Garage Conversion to kitchen

[steve.jones]

I have a chalet bungalow built in 1958 which is built on a concrete slab. I am about to embark on the conversion of the in house garage to a kitchen. This will involve removing the back wall of the garage to make it open plan to the dinning room. The walls of the garage are standard cavity and there is a bedroom above it who's rear wall (brick) sits on the back wall of the garage. Does anybody know if I need planning permission, or just building control? The front of the garage will be used as a bike store so will still have garage doors Is supporting the removal of the rear wall liable to be an issue, I assume a lintel resting on the side walls of the garage is all that is needed to hold up the wall above the garage, maybe a pillar needed? Also part of this modifications is the conversion of a Utility room to wet room, which will need a center floor drain in the concrete slab. Is there liable to be a damp course under the concrete slab as this will have to be cut to get the drain in? Thanks for any advice and pointers etc

[John Rumm]

Probably just building control. I helped a friend convert his garage in a similar sounding style of place a few years ago.

Depends on if it is load bearing. If it is, then a lintel resting on shoulders of the existing wall will do it.

There should be a damp proofing layer of some sort - it may be a layer of bitumen or similar rather than a membrane...

[Phil L]

There won't be a DPM under the slab if it was poured in 1958. Contact building control, he'll want to see the details on the lintels and probably the drainage situation...and maybe a firebreak between what remains of the old garage and the inhabitable part of the conversion

[Cash]

John,

If that 'concrete slab' is in fact a 'concrete raft', it will have some hefty reinforcing bars in it, as well as steel matting, so that would also have to be taken into consideration when cutting for the drain installation.

Cash

[John Rumm]

Yes, good point indeed it might! Probably won't be able to tell without a test hole...

Perhaps raising the floor may prove a better option if that is the case.

[Rick Hughes]

Officially you will need to submit a 'change of use' planning application, as well as building regs.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Around here, one of the factors would be if the property still has enough off-street parking for the number of bedrooms it has. The number varies by council and locality. For example, for a couple of 4 bedroom homes, they required parking off-street for

2 cars each, which is the drive and the garage. (Neither actually use the garage for parking.)