You may be wondering how much does a garage conversion cost? Garage conversions are a fantastic way to get the best use out of all the available space in your home. Get in touch with the DK Building team to obtain a free no obligation quote on what works you need doing, or alternatively read on.
Garage Conversions can turn it into a new living space, a gym, a man cave, or into a sewing room. You may prefer it to be a home office or artist’s studio, or even a self-contained unit for occasional or more permanent guests.
The options are only limited by your imagination.
With so much potential waiting to be uncovered, so read on for a comprehensive look at the following:
- Is it expensive to convert a garage?
- How much does a basic garage conversion cost?
- How much does a double garage conversion cost?
- Garage conversions in Warrington and Liverpool with DK Building
Is it expensive to convert a garage?
When considering garage conversion cost, UK families and investors will be savvy enough to understand that garage conversions have a great ROI (return on investment).
Yes, there is a cost to convert your garage, but is that cost really an expense or an investment when you consider the added property value of your home? Let us look closer at the cost of garage conversion versus the added value to your property.
When asking how much to convert a garage, bear in mind that any quality (and compliant) work that you do to your home will have both short-term and long-term pay offs. While you live in (or rent out) your home, you have the added benefit of extra functional space, the ability to optimise the light and air quality in your home, and the outcome of being able to perform the tasks or enjoy the intended recreation that your converted garage makes possible. If you’re looking to sell your home in the future, you also have the benefit of added property value.
Consider for a moment that homes are advertised for sale with their square metres or square feet as a prominent selling feature. Real estate agents include the garage in that figure as it is an accurate footprint of your home. Once you’ve completed your garage conversion, those precious square metres translate into an extra bedroom, a self-contained unit, or a workspace – all of which adds value.
How much value can a garage conversion in the UK add to your property?
First is the qualitative outcome, the amplified usable space. Being able to expand your living space as your family’s needs evolve is a great way to continue to feel good in your own home, without the expense of having to purchase a larger property with all the legal, tax, and moving costs that accompany such a move.
That is all before you consider the quantitative value of converting your garage. This is where it becomes super clear that a garage conversion is an investment rather than a cost.
CheckaTrade explains the basic cost of garage conversion and compares that with an estimated 20 per cent increase in the value of your property that your garage conversion can achieve.
Expert valuers Wilkins Vardy break that down further, quoting figures from research by Admiral that:
The average single garage is 128 square feet and the valued added per square foot of living space is £350, resulting in a potential £45,000 increase in value to your home for a single garage conversion.
While garage conversion cost of a double garage will be greater than garage conversion cost of a single, so too the added value to your property will be greater. When considering how much does a garage conversion cost, it’s important to understand the initial cost of garage conversion is a financial investment in the future value of your home or investment property. Other factors to consider in garage conversion cost UK is that your intended use will impact the cost of garage conversion.
Ask yourself, what do you hope to achieve by converting your garage?
For example, a conversion that’s intended to include a kitchen or bathroom will need to factor in the costs of the infrastructure for those utilities, such as water and gas. That will be more expensive than a garage conversion that only needs insulation or plastering for example. Likewise, if your garage conversion involves the removal of walls (particularly load bearing walls) plans will need to be commissioned and submitted to the relevant authority for approval, which you will need to factor into your garage conversion cost. That is when having a design-build team like DK Building on your side helps to streamline all planning and building regulation responsibilities.
In considering garage conversion cost, it pays to compare how much to convert a garage as opposed to the cost of other renovations or extensions. This is where understanding your why, your purpose, or your end goal is so important. This can shed light on alternatives to meet the same need and you can then compare the costs of different ways of achieving your end goal.
For example, if you’re planning to create a games room for your growing family, you could consider an extension to your home. The extension may take extra space from your garden, reducing one relaxion area of your home to create another. In this case it may make more practical sense to convert your garage. Additionally, when we consider the cost of converting a garage, compared to the cost of an extension, the cost of garage conversion is generally a less expensive option.
Once you’ve converted your garage, particularly if you’ve invested in all the utilities for a self-contained unit, there is also the option in the future to rent out the space, such as on Airbnb, which would mean your converted garage space could bring in extra revenue for you. Again, the initial garage conversion cost is an investment rather than a cost when you consider all the opportunities it opens to you.
