi or a detached house side access is a non-negotiable for us. It can be a small alley if the house is extended but we want something.

Definitely.

Years back we extended our 3 bed semi over our old, separate garage, but we used space to build in a bigger garage as part of the extension. For me, the space was essential.

However, I'm sure in the future someone will convert the garage into another downstairs living room.

M

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[dougair]

We knocked our garage down and built an integrated extension in its place. We also lost side access to the back. Works better for us. A garage is just another space to fill with tat. Plus where I live very few houses have garages.

[dashfield]

You obviously have sufficient width to build a future 'garage', potentially with through access to the rear garden and a deck off your 1st floor bedroom, with an attractive open view over the countryside.

I like the sound of that. We’’re not planning on staying in this house long term and there’s other work that needs doing on the house to modernise it, so it’s not really an option for us.

But I had thought about building a balcony and that makes sense to use the roof of building a storage/garage there.


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[Templogin]

Could you buy a bit of that rough looking land behind the park benches, and save up for a garage and plonk it down there? My partner and i are hoping to move from social housing to buy our own place this year or early next year, and I wouldn't consider a place without a garage preferably a double, because I am a wannabe handyman, and for the last 20 years I have not had the ability to fix things for myself due to the lack of space or facilities in social housing. I have become the man who calls in a man to do stuff: grass cutting, decorating, servicing and repairs of various vehicles, tyre changing, fixing stuff, etc. You may be that sort of man too, so losing the garage may not be a loss.

[alanm_3]

My house was a show-home and the double garage was the site sales office, so when it came for us to move in, they removed the patio doors, refitted the garage doors but left everything else inside, so we just converted it into a home cinema. From the outside, it still has the garage doors, which makes it perfect for a large screen and projector setup.

A lot of families on our estate have done either a half, or partial garage conversion (all the garages are double). It seems to make a good selling point when they go on the market.

[Kingstepper]

A lot of families on our estate have done either a half, or partial garage conversion (all the garages are double). It seems to make a good selling point when they go on the market.

Begs the question why they weren't built like that.

[alanm_3]

Begs the question why they weren't built like that.

Probably because the builder hadn't made allowances for the extended,multi-generational families that live in most of them, and I suspect the local council made it a stipulation at the time, who know?

In fairness, we can get 4 cars in our drive, so, for us, it's better use of the space.

[thieuster]

Working from home with a home office is something that's really 'hot' nowadays. But so is a garage. A new garage next to the existing one, with the roof acting as a balcony for the room above the window should add a lot. Perhaps more expensive, but I would ask a local estate agent (who's familiar with the local market) about the added value of a new garage!

Changing the house according to your plans will shrink the market of potential buyers (no garage), keeping it 'as is' will shrink the market as well (no home office).

[jordan-arch]

If your not going anywhere any time soon then do what you want to it. I really don't understand the mindset of spending money on something you don't really want because in 20 years it might add a few pennies to the value.
Bin the garage if you would make better use of the space

[benny.c]

Architect here. The vast majority of my clients for both extensions and new builds aren’t interested in having a garage at the expense of an additional habitable room. Once the house size gets over approx 200m2 then they become common. Revised permitted development rights have made it much easier to build a detached garage or large shed for bikes, bins etc. I’d always want a garage because I have an interest in cars but I’m definitely in the minority.

[dashfield]

Thanks again for your comments, there’s lots of food for thought here. I’m wondering whether I can achieve the best of both by keeping the garage door in place but building the new internal partition wall right up against the door on the inside. Then it’s easy to turn back into a garage if someone wants to do it in the future, but we still get to benefit from a large room.

Whereas if I remove the garage door and put a window in it’s much harder to convert back into a garage later.

For reference we don’t plan on staying here for longer than 5 more years. But it could be less, could be more. Just depends when the right opportunity comes up. We’d like our next house to be one we live in for a very long time.


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[ernestrome]

We have agreed to sell our first house which has no garage and no rear access and having one of those two things in the next house is non negotiable, and really we would much prefer to have both.

If for some reason we can't find a suitable new house we might well alter our existing house to reinstall a rear access route since unfortunately it would not be possible to add a garage.

[JonRA]

Thanks again for your comments, there’s lots of food for thought here. I’m wondering whether I can achieve the best of both by keeping the garage door in place but building the new internal partition wall right up against the door on the inside. Then it’s easy to turn back into a garage if someone wants to do it in the future, but we still get to benefit from a large room.

Whereas if I remove the garage door and put a window in it’s much harder to convert back into a garage later.

