Why garage conversions are this year's hottest renovation project
The pandemic and working from home has led more of us than ever to find creative solutions to gain more living space, so it's little wonder that planning applications to develop garages have soared by 25% over the last year.
It’s the 'new loft' for families who are running low on space, but want to develop what they've got (rather than move). While many people are turning garages into home offices, the possibilities are really endless - from bars and home gyms to storage rooms or extra bedrooms.
In fact, property agents Savills are currently advertising a small but stylish £429, 950 property near London's trendy Victoria Park which is entirely a converted garage.
"I've been doing this for 18 years now and I've never known it so busy," Stuart Letts of Northampton-based Prestige Garage Conversions told Yahoo.
Read more: Woman converts garage into incredible dog shower
"It's the same for all the builders I know. The most popular conversions for attached garages at the moment are home offices and playrooms, and for detached garages it's entertainment rooms and home bars."
So, if you've got your mind set on a clever conversion, what do you need to know before you start?
Before anything else, it's best to check that your local area doesn't have any stipulations which will require the conversion to have planning permission.
Watch this: How to transform your temporary work-from-home space into a permanent office
"Garage conversions generally come under permitted development and just require building regulations," said Letts, "But we always advise the customer contacts their local planning department to check first."
Katy Raywood, who runs Howson Design Interiors in Nottingham, converted her run down garage into a cool music room, which is accessed by a fabulous secret door in the living room.
"My husband and I are both music lovers - I’m a drummer and he sings plus plays guitar and piano - and it had always been our dream to have a creative space," she told Yahoo. "We designed the space, including the hidden bookshelf door."
They heavily insulated the walls to make them as sound proof as possible, and created a seal around the door.
After installing plumbing for radiator, and concrete on the floor, they set about decorating the room - with standout features including a disco ball and a hand-painted mural.
"I did the skull mural on the wall," said Raywood, who used to be a secondary school art teacher before starting a design business. "The disco ball was an Amazon buy and the antique piano was gifted to us from my late father."
So there you have it - if you're lucky enough to have a garage, the sky really is the limit. After all, why keep a car in there when you could have a studio, a luxury games room or a home cinema?
Watch this: 'Build-your-own' homes to tackle housing crisis
