Claire Pigeon

Is it time for a garage conversion office? The events of the last few months have changed all our lives to a greater or lesser degree. The effects of Coronavirus will be with us for some time to come and even when life goes back to a version of ‘normal’ we will see some significant changes to the way we live.

Many people have realised that they can work from home and that may well become permanent. We have realised there is no need to travel every day and meetings can be conducted via Zoom etc.

With home working set to become the norm it’s vital to have an exclusive place to work from. If you’re currently working from a spare bedroom or the dining room table but have a garage space that’s not being used, you’ve got the perfect space ready and waiting. We can convert the garage in 2 weeks to a warm, homely dedicated office space. This enables you to focus on work without the distractions of home life and shut the door on it at the end of the day.

In addition to making your working life more professional, you will add value to your home for your investment. On average, a garage conversion adds ups to half as much again in value against the initial outlay. You may be able to ask your employer to contribute an amount to getting your home office operational too.

If you would like a free no obligation quotation then call Midland Garage Conversions here and we will arrange a visit at your convenience with all the usual social distancing provisions applied.

We are currently due to restart working on sites in the next few weeks and when we do we will be observing a clear policy of social distancing and other safety provisions to keep ourselves, our staff and our customers safe.

Updated 25th June 2020

In these unprecedented times we are adapting our business regularly as the situation unfolds. At all times our first priority is the safety of our staff and customers.

Current government guidelines suggest that the construction industry can resume within careful social distancing parameters. We are guided by government advice, the medical profession’s views and the personal needs of our staff and customers. We are now working again although the supply chain is a little challenging at times and we have changed the way we operate where necessary.

We are able to discuss new projects and are happy to take any enquiries regarding a project you may have in mind.

We work with caution but the nature of what we do means we are not in your main home, we can mostly keep our staff working alone (each trade comes in a day at a time) and we can discuss the project where possible via technology. We have also issued all staff with appropriate PPE including gloves and facemasks. We are keeping in place the following measures until we are able to resume ‘normal life’.

• We will home isolate any staff who show any symptoms or have been in contact with anyone who shows symptoms in line with all government guidelines – no-one will work if they have had any contact with a case or suspected case.
• Our staff will access your garage without entering your home and will not go within 2m of anyone.  Where necessary we can use telephone, photos, FaceTime etc to discuss the project in depth either at quote stage or during the project. Where appropriate we can discuss things on site but we will maintain the recommended 2m distance.
• We will wipe all door handles with alcohol wipes before and after using them.
• The staff will not use customer’s WCs while working on the job. 
• We will ensure all staff are wearing gloves where possible and where this is not possible they are hand washing frequently and wipe down the surfaces they have been working on with alcohol wipes before they leave at the end of the day.
• Whilst our guys absolutely love a cup of tea brought to them during the day, in this period we have asked them to politely decline any food or drinks so we reduce the cross contamination risk to both parties.  They’ll bring their own drinks and food so we should reduce your teabag bill!
• We ask that if you have had any exposure or symptoms you let us know as soon as possible.

We will keep our website and social media pages updated if and when the situation progresses but if you want to discuss anything with us, please give us a call.

Updated 25th June 2020

As we are all aware, we are experiencing an unprecedented time with the outbreak of Coronavirus.  The situation is developing rapidly so we will issue updates as the government and health advice changes and post them on our website and social media.

We are now resuming onsite work from the end of June 2020. Our priority is to protect our staff, customers and the wider public.

For a construction firm we have been categorised as low risk as we can observe strict social distancing policies whilst working. The nature of what we do means we are not in your main home, we can largely keep our staff working alone (each trade comes in a day at a time) and we can conduct meetings with you via your chosen technology. We have also issued all staff with appropriate PPE including gloves and facemasks. We are keeping in place the following measures until we are able to resume ‘normal life’.