For reference we don’t plan on staying here for longer than 5 more years. But it could be less, could be more. Just depends when the right opportunity comes up. We’d like our next house to be one we live in for a very long time.


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Someone near me converted their garage, leaving just enough room for the up and over door to open. It's worked really well. But the building regs conversion meant insulatithe floor (insulation, concrete screed etc) so reverting to a garage would mean more than removing a partition wall. If you don't do the conversion to building regs standard with PP (if needed) it will be problematic when you try to sell.

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[dashfield]

Someone near me converted their garage, leaving just enough room for the up and over door to open. It's worked really well. But the building regs conversion meant insulatithe floor (insulation, concrete screed etc) so reverting to a garage would mean more than removing a partition wall. If you don't do the conversion to building regs standard with PP (if needed) it will be problematic when you try to sell.

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Yes planning on insulating the floor etc. It will all be done be building regs so there’s no problems when we come to sell. But I figured all the stuff on the floor would be fairly easy to rip up if someone wanted to turn it back into a garage, but I haven’t checked.


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[unclealec]

When you are fitting a new clutch on your off-road parking in February and you need to have it finished over the weekend, you will bitterly regret your decision to convert from garage to living space.

[simoscribbler]

I loathe integral garages - a draughty box under a bedroom - and dont work on cars etc, so as long as I had decent garden storage it would be gone in a jiffy. Another room would balance your accommodation, and there's always the option to add a shower room too. That way it's a potential guest suite too.

Ask a local agent, but I'd be surprised if you didn't add far more value than it would cost.

[Halitosis]

Just a thought on option 1 - it would have to be at least a certain depth to accommodate the garage door opening up and over

I'm sure you've already considered such so it wouldn't end up along these lines :lol:

[Rodder]

Looking at that id definitely convert, it’ll be more practical and make the house look nicer. The garage looks out of place. I can easily see 8ks value if it’s done well.

[lew07]

Sorry but on a personal level I can live without another room but not a garage.

[vortgern]

Do the full conversion. Those cubby holes that get left behind the garage door in a part conversion are naff.

If the room is intended to be a home cinema / office think twice about windows / patio doors on two sides. It might be too bright, and too hot in summer, and cold in winter. Which way is the sun?

You’ve got space for a decent shed outside by the look of it. I’d go for a bigger shed outside rather than building a wall of cupboards for garage stuff in your new room.

[mart broad]

Our last house the garage was properly converted to living space as we had v good side access and a large garden shed but it took the council tax up a band as we had added domestic living space.However if you decide to do it then do it properly not some “ mickey mouse” compromise

[Kingstepper]

Looking at that id definitely convert, it’ll be more practical and make the house look nicer. The garage looks out of place. I can easily see 8ks value if it’s done well.

I concur, garage facade isn't attractive, windows will make it look much better.

Think most people will prefer extra living space than somewhere to store a project car or 5 motorcycles. Also plenty of space to build a separate garage if required.

[johnnyguitar]

After seeing the pictures I would make it part of the house and depending on the floor plan I think it would be likely to add value, especially with French doors below the upstairs window and a new window next to the front door on the other side.

I was tunnel visioned thinking about all the houses I've been seeing in London and forgot other house styles exist!

Agree with this too after seeing the pics

[blackal]

Hard to generalise, but buying a house in a good school-catchment area, and converting the garage into an extra bedroom - will certainly help resale values, I think.

A lot to be said of converting the internals, to something that from the outside - retains the garage look (for aethsthetics and for cost), but you aint talking about bedrooms here.

I bought my current house with Double-garage well up the priorities list.

[Middo]

On the flip side, I’m house hunting and it’s amazing how many properties don’t have a garage. I need/want one for the toy car.

In answer to your question. Its stopped me putting offers in on a few places.

One place that’s sold now (should have bought it) has a half sized garage. The games room could easily have had the partition wall moved back to allow for a car.

Decent houses are shifting quick at the mo.

[JonRA]

Yes planning on insulating the floor etc. It will all be done be building regs so there’s no problems when we come to sell. But I figured all the stuff on the floor would be fairly easy to rip up if someone wanted to turn it back into a garage, but I haven’t checked.


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In fairness, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to rip out the floor as the concrete floor sits on the slabs of insulation which in turn sits on the undamaged original floor. Our partition wall sits on a two courses of bricks (behind which is the raised floor) and these could probably be removed with minimal damage to the strip of floor they are laid on.

ATB

Jon

Edit - of course, ours has a damp course membrane too (the following post reminded me of that!)