Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Apr 26, 2010 8:10 pm Hi everyone, Just wondering if any of you have successfully applied and been approved (by Stockland and Whittlesea City Council) to convert your double garage into a living space? Whittlesea City Council says we need to ask for approval from Stockland, then submit to them the new plans, along with an assessment saying that the new living areas (being the old garage) are fully insulated, waterproof and comply with the current energy efficiency of the house. We are thinking of doing this, and then building a new double garage in front of the old garage. Do you reckon this idea will fly? Methinks not unfortunately (especially because of setback and other covenants). I guess I've answered my own question right? Nevertheless, I look forward to your responses. Janet Re: Converting double garage into living areas 2Apr 27, 2010 1:41 pm Its often not practical to convert a garage to a living space as they are often built in a way that makes them difficult to insulate/waterproof etc to BCA spec. I can't comment specifically without having construction details but this is generally the case. And yes whether you can build forward will depend on setback requirements. You might want to consider demolishing the garage and putting on a new addition to meet your requirements and this will result in a home that looks 'integrated' and original rather than one that has had modifications and botched additions added on. Much better to for resale value. Re: Converting double garage into living areas 3Apr 27, 2010 3:28 pm A family member converted their double garage into a living room and it's flooded twice due to gutter flow back. The room has a step-down due to the existing slab being lower too. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, especially when you consider that double garages are great for resale. Re: Converting double garage into living areas 4Apr 29, 2010 9:46 pm Unless things have changed, they usually didnt put a waterproof membrane (plastic) under the garage floor when the house was built, therefor in most cases you had to replace the floor making it waterproof and to stop dampness rising, before considering any walling etc. Arfur start from at least $20,000 just for fixtures and finishes and then add on for moving plumbing and extra for a concrete floored house last new bathroom we installed in a… 1 17840 2 9385 If I hire a contractor to convert a window to a sliding door will I need to show them Council approval paperwork? That is, if I want to take a risk of carrying out the… 0 12994 |