Garage Conversions.
Habitable Room.
The following guidelines are to advise you of
certain requirements if you are considering converting your garage
area into a habitable room. This advice is given in general terms
and will not cover all possible factors. If, after reading these
notes, you are still not sure what may apply to your proposals
please consult Building Control.
a)
Foundations. A foundation may be required to carry
any additional masonry loads, such as a new inner leaf to external
walls or where a garage door is to be infilled. The condition and
suitability of the existing foundation/floor can be checked on
site.
b)
Existing wall thickness. If the existing wall is
single leaf construction with piers it must be checked for
stability and freedom from defects. If satisfactory it is likely
the wall would be considered structurally suitable but see also c)
and d) below.
c)
Weather Resistance. A wall of single leaf
construction should be treated to provide satisfactory resistance
to the passage of moisture. A waterproofing compound applied on the
internal face and incorporated into a floor membrane may be an
effective way of achieving this. The provision of an inner leaf to
create a cavity wall may require a cavity tray at the base of the
wall.
d)
Insulation. It will be necessary to insulate the
walls and roof to habitable room standards. Existing
external walls, roofs and floors will generally need to
be provided with additional insulation.
Typically 275 mm “Rockwool” or similar to a
pitched roof.
120 mm of “Cellotex” or similar to walls
and
75 mm of “Cellotex” or similar to the
floor.
For precise thickness you should contact
the manufacturer.
Windows should be double glazed with Low “E”
glass.
e)
Ventilation. Windows should incorporate openable
vents of an area equal to 1/20th of the floor area of the room, and
trickle vents to provide background ventilation.
f) Means of
Escape in case of fire. Where the new room does not have a
door direct to an external place of safety away from the house or
access to a hall or lobby, the windows will need to be of a
suitable size and configuration to permit escape. The clear
opening should not be less than 0.33m sq in area with any
one dimension not less than 450mm and a maximum window cill height
of 1100 mm.
For further advice please telephone
Building Control – 01279 446859 or 446827.
Additional Permissions that may be
required.
Planning Permission and Covenant Consent may also be required to
allow you to convert your garage.
You should therefore telephone Planning
Development Control 01279 446577 and Covenant Control 01279 446837
for more information.