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If one is conducting a conversion that involves erecting a new garage alongside a conversion, do the rules in VAT Notice 708 Section 3 (zero-rating new construction) or Section 7 (reduced-rating conversion) apply? Section 7.6.1 specifically calls out reduced-rating a newly-constructed garage, in the context of a conversion. Section 3.2.1 specifically calls out constructing or converting a new garage when it is constructed or converted at the same time as a dwelling: If VAT treatment is on a per-building basis, why would anyone choose to go down the reduced-rated route? The conditions in 7.6.1 and 3.2.1 seem completely equivalent to me.

Hi I am installing an electrical roller garage door. The guide rails will be installed on the inside of the garage so they won't be visible. My issue is that both side of the opening are not Plumb or level. One side you place the guide rail to the bottom brick and it runs out by arround 20mm And the other side is the same but runs out at the bottom I am not sure what would be the best way to attach the rails so they are plum as its quite a big run out. Was thinking of placing a piece of wood the hole height and packing out allowing the rail to be attached to a plumb service Attached some photos Thanks

I have a large concrete base at the bottom of my garden which is approx 40m2. I would like to build an outbuilding made of bricks at the side and breeze blocks at the front and back. I would also like to build a cavity wall to ensure the building is well insulated. When looking at picture IMG_8756 on the right hand side the neighbours garden drops down significantly as can be seen in IMG_8758. There is a small single wall that has started to lean to one side. How would be the best way to deal with this? Would you recommend removing the single wall that is leaning over and replacing with a retaining wall? I would appreciate any advice. Also happy to provide more details if needed.

Hi Does a garage ceiling below a habitable space require a vapour barrier? Fire requirements all known. Thanks M

Hi. I'm just looking for a bit of advice. We own a dormer bungalow in the Cheshire greenbelt and have been trying to secure planning permission to build a double garage at the front of the property. The planners have indicated that they intend to refuse the application despite us citing many examples of similar development that has been permitted recently (two of which are in our lane). We do intend to appeal - however as a backup plan, we have been looking at what might be possible under permitted development instead. We have approximately 5.5m of space at the side of our property between our property and the boundary between our neighbours. We have an existing 4m x 7m detached single garage that sits in this space ~0.5m from the boundary, but is set approximately 6m back from the principle elevation. Our thoughts are that we could build a new garage as a side extension to the house in the space in front of the existing garage and tag it on to the existing garage. We would look to keep the existing garage and widen it to bridge the gap between it and the house - in essence incorporating it into the new garage. This would give us a garage that is ~13m long and 5m wide overall. The garage would have a pitched gabled roof. I have attached a diagram showing the existing dwelling and garage in blue - and the proposed additions in red. The boundary is indicated by the line to the right hand side of the image. We were even considering making an access point from an adjacent room in the house into the garage. The new garage would be around 42sqm larger than the existing garage. From reading the PD rules, we believe this would be permissible since it would be classed as a single storey side extension. It would be 5m wide (which is significantly less than 50% of the width of the existing dwelling - which is almost 17m wide). It would have pitched room a with 4m ridge line and would have eaves less than 3m in height. We have a couple of question marks however: 1. Is widening and attaching the existing detached garage to the house, or tagging the old garage onto the new permitted under PD rules. I cannot find any specific rule forbidding bridging between an existing dwelling and an existing detached outbuilding. 2. Would the proximity to the neighbours boundary be an issue. Can we build ~0.5m from the boundary as long as the eaves of the garage are at 3m or below (building closer than 2m from the boundary seems to be allowed under permitted development rule A1-i as long as the eaves don't exceed 3m). 3. The neighbours have a window that would face the new part of the garage. Would this cause us any issues? The neighbours property is elevated relative to ours and I have checked the angle that the new ridge line would form. Its approximately 10 degrees from the centre of the neighbours window (far below the 23 degree rule). 4. Would adding an access point directly from the house to the garage be permitted under PD rules - again I can see no specific rule forbidding this. 5. Would this be subject to a "prior approval" notification. Again as far as I can tell, this doesn't apply to single storey extensions and would only apply if we wanted to add additional storeys. Thanks