How much does a basic garage conversion cost?
It’s important to be completely transparent about the cost of garage conversion. That is why DK Building publishes our price guide on our website. It gives everyone a clear understanding from the outset what to expect from a high-quality, professional build.
The price guide offers a ballpark figure for a basic garage conversion, starting at £30,000 +VAT.
When comparing quotes across different building teams, it’s important to know you are comparing like with like. Be sure to understand what each builder is offering for the price they quote you. Garage conversion costs will be affected by your intended use of the space and what is required to change the garage into a compliant, liveable space. You don’t want to get part way through your garage conversion and discover extra expenses that weren’t discussed or agreed on at the time of the quote.
Part of the DK Building process includes the pre-specification phase, where our staff listen as you share your initial ideas and explore whether we are a good fit for your garage conversion.
As homeowners, you deserve to know how your chosen building team operates and current expected timeframes. If there seems a good fit, an initial visit from Daniel, the DK Building owner and qualified builder/project manager, can help you flesh out your ideas more fully, discuss technical considerations and see how that fits with your budget. At DK Building, once you and the building team have a shared understanding of a scope for your work and budget, the details can then be finetuned to a final proposal, and contract and start date for your garage conversion. This ensures clarity from the outset, and an opportunity to discuss with your building team exactly what is required to convert your garage for the purpose you intend to use it, and if there are any expenses you may not have factored into your budget. Being able to communicate your idea to your chosen building partners is an important part of feeling heard, understood, and valued, as you seek to make your garage conversion dream into a reality.
At DK Building, communication is one of our core values. We understand that both the homeowner and building team need to have a clear and consistent understanding of what it takes to execute your optimal garage conversion.
If all of this seems overwhelming, remember that you have a purpose in converting your garage, an end goal that will not only amplify your living space, but also add value to your property. Simply put, a garage conversion is an investment rather than a cost because of the tangible and financial value it will add to your home.
How much does a double garage conversion cost?
Now that you have an idea of garage conversion cost for a single garage, you can see how much to convert a garage depends on both the size, (measured in square metres or square feet) of the area you are converting, as well as the utilities to be installed, and any structural changes required.
A double garage conversion is not a straight up double price compared to a basic single garage conversion.
For example, costs associated with planning permissions and building regs are likely to be similar from a single to a double garage conversion. Likewise, if you require utilities to be installed such as water and gas, the main cost of installation will likely be similar regardless of a single or double garage. Other costs that are generated per square metre, such as insulation, plastering, paint, floor coverings to name a few will obviously be more expensive for garage conversion cost for a double rather than single garage.
Remember, while the cost of garage conversion may be greater for a double garage conversion, if you consider the numbers quoted by valuers Wilkins Vardy the valued added per square foot of living space is £350 and a double garage could be anywhere from 400 to 720 square feet that gives a potential of £140,000 or more value added to your property through a double garage conversion.
Garage conversions in Warrington and Liverpool with DK Building
DK Building is a professional local team based in Liverpool.
Daniel started the enterprise in 2005 to provide a comprehensive design and build service to discerning residential and commercial property owners. In addition to premium quality builds, Daniel has built a team of professionals dedicated to the values of the company and the satisfaction of our clients in Warrington and Liverpool.
DK Building is an experienced and friendly operation with a professional process guiding you through every stage of your garage conversion.
- From initial contact with the welcoming Rose or Katy
- To the pre-specification phase with Daniel visiting onsite to discuss your garage conversion dream and needs in greater detail
- To the specification phase where all the details get finetuned to a clear and transparent contract
- Then through the building phase where the professional foreman and building team work on site to realise your dream garage conversion in a friendly and efficient manner ensuring that the process of the conversion is as efficient as possible
- And finally, the post-building-phase where we ensure all details have met or exceeded your expectations.
DK Building in Warrington and Liverpool, truly bring you a bespoke service with a smile.
Contact DK Builders for peace of mind with your garage conversion planning, trusting the work in your home to a company that has an established reputation for reliability and customer service.
We will work with you to understand and implement your dream of a fresh new space enhancing your lifestyle and evolving family needs.
Contact DK Builders today for a free initial consultation for garage conversion in Warrington and Liverpool, or any other type of Cheshire home renovation.
