Garage Roof - Terrace/Garden
Discussion
I'll preface this post by saying this is an idea that started off as a joke - but I've found myself thinking about it more and more.
We're currently in the hunt for a new house, and we've been keeping an eye on one for quite a while now which really, really suits us - but it's been hard to sell for the current owner due to the way the space around it has been used. Effectively a back garden has been sacrificed for a driveway that loops round from the side of the house into a pretty generous double garage at the back. (this is why I'm so attracted to it!!).
There are 'landscaped seating areas' around this driveway, there's still room for outdoor entertaining etc providing the driveway was vacant of cars and it's pretty private/tucked away. We're not really grass people, and it's an old cottage out in the country with plenty of views, walks and better places to be outdoors than a back garden.
All this aside, despite the house being right for us - I'm struggling to shake a concern that if it's hard to sell now - it'll be hard to sell if/when we wanted to move on too.
The double garage is attached to the house and I know little about its construction other than it currently has a pitched roof to match the house and the roof area is about the size of 1.5 double garages due to the utility room that connects it to the house. The house itself is very old, combination of stone and brick construction as its been extended over the years. I imagine the garage is a more recent addition (its at least 20 years old) but it has been built to match the house aesthetically with the stone wall exterior etc. (it's not a pebbledashed prefab!)
If the roof was flat, it would make for a rather nice seating area as there's plenty of space round the back for an external staircase, it would have some really nice views and would be a pretty nice sun trap for most of the day/evening. There would be no logical place to put a door from the first floor - so it would be accessed from the outside only.
From a planning point of view, it MAY create privacy issues with the house at the back of the garden/driveway but I'd have to remind myself of the lay of the land next time I go view - and I'm sure this can always be mitigated with a few bushes or a fence. This would also not be a short-term plan, so we would have plenty of time to build relationships with the neighbours and figure out whether or not this is something we actually felt we'd want to pursue.
Technically is this even remotely feasible without compromising the usability of the garage (I wouldn't want a massive pillar in the middle of it, for example)? Any significant re-engineering of the structure would almost certainly push this beyond any kind of return on the investment. At the very least a new roof would be required which I imagine will already cost a fair bit.
Appreciate any comments, this is unlikely to influence whether or not we decide to proceed with this property to be honest but it's nice to know what options we may have down the line.
We're currently in the hunt for a new house, and we've been keeping an eye on one for quite a while now which really, really suits us - but it's been hard to sell for the current owner due to the way the space around it has been used. Effectively a back garden has been sacrificed for a driveway that loops round from the side of the house into a pretty generous double garage at the back. (this is why I'm so attracted to it!!).
There are 'landscaped seating areas' around this driveway, there's still room for outdoor entertaining etc providing the driveway was vacant of cars and it's pretty private/tucked away. We're not really grass people, and it's an old cottage out in the country with plenty of views, walks and better places to be outdoors than a back garden.
All this aside, despite the house being right for us - I'm struggling to shake a concern that if it's hard to sell now - it'll be hard to sell if/when we wanted to move on too.
The double garage is attached to the house and I know little about its construction other than it currently has a pitched roof to match the house and the roof area is about the size of 1.5 double garages due to the utility room that connects it to the house. The house itself is very old, combination of stone and brick construction as its been extended over the years. I imagine the garage is a more recent addition (its at least 20 years old) but it has been built to match the house aesthetically with the stone wall exterior etc. (it's not a pebbledashed prefab!)
If the roof was flat, it would make for a rather nice seating area as there's plenty of space round the back for an external staircase, it would have some really nice views and would be a pretty nice sun trap for most of the day/evening. There would be no logical place to put a door from the first floor - so it would be accessed from the outside only.
From a planning point of view, it MAY create privacy issues with the house at the back of the garden/driveway but I'd have to remind myself of the lay of the land next time I go view - and I'm sure this can always be mitigated with a few bushes or a fence. This would also not be a short-term plan, so we would have plenty of time to build relationships with the neighbours and figure out whether or not this is something we actually felt we'd want to pursue.
