Garage conversion plans in Croydon

A borough of houses with space around them

About 60.2 per cent of Croydon households live in a house or bungalow, and the national land-use survey found domestic gardens covering 32.8 per cent of the borough's land. Where a plot has a drive and a garage set beside the house, the conversion is usually the simpler kind.

A side-access garage often links to the hall or kitchen with a short opening, so the internal connection is simple. A rear garage reached by a long drive is a different job, usually closer to a separate outbuilding than a conversion, and we say so before you pay.

Green belt and shared houses

About 25 per cent of the borough is green belt. A conversion adds no footprint, but a garage joined to the house by a new extension can, so we check whether the green belt tests apply to a combined scheme.

Croydon also has an Article 4 direction on small shared houses. If the new room is for a tenant rather than the family, tell us early, because that is a different use and a different route.

How Croydon decides householder applications

Croydon decided 786 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 86.6 per cent, with 94.4 per cent decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

For larger home extensions under prior approval, the council granted 17 and refused 34 in the latest statistics year. It also dealt with 494 certificate applications, so a Lawful Development Certificate in Croydon is a familiar way to settle the question in writing.

What the technical set covers

Building Regulations approval is needed in every case. The ventilation rule is: Intermittent extract: kitchen 30 l/s with cooker hood (60 l/s otherwise), utility 30 l/s, bathroom 15 l/s, WC 6 l/s. The energy rule is: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4.

The section shows the new floor build-up and the wall lining, and the elevation shows the new window and the materials. The national rule on the outside is: Exterior materials must be of similar appearance to the existing house (conservatories excepted). Our building regulations drawings in Croydon put this on one set for the builder. Where an application is needed, the council fee is £548, and our planning drawings in Croydon carry it.

What we need, what you receive and nearby boroughs

Send us the decision notice for the house if you have it, a photograph of the front and a note of who will use the room. We survey the garage on one datum with the house, show you options in plan and agree the design in writing. Sheets are normally ready about a week after the survey, and a second chartered technologist checks each one.

Garage conversion plans in Croydon start at £695 with VAT included, fixed before you commit. If the council asks for changes, we redraw at no charge until approval.

For the borough as a whole, see architectural drawings in Croydon. Next door, compare Bromley, Sutton and Merton, or read the overview of garage conversion plans.