Integral and front garage conversions
An integral or front garage costs the same to convert as any single garage, €15,000 to €25,000 at a standard finish, VAT included. The difference is planning: Class 1 covers a garage attached at the side or rear, so a garage at the front, or built in facing the road, isn't clearly exempt. Get a €80 section 5 declaration before you commit.
A garage built into the house or facing the road: the planning question to settle first, and what the work involves.
Free and no obligation. Your plan goes to one builder, not a list.
- €15,000–€25,000standard finish
- €80section 5 declaration
- €34planning application fee
- 12 weeksif permission is needed
Why front and built-in garages are different
Class 1 of the exempted development regulations lets an attached garage, store or shed at the side or the rear of a house be converted for use as part of the house. A garage at the front isn't named, and decisions on referrals have found that a garage which was not to the side or rear of the house wasn't exempt. An integral garage at the side of the house, under the main roof, can still be accepted as at the side; one in the middle of the front face, with the door onto the street, is the doubtful case.
Replacing the garage door with a wall and window also changes the front of the house. Where neighbouring houses all keep their garages, that change is more likely to be judged material. A section 5 declaration settles the question in writing for your house.
What the work involves
An integral garage is already inside the house's walls and under its roof, so the roof usually only needs insulating, and the wall to the house is already there. The floor still needs a membrane and insulation, the door opening still needs filling and matching, and the wall that separated the garage from the house for fire safety can have a door made in it once the whole garage becomes living space. If part stays a garage, that wall and its door keep their fire resistance.
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.
A front or built-in garage made into a bedroom, mid-range finish: €20,000 to €30,000, 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 granny flatA bedroom, a shower room and a small kitchen for a parent.
Garage to gymA warm, dry room with a floor that takes weights.Questions before you convert
Is an integral garage conversion permitted development in Ireland?
Not clearly. Class 1 covers garages attached at the side or rear. Ask the council for a section 5 declaration, which costs €80.
Can I convert a front garage without planning permission?
Front garages have been found not to be exempt. Get a section 5 declaration, and apply for permission if it says so.
How much does an integral garage conversion cost?
The same as a single garage conversion: €15,000 to €25,000 at a standard finish and €20,000 to €30,000 mid-range, VAT included.
Does an integral garage need fire separation?
While it is a garage, yes, from the house. Once the whole garage is living space, no; if part stays a garage, that part keeps its fire-resisting wall and door.
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.