Browse Forums Renovation + Home Improvement 1 Jan 13, 2023 8:51 am Hi All, I've just bought a house in Sydney's North Shore and I'd like to close off the end of the long parallel garage (which ajoins to the house) to make a small study. All I'm looking for initially is an insulated stud wall with a light and electrical point(s). With this being the first property I've owned, I have absolutely no idea where to start. Please could you suggest who I should chat to first to determine what is required to meet code and help me get the necessary council approvals, etc. Should I just consult with a local builder? Who does the plans to submit to council? Do I have to do the DA submission or will they do that? Lastly, would you think that a budget of $5000 is reasonable for this? Thanks in advance. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Office within garage 2Jan 18, 2023 8:14 am Just commenting on my own post in the hope that it will pull it out from near the bottom of the pile ... and some kind person will share their insights ... Re: Office within garage 3Jan 18, 2023 10:26 am you can ask a builder to manage the whole bit for you. If you do this, expect to pay more than 5k. Their time, efficiency and knowledge around the process is what you're going to be paying for. With regards to approvals, the best people to ask is the council. I suspect the works aren't significant enough to require approvals, but the council can direct you. You dont have to give them your name or address to have them answer these questions in case you decide to do something on the down low (not advocating for that, of course) If you are on a budget, my approach woud be: 1. speak with council, show them what you want to do and ask advice. if you get the ok with no approvals needed, then 2. source and buy the materials yourself 3. build the stud wall yourself 4. get a sparky to do the electrical rough in 5 insulate and plaster yourself 6. have sparky come back and fit off 7. caulk/paint/finish the space. You could do this for ~5k for sure if you do most of it yourself. Even having to buy the tools. A mitre saw (300 ish) and a cordless nailgun (300ish) from ryobi will do the job and youll have the tools forever, reducing cost of future DIY, which i guarantee you'll be doing if you go down this route. Finishing this will motivate you to do so. i 100% know you can learn this from youtube and the job is relatively basic. Tought myself to lay bricks a few weeks ago to build a planter. Quoted 1.5k, completed for 300 bucks in materials and left over bricks from the builder. . Did the same when i built my 10 seater messmate dining table. Similar tables retail for around 7k my materials and tools cost 1.5k. I have no trade background btw. You can do it! Re: Office within garage 5Jan 18, 2023 4:34 pm greggielocs Thanks ponzutwo - you make it sound so simple! Appreciate your guidance. 100% you'll see how simple it is after you watch a couple youtube videos. Trust me. You're not building a house, just a stud wall. If you've ever nail3d a few bits of wood together, you've got this My home office is hot with computer equipment running virtually 18 hours a day. When it gets unbearably warm I simply step out of my door into the living area which is… 0 5459 It sounds like you have a crack in your garage where the wall meets the ceiling, along the shadow line on the… 0 17803 |