Garage & Outbuilding Specialists

Rises in crime and vandalism combined with the ever-increasing cost of on street parking and insurance, has led to more and more people looking to add a garage or a carport to their properties. But garages are not the only type of outbuilding construction on the rise, a flat housing market and lacklustre economy means that many are creating structures to add useful space to their existing properties rather than moving. however, garages are by far the most popular type of outbuilding construction in the UK. There are really just two ways of getting a garage built, to buy a ready-made garage or to hire a builder to build one for you from scratch. If you buy a ready-made garage then normally professional suppliers will come and assemble the garage for you, but you need to ensure that you have adequate foundations to lay the building on. Getting a builder to construct a garage for you from scratch may work out as a better option, especially if you envisage the garage being used as a study or spare bedroom later down the line.

Outbuildings Planning Permission

Planning rules and regulations governing outbuildings apply to sheds, greenhouses and garages and other garden buildings including swimming pools, sauna cabins, kennels, enclosures and many other kinds of structure. Outbuildings are generally considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, as long as they are not built on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation, are single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres, and are no more than half the area of land around the original house. In addition if the property lies within a National Park, the Broads, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or a World Heritage Site; the maximum area to be covered by outbuilding is limited to 10 square metres. On designated land outbuildings at the side of properties will require planning permission plus listed buildings require that any outbuilding project will need planning permission.

Building A New Garage - the Costs

A new build detached double garage, built in matching bricks and tiles to the main property, can cost you upwards of £18,000. This cost is made up of trench fill foundations, reinforced ground-bearing slab, walls and lintels, roof and covering, carpentry, drainage and guttering, garage doors (including access door and window), electrical installation and decoration. However, this is a basic installation assuming a shallow pitched concrete tiled roof, half brick-thick external walls and a simple ground floor slab with trench fill foundations. Upgrading the specification to include external cavity walls, sealing the floor, adding cold water plumbing, raising the pitch of the roof etc can easily increase the costs to over £25,000. In addition, this cost breakdown assumes you will be project managing the build yourself, if you leave the project management to a contractor, there will also be a management fee on top.

Choosing a Builder to Construct your Garage or other Outbuilding

The first step towards any outbuilding construction is of course to choose an experienced, high quality builder to carry out the work. But sorting the professionals from the cowboys can be difficult. Some builders claim to be jacks of all trades, but be wary, they could be masters of none! Best to choose a builder that specialises in outbuilding construction, or at least one that can demonstrate plenty of relevant experience. Building a garage need not be a lengthy process, but a certain level of knowledge and skill is required. So if you're looking for a builder make sure they've built garages or similar buildings before. You can find recommended builders near you for your garage project using the free quote service on this site. All you need to do is enter the details of your job along with budget and contact information, then sit back and relax while local tradesman get in touch with you to provide prices and estimates for the project.