Garage to granny flat conversion
A garage converted into a granny flat, with a bedroom, a shower room and a small kitchen, costs about €35,000 to €58,000 at a mid-range finish at national prices, and €39,000 to €62,000 in Dublin, VAT included. In an attached garage it can be exempt from planning as part of the house; a detached garage made into somewhere to live needs permission.
A bedroom, a shower room and a small kitchen for a parent: costs, the planning position and help with adaptations.
Free and no obligation. Your plan goes to one builder, not a list.
- €35,000–€58,000mid-range, national prices
- €39,000–€62,000the same in Dublin
- €40,000most a Housing Adaptation Grant pays
- 6–10 weekson site, plus extras
Part of the house, not a separate home
Class 1 allows an attached garage at the side or back to become part of the house. A granny flat that shares the front door, or opens off the hall, is part of the house. One with its own front door, its own address and no way through could be judged a separate dwelling, and that needs planning permission. Keep a door through to the main house and it stays part of the family home.
A detached garage made into somewhere a parent lives is a change of use and needs planning permission. Councils that grant it usually add a condition that it stays part of the main home. Planning permission for a garage conversion.
Planning it for later years
- A level threshold from the house and into the shower, with no step.
- Wide doors, 850 mm or more, so a walking frame or a wheelchair can pass.
- A walk-in shower with a grab rail and a seat, and a basin at a comfortable height.
- Light switches and sockets at a height that is easy to reach, and good lighting at night.
Where the room is needed because of a disability, the council's Housing Adaptation Grant can pay up to €40,000, depending on household income. The application goes to the council before work starts.
Plan your garage conversion
Four quick taps, and your plan fills in as you answer: the cost in your county, the planning position for your kind of garage and how many weeks it takes. Contact details come last, and only if you want a builder to price it.
An attached garage made into a room for a parent, mid-range finish, with a shower room, a small kitchen: €35,000 to €58,000, including VAT.
How the estimate is worked out
A garage conversion is priced as one job, because the walls, roof and floor slab are already standing: insulating the floor, walls and roof, building up the door opening with a window, wiring, heating, plastering and the finish. The range for your finish is adjusted to your county the same way building rates move between regions of Ireland, VAT at 13.5% included. A shower room, a small kitchen or a steel beam into the house go on top. Totals are rounded to the nearest €1,000. Use it to plan with. It isn't a quote: a builder prices your garage after seeing it.
What a garage can become
Each has its own page: what it costs, the rules that apply to that room, and what to decide first.
Garage to bedroomA downstairs bedroom, with a shower room of its own if the drains allow.
Garage to home officeA room with a door that shuts, away from the kitchen table.
Garage to playroomSomewhere for the children and their things, off the hall.
Garage to gymA warm, dry room with a floor that takes weights.
Integral and front garagesBuilt into the house or facing the road: check before you start.Questions before you convert
How much does it cost to convert a garage into a granny flat?
About €35,000 to €58,000 at a mid-range finish with a shower room and small kitchen, at national prices; €39,000 to €62,000 in Dublin.
Do I need planning permission for a granny flat in my garage?
Not for an attached garage at the side or back that stays part of the house. A detached garage, or one made into a separate home, needs permission.
Is there a grant for a granny flat?
Not as such. Where it is needed because of a disability, the Housing Adaptation Grant can pay up to €40,000, depending on household income.
Can a granny flat have its own front door?
It can have an outside door, but keep a door through to the main house so it remains part of the home. A fully separate unit needs planning permission.
Every guide and county page
Conversions
Costs, rules and help
The room you need is already built
Pick the kind of garage, what it becomes and the finish to see the cost in your county. When you want a firm price, your plan goes to a single vetted builder for your area.