Should I Fit a Garage Door?

[ultramods]

Our attached garage has the same closed panel insulated (u-value 0.16) walls and roof spec as the rest of the house. The floor is also going to be insulated and have UFH. The south west elevation also has a 3000mm x 2400mm sliding patio door.

 

The plan was to fit a Hormann insulated sectional garage door, however because I doubt I will ever put the car in the garage I am now trying to decide if I should fit a garage door or simply block up the current hole with a another timber frame panel.

 

The plan for the space is to be a home gym and maybe a games room. However another use could be a 5th bedroom for when we have a lot of family staying over.

 

Our current plan is to live in the house for 10 years, which means I do need to consider what a future buyer would want.

 

The garage will be clad with vertical timber, meaning if someone at a later date wanted to fit a garage door it should be simple to do.

 

I can build a Shed to house gardening tools etc.

 

Ignoring any planning, building control or cost issues, what would you do?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ProDave]

Has it been signed off?

 

If not I suspect BC will want an amendment, and the council tax valuer will include it as habitable space.

 

It sounds like a very easy "after completion" alteration.  Perhaps leave the garage door to access a small storage space, and frame off the wall just a bit further in?

[ultramods]

1 minute ago, ProDave said:

Has it been signed off?

 

If not I suspect BC will want an amendment, and the council tax valuer will include it as habitable space.

 

Sounds like a very easy "after completion" alteration.  Perhaps leave the garage door so access a small storage space, and frame off the wall just a bit further in?

 

Thanks @ProDave

 

I spoke to the BC officer this week whilst he was doing an inspection and he saw no issue with it, just told me to check that the planner would be OK with the change.

 

In terms of council I would image the house will already be in the highest band, so we can't go higher (don't not whether to laugh or cry about that).

 

I like your idea of a storage area which I hadn't thought of. this would mean we could have a 2 metre wide storage area and still have a 4m x 6m room.

 

Think I will ask the plumber to put in two UFH loops to allow this option.

[ultramods]

1 minute ago, ultramods said:

 

Thanks @ProDave

 

I spoke to the BC officer this week whilst he was doing an inspection and he saw no issue with it, just told me to check that the planner would be OK with the change.

 

In terms of council I would image the house will already be in the highest band, so we can't go higher (don't not whether to laugh or cry about that).

 

I like your idea of a storage area which I hadn't thought of. this would mean we could have a 2 metre wide storage area and still have a 4m x 6m room.

 

Think I will ask the plumber to put in two UFH loops to allow this option.

 

Also thinking about it some more, doing this option would mean we wouldn't need an insulated sectional door. A roller door wold probably be a better option we want to have a partition 2 metres from the garage door - in terms of not having the roof tracks.

[newhome]

3 minutes ago, ultramods said:

In terms of council I would image the house will already be in the highest band, so we can't go higher (don't not whether to laugh or cry about that).

 

 

Will it really be in band H? 

[ultramods]

I would have thought so as the house next door is 33% smaller and a band G

Edited January 24, 2019 by ultramods

[newhome]

1 minute ago, ultramods said:

I would have thought so as the house next door is 33% smaller and a band G

 

Band G is a pretty large band. A house at the top of band G can be twice what a house at the bottom of band G is worth. My house isn't small (350 m2) but there is a house about twice as big as mine next door but one and that's still in band G. You need to look at the whole area to see if any houses are coming in above band G. 

 

 

 

[ProDave]

Whatever band they allocate, it is worth appealing, you will often get it down a band.

[ultramods]

1 minute ago, newhome said:

 

Band G is a pretty large band. A house at the top of band G can be twice what a house at the bottom of band G is worth. My house isn't small (350 m2) but there is a house about twice as big as mine next door but one and that's still in band G. You need to look at the whole area to see if any houses are coming in above band G. 

 

 

 

 

You are correct. I have just looked on Zoopla at sold house prices for houses that are similar sized to mine and larger. There is a mix between band G and H.

 

Fingers crossed we are G. 

 

In that case the garage will definitely stay a garage at least until the valuer has been and gone.

[ultramods]

1 minute ago, ProDave said:

Whatever band they allocate, it is worth appealing, you will often get it down a band.

 

 

I could turn the ground floor into an allotment for when the valuer comes over  

[newhome]

1 minute ago, ultramods said:

 

 

I could turn the ground floor into an allotment for when the valuer comes over  

 

Come over? I think mine just made it up - doubt they visited! They just look at the plans I imagine and will base it on houses in the same road with the same number of bedrooms probably. 

[newhome]

5 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Whatever band they allocate, it is worth appealing, you will often get it down a band.

 

I thought about appealing but next door is a similar footprint (slightly smaller as no extension) and they had accepted theirs so I didn't think it was worth it. Got both my previous 2 houses downgraded however. 

[ultramods]

2 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

Come over? I think mine just made it up - doubt they visited! They just look at the plans I imagine and will base it on houses in the same road with the same number of bedrooms probably. 

 

That doesn't surprise me given the level of attention our build has received so far from the council, not that i'm complaining.

[ultramods]

Problem Solved!

 

 

 

[Gone West]

11 hours ago, newhome said:

 

I thought about appealing but next door is a similar footprint (slightly smaller as no extension) and they had accepted theirs so I didn't think it was worth it. Got both my previous 2 houses downgraded however. 

The new two bedroom bungalow next door was rated as an 'F' whereas the original bungalow on the site was a 'C', as was our old bungalow. The owner didn't challenge the rating. Our new house was assigned an 'F' rating, which we appealed against saying it should be a 'D' and the VOA lowered it to an 'E'. I think the VOA make it up as they go along and hope owners can't be bothered to appeal.

[newhome]

1 minute ago, PeterStarck said:

I think the VOA make it up as they go along and hope owners can't be bothered to appeal.

 

I probably should have. I think it’s too late now though. 

[ProDave]

12 minutes ago, PeterStarck said:

I think the VOA make it up as they go along and hope owners can't be bothered to appeal.

Almost.

 

Our last house they tried to put into G.  I appealed suggesting it should be E.  They sent me loads of examples of similar houses in band G.  I trawled estate agents listings and provided several examples of a similar house in band E.  They would not budge so we agreed to take it to a hearing where we both stand up and present our case and a panel decides.  

 

The day before the hearing they phoned me and offered to drop it to band F which I accepted.

 

I am expecting the same this time round with the new house.

[joe90]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

The day before the hearing they phoned me and offered to drop it to band F which I accepted.

 

Thats exactly what happened to me, we were about to go to appeal and a guy rang me asking what my reasons for reducing it was, as he worked for the council I asked why I would give him my evidence, he confessed the council didn’t want to waste money going to appeal, I told him what my evidence was and he agreed to the band I wanted ? result.