• We will home isolate any staff who show any symptoms or have been in contact with anyone who shows symptoms in line with all government guidelines – no-one will work if they have had any contact with a case or suspected case.
• Our staff will access your garage without entering your home and will not go within 2m of anyone.  Where necessary we can use telephone, photos, FaceTime etc to discuss the project in depth either at quote stage or during the project. Where appropriate we can discuss things on site but we will maintain the recommended 2m distance.
• We will wipe all door handles with alcohol wipes before and after using them.
• The staff will not use customer’s WCs while working on the job.
• We will ensure all staff are wearing gloves where possible and where this is not possible they are hand washing frequently and wipe down the surfaces they have been working on with alcohol wipes before they leave at the end of the day.
• Whilst our guys absolutely love a cup of tea brought to them during the day, in this period we have asked them to politely decline any food or drinks so we reduce the cross contamination risk to both parties.  They’ll bring their own drinks and food so we should reduce your teabag bill!
• We ask that if you have had any exposure or symptoms you let us know as soon as possible.

Where does your family spend most of their time? Recent research shows the vast majority of modern families actually interact in the kitchen more than any other room. We’re all busy these days. Most of us have long working hours, children’s sports and hobbies, pets, socialising, and family time to squeeze into our weeks. The one time most of get to see our family and friends is when we sit down and eat together.

Whether it’s Sunday lunch, a dinner party or a lovely Saturday morning breakfast before we all dash off, the kitchen forms the heart of most houses.

Have you coveted that beautiful kitchen island on your favourite TV show or sat green-eyed with envy as your friends pour you a glass of sauvignon from their wine cooler? If you think your kitchen is too small, then think again. We can open out your home into the garage and give you the canvas for your ideal kitchen. We’ve created some stunning spaces over the years and added significant value to the homes of our clients. All within a couple of weeks and minimum fuss.

Whether you’re a closet rock star or a budding photographer, it’s hard to indulge your hobby without some space. Unless your extremely lucky, most of us can’t spare a room in the main house, which is where your garage could come in.

Studio space is expensive to rent so converting your garage to a music studio not only gives you the facilities to be creative literally on your doorstep but you lose the hassle and the expensive of booking rehearsal studios.

Equally you might want to turn a long term hobby into a burgeoning business. It may be sewing, crafting, photography or running an internet shop. We can create a bespoke space to facilitate this and help you on your way. To have everything on hand but away from the dining room table is invaluable when you’re trying to keep costs down and time is tight.

We’ve created hundreds of spaces for all sorts of activities, so you think of the idea and we’ll make it happen.

With a recent increase in flexible working and self employment, more people than ever are working from home. For the price of a single year of rented office space you could create your own office from unused space in your garage. In addition to the rental saving, you will also add more value to your home than the initial outlay, making a garage conversion a shrewd financial investment too.

Ideally you want to ensure your working environment is warm, with good lighting and comfortable. We can remove the garage door and replace it with a large window, perfectly matching your existing ones, which gives you plenty of natural light to work in. We insulate the floor, ceiling and walls, in line with the latest building control guidelines so the room will be the warmest in the house. We can work with you to design the best layout. Usually this means an access door through to the kitchen or hallway to provide access to facilities while you’re working. Again, we’ll match the door and level the floor so the look is seamless.

Other considerations are location of sockets, lights and switches, cabling and internet connection. You may need to take into account storage or security. We can tailor make solutions for all those eventualities including a separate entryway.

Creating a separate home office enables you to close the door at the end of the day and separate your home/work life. Something we can all benefit from.

On average a garage conversion will add around 10% to the value of your house.  This is comparable to an extension but the average cost of a garage conversion is around £15,000 compared to the average cost of an extension at £30,000.  Therefore a garage conversions is a cost effective, simple and fast way to add value to your home as well as enjoying your new space.  

It is important to check you still have adequate parking as this will be important to future buyers but most modern houses benefit from a substantial drive as well as a garage. 

The other consideration is the time it takes to complete the work. Our conversions are usually completed within two weeks. This is considerably shorter than the average time for an extension so any interruption to family life or work is minimised.

In a word, yes. Curb appeal is one of the most important aspects of your home and we make your home look beautiful inside and out. All our windows are bespoke and are made to the exact specifications of your existing windows. This means your home looks like there was never a garage there. The window also create natural light from inside and brings the room together, no matter what you are using it for. We’ll also adjust the size of the opening if necessary to ensure it matches your existing windows.

We also ‘tooth out’ the existing brickwork on every conversion. Rather than take the short cut of bricking up with a straight line where we removed the garage door, which shows you’ve had a conversion, we use the toothing out method. This involves removing every other brick below the window and blending in the new bricks seamlessly so you’d never know there was a garage door there. It’s a small detail but it will completely transform the appearance of your home.