Technically is this even remotely feasible without compromising the usability of the garage (I wouldn't want a massive pillar in the middle of it, for example)? Any significant re-engineering of the structure would almost certainly push this beyond any kind of return on the investment. At the very least a new roof would be required which I imagine will already cost a fair bit.
Appreciate any comments, this is unlikely to influence whether or not we decide to proceed with this property to be honest but it's nice to know what options we may have down the line.
Technically it's feasible, but you may (read: almost certainly will) need to re-roof the garage with stronger joists,and a surface that's suitable for the wear and tear of regular foot traffic. You'll also need a balustrade around it, of course.
Obvious question, but if part of the roof is covering a Utility room, how do the levels work out? By the time you've added stronger joists, insulation and a suitable deck, you can sometimes find that the level of the balcony area is above the first floor level of the house, and arranging a step up whilst avoiding the risk of water ingress can be complicated.
Planners are unlikely to accept soft planting (and possibly not even a fence) as an acceptable measure for maintaining privacy.
I'm having a bit of a balcony/balustrades day myself, today, as it happens:
On the one hand I've just gained Planning Permission for a rather nice garden room extension with balcony on top, complete with outdoor fireplace incorporating barbeque and pizza oven (part of the function of which is to screen views over the neighbouring property).
On the other hand, we've just received the (not unexpected) refusal notice on a retrospective application we'd submitted on a garden room with raised veranda, which is going to ruin somebody's day.
Obvious question, but if part of the roof is covering a Utility room, how do the levels work out? By the time you've added stronger joists, insulation and a suitable deck, you can sometimes find that the level of the balcony area is above the first floor level of the house, and arranging a step up whilst avoiding the risk of water ingress can be complicated.
Planners are unlikely to accept soft planting (and possibly not even a fence) as an acceptable measure for maintaining privacy.
I'm having a bit of a balcony/balustrades day myself, today, as it happens:
On the one hand I've just gained Planning Permission for a rather nice garden room extension with balcony on top, complete with outdoor fireplace incorporating barbeque and pizza oven (part of the function of which is to screen views over the neighbouring property).
On the other hand, we've just received the (not unexpected) refusal notice on a retrospective application we'd submitted on a garden room with raised veranda, which is going to ruin somebody's day.
Thanks for the comments, I'm unable to answer most as I can't recall the exact layout exactly but it gives me stuff to look out for next time we go to view.
On the privacy front, I'm pretty sure the only thing we'd be overlooking is an unwindowed side to the neighbours house anyway, and a bit of driveway. It's not like we'd be looking down into their hot tub or through their living room windows which may mitigate things slightly.
Your Pizza oven sounds like a great idea!
I was fully expecting that whatever roofing would need to be replaced - as the current garage has a "loft style" truss setup which would all need to come out if going for a flat conversion. As for the utility room, it's pretty much an extension of the garage roof to meet the house. If looking down from directly above it would just look like a triple garage, but I think you're right in saying that the level of any decking would be above that of the first floor within the house... would this still pose a challenge if I was not planning on creating access from the first floor?
Obviously this is something that I couldn't even begin to understand fully without engaging an architect and doing things properly, but it's good to know what options are potentially available.
On the privacy front, I'm pretty sure the only thing we'd be overlooking is an unwindowed side to the neighbours house anyway, and a bit of driveway. It's not like we'd be looking down into their hot tub or through their living room windows which may mitigate things slightly.
Your Pizza oven sounds like a great idea!
I was fully expecting that whatever roofing would need to be replaced - as the current garage has a "loft style" truss setup which would all need to come out if going for a flat conversion. As for the utility room, it's pretty much an extension of the garage roof to meet the house. If looking down from directly above it would just look like a triple garage, but I think you're right in saying that the level of any decking would be above that of the first floor within the house... would this still pose a challenge if I was not planning on creating access from the first floor?
Obviously this is something that I couldn't even begin to understand fully without engaging an architect and doing things properly, but it's good to know what options are potentially available.
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