Hi All, I am looking for some ideas / tips of addressing a flooding issue on my first house. My garage floods after heavy rainfall, with the water seeping through the brick (below the DPM). The garage is below the roadway, so half the wall has ground the other side. The previous owners covered a previous gravel patch with paving to make an additional space. There is a small channel which is between the garage wall and driveway (no idea if issue arose as a result of this). This channel doesn't go anywhere just lined with cement it appears. Could you guys recommend any steps I can take to try and solve this issue. I've been advised to put tanking slurry on the inside but I feel this just masks the problem. I have attached some images and an amazing sketch ? trying to show the arrangement from a side elevation. The inside of the garage on the right of the wall. Driveway and channel to the left. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers

I've begun the process of designing an extension and an fairly certain I'm going to have an insulated raft with icf walls. This will be adjoining a (likely strip foundation) cavity wall house. I've had a quote from isoquick for the raft approx 6m² but I'm not sure if it's worth extending this to cover the garage floor? It would essentially double the price, but the alternative is going to create a strip & Insulated raft & strip or raft monstrosity combo. Is it going to lead to problems? should I just swollow the extra cost even though its going to be a waste of resources and is an insulated raft even suitable for a garage floor? The upside I suppose, is that if the raft is continuing then it simplifies things and if someone decides they need another huge room downstairs in the future the prep will have been done....

Hi Folks, My first post here. I have so far put down an elevated concrete pad (30cm high) and have also built the walls out of solid dense 7.3N concrete blocks.Aas it stands the height of the highest block is 2.73m high including the concrete pad height (front of build). The problem is once the single-pitched roof is on the building height will be roughly 3.10m high. I have since been doing some digging and it seems the building may be too high? I have attached an image below so you can see the plan. I know people who have buildings just as high and some higher! that actually touch the boundaries of their neighbours and have been passed by the local council (Norwich, UK). So I'm confused as to what is ACTUALLY permissible and what's not, given the information online and the contradictory reality. Can somebody help? Also is there anything else I need to think about given the size of the building. Thanks

After moving to the Isle of Wight I find myself building a garage workshop. The slab is done now for the structure.

I posted last month about being let down for the 5th time by a builder and wanted some advice on a foundation for the garage foundations. Some great advice was given and I was also given the number of a builder who had down their foundations who worked with H2 garages. I won't name names as it was kind of the person on here to pass me their name. However they came out, promised to do the job in 3 weeks (and contact them when I had moved the relevant hardcore to the area ( I still needed to break some rock which they said they would do) ). I contacted them a week before they should have been onsite saying all was ready (except breaking stone) and got this reply after ignoring a text sent two days previous. By the e By the extra work I meant the stones had to be broken down which they said they would do anyways. What is a kick in the teeth is how he convinces himself that he is not letting me down by telling me he may or may not be available at the end of August even though he has already let me down OK rant over. So does anyone know of a good builder who can do garage foundations and won't let me down? Thanks in advance

Hi, Now that we have planning permission for a house we are looking to put in a separate application for a garage. It is a conservation area so no PD rights. As the house is flat roofed with off white render, wood panels and 7016 windows we would expect the garage to look similar, so a 6x6m double garage with 7016 door, off white render, wood panels and a flat EPDM roof. Something roughly like the attached picture. What is the best way to build this? It doesn't have to be insulated, used as a workshop or anything, just storage for a car and gardening equipment. Can we just build a stick built timber frame and attach render board directly to the outside and OSB to the inside, maybe filling with rock wool? Would it need a cavity if it is rendered on the outside? Or maybe it would be just as cheap to build it in single skin blockwork and render. We had a quote for a very snazzy aluminium carport and storage, it was 20K! I reckon, a concrete base, and this kind of structure, plus a single motorised door could be brought in for around 15k?

