Desperate for more space in the family home? Would you like to increase the value of your home by as much as £100,000? Then, it might be time to think about extending your property out over your garage. Adding an additional bedroom and bathroom over a garage is a great solution for many homeowners looking to maximise the value of their home and get some much-needed extra living space.
Building over a garage is one of the fastest ways to increase the value of your property. It involves working with what you’ve already got and there are no new foundations that need digging. It is not also the first project that people think of in terms of home improvements, but it’s often a wise move on many fronts.
High-value areas are where properties with an over-garage extension can add the most value and especially when changing a property from a 3 bed to a 4-bedroom home. With 4 bedrooms, most people expect an en-suite too, so adding one of these will push up the value even further. It doesn’t matter whether the property is new or old, although newer homes with double garages are top candidates for this kind of work. For Construction Companies Bishops Stortford, visit a site like ashmereconstruction.co.uk/
Some might argue the case for converting the garage instead of building over, however, garage spaces are incredibly useful for storage, as well as for actually storing vehicles! Plus, not everyone thinks the location for an extra bedroom should be just off the kitchen on the ground floor!
One consideration is the walls of the garage. While the foundations might be strong enough to support an additional storey, if the garage walls are single skin, they will need to be upgraded to bring them in line with the rest of the property.
For those with a detached garage building, building above can still be a wise move but be aware that when it comes to selling, there is a slightly more limited market for a separate living area from the main house. However, many might see this as an attractive place to have guest accommodation, a home office, teen hangout or granny flat, for example.
Before work can take place, the garage foundations will need to be examined to ensure that they can cope with the additional load. They should be at least 450mm in width and 750mm in depth.
Planning permission will need to be sought due to the extra height of the property and changes to the roof line.
Thankfully, disruption to family life is limited, especially when dealing with a detached garage. Make sure to do all calculations carefully and be sure that when compared to the cost of the work, the extra room will bring added value to your property.