Hello
I have a question. Is it possible to build a granny flat / accessory dwelling unit on top of a prefabricated garage? We built a house about a year ago that has enough space for us and the children. Now we need more space because my mother-in-law is going to move in with us. There is no room in the house, and it is better for family life if everyone has a separate entrance and their own private space.
If this is possible, how much would it cost and who does this kind of work?
I have a question. Is it possible to build a granny flat / accessory dwelling unit on top of a prefabricated garage? We built a house about a year ago that has enough space for us and the children. Now we need more space because my mother-in-law is going to move in with us. There is no room in the house, and it is better for family life if everyone has a separate entrance and their own private space.
If this is possible, how much would it cost and who does this kind of work?
So, I think the proper foundation is missing, and structurally the garage won’t hold up either. Also, where is the garage located? At the property boundary? It probably won’t get building permit / planning permission then.
What is supposed to be on top? Maybe a 6 x 6 meter (20 x 20 feet) garage with a small roof and stairs for the mother-in-law... where is the living value in that and how many square meters (square feet) would that cover?
What is supposed to be on top? Maybe a 6 x 6 meter (20 x 20 feet) garage with a small roof and stairs for the mother-in-law... where is the living value in that and how many square meters (square feet) would that cover?
In principle, you need a building permit to construct. If you want to use the garage plus an extension, or just the extension as living space, you must submit a building application to your local authority. This involves: you will need an architect (or an equally qualified authorized signatory), plans, structural calculations, and so on.
To avoid having to submit everything right away, there are so-called preliminary building inquiries. These can be submitted quite informally (a rough sketch and site plan should usually be sufficient). Then it will be decided whether the project is even likely to be approved.
As the very first step, you should call or visit the responsible building department and discuss your project with the staff there. They can quickly give you an indication of whether it is possible in your case or not.
To avoid having to submit everything right away, there are so-called preliminary building inquiries. These can be submitted quite informally (a rough sketch and site plan should usually be sufficient). Then it will be decided whether the project is even likely to be approved.
As the very first step, you should call or visit the responsible building department and discuss your project with the staff there. They can quickly give you an indication of whether it is possible in your case or not.
The garage is a prefabricated garage measuring 3 x 7 meters (10 x 23 feet), so 21 square meters (226 square feet). Yes, I have also thought that there might be structural issues. Our garage is directly next to the neighbor’s garage. I also considered having a small granny flat built on top of it. Another neighbor on our street has an extension on their garage, which looks nice, but they planned it during construction, unlike us. We had also thought that my mother-in-law would move to the older son’s place, as they have much more space. But she doesn’t want to; she wants to live with us, so now we have to find a solution somehow.
I’m sure you know this too: family is great, but you also need a place to retreat. I have lived with my mother-in-law before, and it certainly wasn’t easy.
I’m sure you know this too: family is great, but you also need a place to retreat. I have lived with my mother-in-law before, and it certainly wasn’t easy.
ypg schrieb:
Also: where is the garage located? On the property line? In that case, it probably won’t get approved.Lucky21 schrieb:
Our garage is directly next to our neighbor’s garage.ypg has already mentioned, besides structural engineering and other issues, one of the main problems: compliance with minimum setback requirements. If your garage is directly next to the neighbor’s garage, it means it was built on the property boundary. However, a building (living space) must maintain a minimum distance from the neighboring property line (to my knowledge, 3.00 meters (10 feet)). This also applies if, for example, the garage roof is to be used as a terrace. Obtaining permission for such a conversion will be very difficult and probably (if at all) take a very long time.
OK – the advantage for you at that moment: the mother-in-law’s visit might be delayed a bit . OK – bad joke (I’m just an Al Bundy fan).
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