Hi, We are currently looking at buying a property that was build somewhere in the 1950s. The land size is around 0.5 acre and there are some external sheds / buildings which I believe were erected 20-30 years ago but would not comply to today's permitted development regulations. The reason for this is that the main workshop / shed sits on the property boundary and exceeds the available height restriction. From what I can tell, I have a few options but I want to ensure I stay on the correct side of the law with respect to planning and my neighbours. 1. Fix what's there. What can I do to the structure without impeding into issues about consent? I have emailed West Ox District Council however I would need to provide plans etc before they can help and I'm not ready to do that. The building is a steel frame structure with metal corrugate roof panels (some now with holes and no longer waterproof) and some form of corrugated panels down the side. They look like asbestos but I believe they are the plasterboard type. 2. Move what's there - The metal element of the shed does not look entirely fixed - it could possibly be moved 2 meters away from the property boundary and I believe then it would be acceptable from a Permitted Development point of view. As I am considering something as large as 10m x 4m, I may need approval from Building Regulation, is this correct? 3. Pull it all down, start again. If so, my thoughts are to pour a foundation with self levelling concrete like Agilia, then do either single Breezeblock, wood panel, insulation & plasterboard or dual layer Breezeblock. I'd the like the workshop to be usable all year round, therefore heating / insulation is of interest. I may also carve up an area as an office / study / music / recording room. Size wise, I am looking at something like 10m x 4m x minimum of 3m. Most of the CNC machines I would want to have inside need a height of around 3m. Do I need foundations or is a good strong base enough? A friend of mine has done a 20m x 10m workshop and I believe has no foundations - but his base is 30cm deep. I am fairly handy (Qualified Electrician from South Africa) - I could do a lot of the work myself. Speaking to some, it sounds like its worth paying others to do the main brickwork, they will be faster and better than myself. I would perhaps do the wood / insulation and plasterboard. Depending on finish - I may not go for a 'in house' finish. I could also do the electrics (aware I need someone with the appropriate licenses to sign it off) and might be able to do plumbing (would like a basic basin / tap for washing up). For heating, no idea as yet. Ive attached some pics. There's some concrete but not much of it, so that will be removed. The structure is metal 'warehouse' type structure with some metal and some wood joists. The wood seems in bad repair in some places. One photo shows the side, plasterboard type of stuff. The Outside picture shows how ugly it is and what the neighbours see, that is also on the property boundary. All advice / info / questions appreciated. Thanks

I am in dire need of some help. Quick background info. Originally from England where good builders and tradesmen are plentiful but living here in Nth Ireland there is a scarcity of decent tradespeople. Due to Covid 19 (can't get a mortgage) and the local electricity company charging me £20k+ to move electrical cables underground I am not able now to build a house so instead building a log cabin where we can live over the next few years . Planning was passed for an ICf house and we intend to build it over the next few years when the money comes in (being optomistic here). So far we have had 5 tradesmen (before lockdown) come to the site over the last 6 months and 1 last week come out. I have a pre fab garage ready to go once I have paid the other £5k (5K paid as deposit). Currently I cant get hold of them because they are still shut and no response to phon or emails. Before Christmas we hired a local groundsman to do the foundation. Instead he did everything but the foundation just piling up earth with his digger. He then charged us £1k for what he called rock but turns out it was road waste that should have gone to the recycling plant first. Having 3 young boys I don't want any potentially harmful waste on the site. So after that we tried again. Those that did come out to the land not one got back to us with a quote. Only this morning after 2 weeks did one turn up and say he's off to England to do a job but if we can wait 2 months ? Ok so what i aim to do next is post the job on a site like find a builder or if anyone can recommend a site? but what I need is a description of what needs done. I would appreciate any advice on how to build a garage in an area which will get waterlogged when the rain comes (see pic). I know I need to build high but how do I raise the foundations up? I have some rock on the land which I can dig out as I have done already. I have attached images of the finished garage along with the foundation drawings by the garage company. Any help / advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all, I'm about to embark on a timber garage build (3m x 5.5m) on a concrete base that has just been laid on our drive, which is 3.2m x 5.7m. The concrete base isn't perfect (long story on this one but there is some pooling of water on one side of it when it rains) and so I've been told to lay a layer of engineering bricks and a DPC on top and then build the garage on top of this. I'm a complete newbie and was hoping for some advice on this. What type of brick? is this a DIY job or do I get a brickie in? Any more tips to stop moisture reaching the bearers of the garage? Any advice or tips would be really appreciated!

