build bedsit above garage ?

[tonygg]

Is it viable to build a bedsit over a single garage to rent out ?

Does anyone have experience of this or an idea of cost please ?

 

Thanks

[Ferdinand]

Depends on the location, but bedsits that small are not unknown.

 

I think one example would be the street facing side of gardens next to the river in Strand in the Green in Chiswick.

 

Elsewhere in the area there are actually converted garages.

 

Costs and planning require a detailed work through in a particular context.

Edited June 13, 2020 by Ferdinand

[ProDave]

I doubt the space over a single garage is big enough. double garage perhaps.

[Ferdinand]

It may or may not meet space guidelines, depending on precise footprint.

[recoveringbuilder]

We had a bed sit over our garage in our last house but it was a double garage, measured around 45sqm iirc , built originally for our son but laterally we did rent it out, don’t think you would have enough space in a single garage though 

[DevilDamo]

I’d be interested to see how you’d design the space above a ‘single’ garage in order to make it feasible and practical. As others have already mentioned, a double garage could be do-able although that is still small but a single garage!?! How would the first floor be accessed... from the existing house or if it’s detached, via an external staircase? Stair headroom may be an issue as well as the potential works to upgrade and strengthen the existing garage so another floor can be added.

 

Have you considered converting and/or extending the existing garage as you’d straight away save on the structural, stair/access and headroom issues?

[Temp]

Many council's have guide for the size of a bedsit (in an HMO for example)...

 

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/pdf/HMO%20standards%20bedsits%20and%20studios.pdf

 

Work the numbers yourself but it looks like you need..

Bedsit 12-14sqm

Kitchen 4-6sqm

Bathroom 4sqm?

So around 20-25sqm

Plus for stairs?

Edited June 19, 2020 by Temp

[PeterW]

37 minutes ago, Temp said:

Many council's have guide for the size of a bedsit (in an HMO for example)...

 

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/pdf/HMO%20standards%20bedsits%20and%20studios.pdf

 

Work the numbers yourself but it looks like you need..

Bedsit 12-14sqm

Kitchen 4-6sqm

Bathroom 4sqm?

So around 20-25sqm

Plus for stairs?

 

That is smaller than I expected - even with a standard 2.6m wide garage you will need a bigger space than a single garage. Could always use external stairs..?

[Patrick]

But these are guidelines for HMOs. With a flat, there are no minimum requirements and even in a shared house, there is no minimum. There are a few guidelines, but even they are rare.one of the things that always amuses me in this country.

So nothigng stopping you from putting in 8sqm living room/kitchenette bedroom space with a 4sqm shower room and call it a  studio flat. Question is where about in the country this is and if anybody would rent it. In London will be probably let out within minutes for 800£/months " unique quirky secluded cosy apartment for young professional"

Edited June 19, 2020 by Patrick

[Temp]

I know they are for HMO but they will be based on what the council think is a reasonable minimum. If you need planning permission and the planners think it's too small you could also point to that guidance and say if it's good enough for an HMO then it should be acceptable for a single dwelling. 

[Ferdinand]

7 hours ago, Patrick said:

But these are guidelines for HMOs. With a flat, there are no minimum requirements and even in a shared house, there is no minimum. There are a few guidelines, but even they are rare.one of the things that always amuses me in this country.

So nothigng stopping you from putting in 8sqm living room/kitchenette bedroom space with a 4sqm shower room and call it a  studio flat. Question is where about in the country this is and if anybody would rent it. In London will be probably let out within minutes for 800£/months " unique quirky secluded cosy apartment for young professional"

 

In this case the HMO is a red-herring,  unless it is treated as part of the main house or an Annexe, or perhaps if it can be argued to be in the Sui Generis class.

 

In many places there are requirements - certainly for floor area. My area has them, and they are usually quite backward.

 

I used private amenity space and parking and size requirements for small flats to prevent someone turning his bungalow into 3 of them.

 

In the case of the suggestions here, it would be in the local policy, and for a single garage - assuming it was *just* a single garage that was to continue in use as a garage, then it would an "entrance" type structure with regulation-meeting stairs and enough extra space to meet the local limit.

 

It may be different if it could be considered an Annexe, incidental to the main use of the property. Though if you were to rent it out, there would be a tricky navigation through the rules.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited June 19, 2020 by Ferdinand

[DevilDamo]

The size of HMO’s in particular their Bedrooms would normally be dealt with by the Council’s Housing department so they can issue the licences. They wouldn’t issue a licence for a sub-standard HMO... unless of course they weren’t told about any changes to the licence where people would try and squeeze in one or two more Bedrooms.

 

As with flats and assuming they go through the formal Planning process, then the LPA can adopt the Government’s Space Standards document...

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524531/160519_Nationally_Described_Space_Standard____Final_Web_version.pdf