Frequently Asked Questions

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What will the cost be for the garage conversion plans?

Garage Conversion Fees:

Design and Draw	£195.00
Submit Application and Liaise with the Council until Approval	£ 95.00
Technical Drawings for Building Control Application	£195.00
Submit Application and Liaise with the Council until Approval	£ 95.00

 

Council application fees vary from Council to Council and are charged separately to our fees.

If your extension requires any further local authority reports, such as a flood risk assessment, tree survey, structural calculations etc; then these are charged separately to our design fees.

 

What areas do you cover?
We currently have 10 designers based throughout the U.K. who are happy to travel to your property to design your garage conversion.

If you would like to check if we cover your area, then please Contact us and we will email or telephone you back.

Do your fees include VAT?
The price quoted is the price that you will pay, we do not believe in hidden charges and we hope to build our client base by recommendation and word of mouth, I personally don't like taking my car to a garage and asking for a price, only to find out later when I pick the car up that VAT has been added.

Why are your fees considerably less than traditional practices?
Traditional Architects can charge £1000 plus to design a garage conversion. At Garage Conversion Plans we charge a fixed priced fees starting at £195.00 and we can do this by keeping our overheads low and passing on these cost savings back to you.

Do you guarantee a Building Regulations approval?
Yes, we GUARANTEE a Building Regulations approval. Over the years we have completed hundreds of garage conversions and have never had a single one rejected.

Why should I choose your services and what are the advantages?
The advantages of having a fully approved set of plans enable you to choose any builder you would like to construct your garage conversion.

The simple fact is, the more control you have selecting your builder, the more control you have over the cost of the garage conversion.

I have known of garage conversion companies quoting £10,000 - £15,000 for a garage conversion, and the client then getting their own builder and completing the job for less than £5,000.

If you use a garage conversion franchise, the franchise will have to pay up to 20% of the fee per job, back the parent company as part of the franchise agreement, as you can imagine this is added onto your bill.

Do you apply to the Local Authority for Building Regulations? 
Yes, we fill out all of the forms and submit your application to your Local Authority, and act as agent should they have any queries.

Do your fees include the Local Authority Building Regulations fee?
No, the Building Regulations plan check fee is payable to the Local Authority and is paid by the homeowner. The Building Regulations plan check fee is normally between £135.00 and £165.00, dependant upon your Local Authority.

What happens if the Council want our garage conversion amending, and do you charge for this?
No, We don't charge for making amendments to your plans, these are included in our fees.

How many sets of plans will I get?
We provide the homeowner with 4 sets of plans. We also send you a copy of the plans in PDF format by email, should you wish to print your own additional copies.

How detailed are your drawings?
Our drawings are extremely detailed and fully annotated. All of our work is produced in the UK by qualified staff. Typically a set of drawings will include existing and proposed plans and elevations. Our drawings are far more detailed than actually required for Building Regulations approval. All of our drawings are computer generated using the latest AutoCAD software. Samples of our drawings are available for viewing on this web site here.

How long do the approvals from the Local Authority take to be processed?
The time it takes Local Authorities to process a Building Regulations application is around 3 to 5 weeks.

Can I start building my garage conversion before obtaining Building Regulation Approval?
No - we recommend that you obtain a Building Regulation approval before your builder starts the work. This covers your builder so he knows the plans have been approved by the Local Authority.

Do you have any general advice about a garage conversion?
We would recommend that you stay away from Building Notice applications, this is where a builder constructs your garage conversion without a set of approved plans.

Builders sometimes try to tell home-owners that a set of plans is not required, and this will only delay the process, this is largely due to builders wanting to take a deposit payment from the homeowner and start the works straight away.

A set of approved building plans will resolve any issues before a garage conversion is even started and its nice for a home-owner to see what they will get from their garage conversion.

What other services do you provide?
We also design external garages, domestic extensions, loft conversions, porches and conservatories for Planning Permission and Building Regulations submissions to you Local Authority.

If you have a question that you would like us to answer please use the Contact us link, and I will post them to this page