Hey guys, thank you so much for letting me join the forum. What a great place to find honest, experienced opinions and information. I'm working on converting a garage into a soundproofed studio and need to work out some issues with insulation and particularly ventilation. The room is 19.38 square metres so suitable for a mini-split system, which also means fewer holes in walls where sound could leak. However, I can't find out whether this would satisfy Building regs. Ideally it won't have opening windows or trickle vents, and only has one door to the house's hallway (ie doesn't access fresh external air). I guess the alternative would be to have a constant air intake and out take with a heating/cooling system but obviously that's more holes, ducting and baffling. Any advice anyone has on this would be extremely useful. Thanks so much, Andy

Hello Folks, Its a simple but probably crazy idea, what is the general consensus on building an integral garage at a later stage? This is purely to save on build costs initially as we are finding it difficult to come within budget using a main contractor for the full build, and with a 40m2 garage this would reduce costs quite a bit - the garage is of block work construction. I know its quite common to build a detached garage at a later stage however what problems do you foresee in doing this with an integral garage? The foundation for the entire house/garage would obviously need to be done at the same time. The joining room to the garage is the utility room with one fire door into the garage. Thoughts on this would be appreciated!

Well those of you who read my introduction may well know that I am planning on building a new garage and converting a sun room into a proper room for a new kitchen. Anyway, I have started the garage, although I still have no planning permission I have started the ground works, even if there are changes in the proposed garage much of what I have done so far still needs to be done - even if we were outright denied planning I would still pave this area for parking - hence works not a waste. I have not fully exposed the site to keep the garden secure for now but I have cut in most of the shear key for the concrete and then dug the trench for the rear found - it needs squared off etc. but that was the first dig to get it all into rough shape. I will have a 1.5ton excavator soon so I can scrape the rest of the site, I am also building up the lawn/dropping the patio as part of these works so the current lawn will be dug up, then a deeper hole or trench dug that the gravel from the garage site can be dropped into a good few feet down (if it was cleaner I would have used it for the first layer before hardcore for the concrete - I guess I still could), then working carefully I will then scrape the good topsoil off and that can go into the lawn. Then I will lift a big patio, scrape the sand and whatever else is down there off, if good sand I will work that into the soil for the lawn, then basically pull the whole patio area down into the current lawn, I will then basically accept whatever level that leaves me with, but it will be the same level throughout with a very slight incline to the garage. I will keep this posted as stuff happens. This will be a true build thread and it will be slow as I am doing it after work and weekends as well as other projects and interests.

I have a double detached timberframe garage. It is clad externally with breather membrane, battens and larch cladding, roofed with concrete tiles. Inside it is the bare timber frame racked with OSB. It is dry and well ventilated, but depending on the time of year and ambient conditions, have relatively high levels of humidity. Whilst a useable and practical space, it really could do with brightening up. I am therefore thinking of lining the walls. The ceiling / trusses would probably remain open as this space is used for storage. The space doesn't need to be insulated, although if covering the ceiling may be worth doing. The question is what should I use to line the walls. Plasterboard would no doubt be the cheapest, but given its an unheated space, and RH levels at certain times of the year, may not be a good choice (albeit I would be delighted if the collective view was that it would be okay). I then move up to MDF or PLY, but this seriously pushes the cost up. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I just saw an ad for this. Looks expensive for what it does, but I guess if you really can't get your car into the garage. https://www.myparker.co.uk

A bit of advice needed here please. We are completely new to self build and progress has been slower than we hoped. Planning permission for "demolition of existing house and garage and building of new house and garage" has just been granted. We are just considering what to do first. We are thinking about knocking down just the garage to start with. This should allow us to dig to locate our utilities (still haven't found them so resorting to a digger), and then put our static caravan in without covering over said utilities (only one potential site for the caravan). Then we can move onto demolishing the house afterwards. If we do this, we assume our build will "start" as the demolition is noted on our permission. Is this correct? We plan to sort out the CIL with the LA before we "start". But do we need to have a building control inspector involved? Do we need any building regs stuff done before demolition? Site insurance? Or is all that just for the building phase? Anything else to consider at this stage? Thanks everyone.

