Garage Conversion Guide: Turn Your Garage into Living Space

Planning Your Garage Conversion? Considering Key Tips to Convert your Garage into an Usable Space

Builders - Jan, 24, 2025

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Does it feel cramped sometimes when you have a family visiting at your home? Or Do you work from home, but couldn’t find a quiet place for it?


Well, these days many people are converting their garage into an additional room, maybe a guest room, home office or maybe a gym. It fully depends on your choice. Having an extra space can be a game-changer for you, and it also adds value to your house. 


6 Ideas Recommended for Converting Your Garage into a Useful Space

Before hiring builders, spending thousands of pounds to begin with the process of converting your garage into some usable space, you will need to understand your requirements, how much it relates to the rest of your house, and consider how you will use that converted space. 


For example, if your garage is connected to your living room, then transforming your garage to a home office or playroom will be sensible. 


So, other than storing your car in your garage, converting it into a family room, a gym, what else can you do with it? Let’s see:


  • Garage Conversion into an organised storage space: Installing shelving, racks, or hooks is a perfect way to create an amazingly organised space, whether you want to store bikes, tools, sports equipment, or groceries, adding these can help in decluttering and organising your garage.


  • Converting Garage into a fully functional workshop: Transforming the garage into your passionable space, whether it is about working on your motorbikes, or servicing bikes with some DIY methods. In addition, also add a few bespoke storages like racks or shelves to manage all your tools in the right place.


  • A solution for home working: Creating a space in your garage for a home office is a perfect way to use a particular corner of your garage. You can establish it by setting up with a table area, even a coffee machine, printer, or drawer units. 


  • Converting Garage to Home Theater: A home entertainment room incorporating a bespoke gaming room, a home cinema, or it can also be converted to a self-contained room to spend some solitude time. Also, installing soundproofing systems and blackout blinds can complete the home theater effect and protect the rest of the family from excessive noise and chaos. 


    However, experts offering local garage conversion services can also construct a home bar with installing a decent sound system and a need for some comfy chairs that will make it perfect space for a party room. 


  • Converting Garage to a Utility and Cloakroom: Talking on a more practical level, if you are lacking space for keeping your utility items such as household appliances like washing machine or a dryer, then transforming your garage into a standard utility room can prove to be beneficial for you. 


Moreover, the space can also be used to create a cloakroom, if your property does not have one. However, depending on your requirements and space, you can also partition your large garage into a utility and a space for keeping your car. Else you can split it into a workshop, and a playroom. So, there are ample ideas to convert your garage into whatever option you want depending upon your needs by considering help and guidance of local garage conversion specialists.


  • Garage to Kitchen Conversion: You can do this if your kitchen is linked with your garage. With a proper designing and planning, you can create an increased dining space after removing the intervening wall. Moreover, you can even replace the garage door with partition doors, a large window, and can also add rooflights, or Velux windows that will allow natural daylight to enter the room.


Evaluating the Garage Conversion Cost in 2025

Creating an extra space within your property such as an extension to the existing kitchen or to your master bedroom or an extra bedroom, and a living room, garage conversion is an affordable way for it. In other words, it’s a need of your family that requires an additional living space such as a ‘granny flat’ or bedsit with facilities as your kids get older.

Following table defines the type of conversions and its average cost.


Garage Type 

Cost + VAT (Range low - high) 

Average cost

Garage conversion

£9,000 - £18,000

£12,500 


Integral garage conversion

£9,000 - £13,000

£12,500 


Attached garage conversion

£9,000 - £18,500

£13,500 


Detached garage conversion

£10,000 - £22,500

£18,000 


Double garage conversion

£19,500 (integral) - £42,000 (detached)

£30,550 


Carport to garage conversion

£9,500 - £20,550

£15,000 


Partial garage conversion

£5,000 - £6,500

£6,500 


DIY garage conversion

£3,500 - £9,000

£7,000 



Other factors that could affect your garage conversion cost

  • Type of conversion needed

  • Size of the garage

  • Scope of the conversion work needed (such as adding walls, windows, complete room layouts, or doors)

  • Quality materials chosen and used

  • Plumbing or electrical installations 

  • Local labor rates 

  • Necessary building planning permits

  • Structural modifications required to the garage structure (such as modifying the roof or reinforcing walls) 

  • Insulation needs and requirements

  • Accessibility to utilities

  • Design complexity 

  • Location


If you are not sure where to search professionals who are not only trustworthy, and local but are also skilled and offer affordable services, we suggest you approach Urban Gaffa without any second thought, where we have listed several certified, and vetted experts offering services for converting a garage into some useful space.


So, have you planned to convert your garage yet? Get a quotation from garage conversion builders near me!


FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):


Q: Do I need planning permission for converting the garage into an extra living room?

A: It fully depends on the condition of your conversion. For example, if you are planning to replace your garage door with a window, or adding windows to the back of your garage, then planning permission is not required.  However, if you are converting your garage into a ‘bedsit with facilities’ or into a ‘granny flat’, this will come under a separate building and in this case planning permission is surely required.


Q: How long will it take to convert my garage?

A: Generally, garage conversions in London can usually take between 3–6 weeks, however, the exact time fully depends on several following factors: 

  • Condition of your garage structure

  • Size of the garage

  • Complexity of the design (complexity of design will take more time to convert)

  • Quality of materials, and fixtures used 

  • Good and Strong Fittings 

  • Planning permission may or may not required (if it requires, the process takes around 8 weeks)

  • Any additional services(like pipework, electrics, or other services can increase the time and cost)


Q: What materials do you need for a garage conversion?

A: Almost all garage conversions require minimum insulation and waterproofing, however, different uses behind converting the garage will always result in different costs. For instance, a bedroom requires very less extra fittings, but a bathroom conversion will require shower fittings and plumbing goods.


Q: What is the cheapest way to convert a garage to a living space?

A: Generally, the affordable garage conversion type will only involve finishing the walls with drywalls, ceiling with insulation, and floors with carpet, or other flooring material, or blocking up the garage doors.