Converting garage to studio space

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Converting garage to studio space

esawers

551 posts

Ultimate Geek

#181004 29-Sep-2015 09:25

Can anyone tell me the requirements for this?
We want to change the garage door to a glass sliding door, then building paper/insulation/gib on the walls and insulation/carpet on the floors.

What height does the floor need to be? Can this be built up using wood and insulation?

Anything we are missing?

And consents... we are in Christchurch area, at what stage does this need a consent? Is it because the door is being changed?

blackjack17

1705 posts

Uber Geek

#1396469 29-Sep-2015 11:20

Disclamier I am not a builder.

Provided the existing garage has a consent and you are not converting the garage to a bedroom then you probably don't need a consent.

Changing from a garage to studio/study/rumpus isn't considered a change in use (in Auckland anyway)

The replacing the garage door with a sliding door would probably be covered under exception 8 of exempted works document

http://www.building.govt.nz/UserFiles/File/Publications/Building/Guidance-information/pdf/building-work-consent-not-required-guidance-3rd-edition.pdf

The lining and insulation should also be fine provided that you don't have brick walls as then you would have to ensure the insulation isn't in contact with the exterior walls.

As far as the floor goes as long as the concrete has a waterproof membrane then you should be fine to carpet it, if there is no waterproof membrane you would almost be better off removing the concrete and relaying it (not as expensive as you might think).

But once again I am not a builder

We had quite a bit of work done to my place and should probably have gotten consents, but everything was done to code.

Good luck

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coffeebaron

6235 posts

Uber Geek

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#1396472 29-Sep-2015 11:25

Don't forget your structured cabling and link to house :)

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esawers

551 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1396506 29-Sep-2015 11:48

There was no power to the garage, so we are currently installing power (and structured cabling) through a trench :)

MikeAqua

7785 posts

Uber Geek

#1396518 29-Sep-2015 12:01

The door type change may trigger a building permit, which I think would be focused on weatherproofing, and the framing around the door.

Building usually goes on the outside of the wall framing to keep. So to fit it you would need to remove and replace the external wall cladding

I would seal the concrete before flooring over it, just to keep any damp away from the new floor.

Then it all depends how far you want/need to build up the floor - some thought/advice required around floor height in relation to the ranch slider frame.

You could then build up the floor by bolting timber framing onto the floor and attaching floor boards to that, or gluing/attaching flooring directly onto the concrete.

Insulation material to suit the gap you have (if any) under your new flooring.

Mike

esawers

551 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1396618 29-Sep-2015 14:04

I just spoke with CCC

For an 'office space':

Changing the door = no consent required
Building the framing down the middle = no consent required
Putting insulation in the walls = needs consent

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#1396620 29-Sep-2015 14:16

esawers: I just spoke with CCC

For an 'office space':

Changing the door = no consent required
Building the framing down the middle = no consent required
Putting insulation in the walls = needs consent

Hmmm - CCC did have a temporary consent exemption in place to allow exterior wall insulation installation without consent, however that may have applied only in the case of "like for like" re-cladding, when installing building paper and ensuring that insulation didn't bridge between cladding and framing was straight-forward.

If there's existing building paper, getting consent shouldn't be too hard. If not, then it might be a bit of a fiddle, but still do-able.

jonb

1772 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1396629 29-Sep-2015 14:31

esawers: I just spoke with CCC

For an 'office space':

Changing the door = no consent required
Building the framing down the middle = no consent required
Putting insulation in the walls = needs consent

Would there be an official record of insulation being present/not present as the garage stands now?

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esawers

551 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1396637 29-Sep-2015 14:35

There is existing insulation (but no building paper, don't think its consented)
I was told to apply for a document which told us what consents had been issued.

Ham

462 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1396834 29-Sep-2015 20:37

Bats in the walls will require a consent as if it's not done correctly and it's touching the external cladding it can transfer moisture to the internal walls, but Bats are not the only way to insulate, I'd suggest calling GIB and ask them about R values, I know a decent R value can be achieved just using a double layer of GIB...