Studio Build :: Planning permissions..?

[Biddle]

I have just purchased a house just outside West London, which has a regular sized garage at the bottom of the garden.

This garage is eventually going to be my new studio, and I have a few queries regarding exactly what I am allowed to do with the structure.

Basically, I want to build a "second skin" breeze block/ brick wall within the garage shell itself, leaving one gap for some light through an existing window (which will be upgraded) and room for air-con etc. - other than that it'll be plastered and treated acoustically how I see fit at the time.

My question is this: Do I need planning permission for this? The garage will appear identical from the outside, and the wall will be built in such a way that it can be pulled down when I decide to sell if necessary.

I need to contact the local council first of course, but I though I'd check on any Slutz' experiences first......

Thanks!

[Biddle]

Any takers?

Please and thank you.

[tINY]

Here in the states, we figure "if it's not structural and nobody can see it" - why bother with inspectors ?




-tINY

[Biddle]

Originally Posted by tINY

Here in the states, we figure "if it's not structural and nobody can see it" - why bother with inspectors ?




-tINY

Hmm, not sure if it works like that here - I don't want to build a false wall and have an interfering neighbour drop me in it, I think it'l cost me a good couple of thousand to get it built...

[andyspiller]

Hi Biddle

I think there are several points here.

Firstly is the studio a commercial venture? If so then you require planning permission to change the use to a commercial property for the purposes of classification and also Business rates and you require B2 type planning approval.(The last time I had to pay Business rates in the mid 1990s they were £2600/year for 1000 sq ft - I don't know what they are now but you'll need to check the situation out.)

Secondly if it is for your own purposes only then you will need building regulations to conform to a livable space. You may be able to avoid the rates on this but I think that may depend on your local authority.

The 3rd issue which may get in the way of all this from an "officaldom" point of view is whether the property lies within a conservation area, whether you are allowed to carry on a business within the rights stated on the deeds e.g. if it is an ex local authority property there is often a covenant stating no "business" enterprise is allowed. Although this usually means something like mechanical repairs or builders yard, it is always a good idea to clear it as the ramifications of spending so much money and then being told no are just not worth the hassle. Call the local building control office and ask them for their opinion.

Also consider electrics - any new wiring work must now conform to the latest building regs and Electrical Part (P?) with an RCD etc - again a new fuse board and installation could be £200 or more or maybe £600 if you have to replace the main fuseboard in order to run the supply to the garage - you probably do not want all of your gear load running off a 13 amp feed. I would also recommend an uninterruptable power supply if you can afford one.

Just one final point - most garages are 7-8' wide by 16-20' so there is going to be quite a bit of lost space if you construct an extra wall inside. Also there may be issues concerning the concrete base and foundations and the loads allowable, insulation properties etc. Just to give you a practical example of this, we bought a house where a mistake had been made with the extension kitchen floor(too high). In order to level it there were 3 inspections, £2000 labour and materials just to get the floor back to the correct level - this was a 9'x8' area, but because of new thermal efficiency standards floor had to be dug out to bedrock, back filled, drylined and DPC'd, insulated, concreted, screed top layer etc. The flooring was and additional £35.00/sq m plus fitting so there may be some big hidden costs that you may not have accounted for. My builder quotes approx £8-10000 for a standard garage conversion on the Bucks/Oxon border and I would imagine that it may be a bit more in London.

Insurance - specialist Insurance companies have minimum security requirements.

Asbestos - a lot of prefab garages are made out of 17-18% asbestos concrete blocks in properties dating even from the 1970s so check, please!

Phizix has a current build thread here
Writing room bulld Manchester UK

You may be completely OK, and the work you need doing could be a lot less than the figures I have written,but, seriously, check and make 100% sure, and good luck

Best regards

Andy

[Biddle]

Andy:

Thanks for taking the time to put together the above post, I appreciate it. As for now, this wouldn't be declared as a business, as I'm barely releasing a few tracks per year.

The property is just in a housing estate, so I'm pretty sure there shouldn't be too many regulations regarding conservation.

It's also already been wired, I was planning to install a new RCD anyway.


Thanks again for the information, if anyone else has any more stories?

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