Hi, Many of us have integral garages. My architect just assumed that we would use a fire rated internal door between the house and the garage. The door has to achieve three things though - fire resistance, security and insulation. Insulation - The garage and garage door are insulated and in my current house that tends to keep the garage temperature above 10C even when 0C outside. Thus the temperature differential between the two sides of the door will be low so heat loss will be less than on an external door. Fire resistance - Has to be 30minutes as per regs. Security - I have commented on many threads re security. In this area the main reason for house breaking is to try and steal your car. The garage has no side doors. I have sectional insulated steel doors being installed. These will use Sommer motors with a magnetic lock which can withstand 300kg of pressure. I am also having shot bolts put into the frames that I can lock if we are on holiday. But what about the door between the house and the garage. I believe that physical security is best. If you can't get into the garage you can't steel my cars, simple. I priced up Hormann steel integral garage doors the H3D and WAT40. They came in at £900 and £2300 which was a shocker. I could get a steel security door for around £300 as linked below. Or am I overthinking it. The door opens inwards into the house. If I use a 44mm solid core wooden fire door, other than maybe protecting the hinges and making sure the lock is secure is this enough as the door will be held against the frame on the garage side so hard to kick nor break through? Any thoughts? http://www.ajsteeldoors.co.uk/en/products/steel-security-doors/high-security-doors.html#/hinge_side_viewed_from_outside-lh/opening_viewed_from_outside-outwards/side_panel_1-please_select/fixing-brick_block_concrete/side_panel_2-please_select/overhead_panel-please_select/rain_drip-yes/security_trim_kit-yes/colour-ral_9003_signal_white_available_from_stock/letterbox-please_select/extra_keys-0/security_upgrade-level_2_stainless_steel_handles_security_cylinder/size_mm-895x2020

It has been suggested (see the other thread) that a traditional "lean to" might be a better option than a Garden Room (sigh). And I was ready to push the button. What we are talking about is an unheated lean to on the side area of a house against a blank wall with, perhaps, a roof of corrugated polycarbonate or 2/3 layer polycarb as is used on some conservatories. It will be dry but unheated. If you think of a car port with the walls enclosed you get the idea. There will be a door to the back, and probably will not be a door to the front. There may be a door leading into the house, which would be an external quality upvc door - I may need a door there later anyway, so that is not an issue. I can add the door later if that will simplify matters. The floor will probably be slabbed. Cladding (including the roof) could be transparent, translucent, or even opaque. I know that Planning will not apply, as the area under 15sqm, never mind 30sqm, it is on the side of the house behind the line of the principal elevation, and we are not "designated" in any way, and PD rights have not been removed. This is in England. Max height will be under whatever is the PD limit - 3m? Which leaves me stroking my non-existent whiskers about how Building Regulations would apply. The objective is probably that they should *not* apply for reasons of simplicity. I will call up the BCO tomorrow for a chat. In Building Regs terms is it a shed, an extension, a garage or a conservatory? And which are subject to building regs in that situation? In one sense it is almost like a small yard with a roof. I may even be able to make it into whichever I need by mixing my cladding. Although the lean to will be concealed behind a 2m attractive fence, I need to be able to defend my position if someone complains. Any comments are welcome. Ferdinand

I have a 6mm2 cable direct from the consumer unit terminated in a box on the outside wall of the house (approx. 7m run in the house). In the future, I'd like to have a garden building approx. 10m from the house and run this electrical circuit to it. I have no plans of running anything particularly powerful in there. Approx. 15m further along I have a small garden shed that maybe in future a light or electrical supply might be handy. Although I've just missed my easiest chance to do something about it with a digger on site, I can still run a duct down the border without too much bother save a little digging. Then an electrician can run a cable through it in future. There shouldn't be any vehicles going over the duct but there might be in future. Occasional, not daily. I'm sure someone here will tell me what size SWA cable I should use for the total run, please do. I won't be doing anything electrical at the moment, just looking for a guide. What size twinwall duct should I be looking at for that cable? http://www.draindepot.co.uk/plastic-underground-ducting/electric-cable-ducting.html And what general practice should I follow? Depth? marking tape? corner radii? pulling strings? etc.

I have a studio[flat] and garage run off the house supply. Solar panels on roof of garage, so solar feeds via its control unit into the studio sub-board. Electrician put in MCB to supply/protect mega ducted underground cable to studio sub-board. There is a lot of potential load here with water heater, mini induction hob, ring main, lights, etc. I have been recommended to have RCBOs in the studio/garage circuits to protect and isolate them individually; tho not for the circuit feeding the solar. I am concerned at the lack of discrimination between MCB in house and RCBOs in studio. What is the preferred option for this sort of circuit?

Our planning application is in for our new extension and new garage, I know I don't need planning for my existing garage demolition but do I need a building warrant. My thinking is no. Thoughts? Thanks.