A garage conversion turns an integral or attached garage into a warm, habitable room by insulating the floor, walls and ceiling, replacing the garage door with a wall and window, and adding heating, lighting and finishes.
County Antrim is part of our UK-wide coverage for a garage conversion. Places we cover include Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, and we travel to smaller communities across the area as well. Since your property is in Northern Ireland, the relevant planning and building rules are the ones set there. In Northern Ireland, budget around £10,500–£24,000 with VAT; the figure is confirmed after a survey that costs you nothing.
- Guide price
- £10,500–£24,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 2–6 weeks on site
- Planning rules
- Northern Ireland
- Price level
- About 14% below the national guide
- Towns listed
- 7
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Garage conversions prices in County Antrim
What should you budget for a garage conversion in County Antrim? Use the figures below as a starting point. Prices in Northern Ireland sit about 14% below the national guide, so the range here is £10,500–£24,000 including VAT. Your fixed price comes in writing once we've surveyed the property, at no charge.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in County Antrim |
|---|---|---|
| Integral single garage | A garage within the house footprint, with sound walls and a roof already in place. | £8,600–£15,500 |
| Attached single garage | A garage beside the house that may need roof, wall or floor upgrades. | £12,000–£21,500 |
| Double or detached garage | A larger or separate building, often with a shower room or kitchenette. | £19,000–£38,500 |
The main things that change the figure:
- Condition of the floor, walls, roof and foundations
- Whether a shower room or kitchenette is included
- Heating method and ventilation for the new room
- Window and door choices and the level of finishes
Scope of the work
- Infilling the garage door opening with insulated wall and new window
- Foundation checks under the door opening and footings where needed
- Damp-proof membrane, insulated floor and screed or raised timber floor
- Insulated walls and ceiling built to building regulations
- New internal door or opening into the house
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
Housing across County Antrim
Belfast has long rows of red-brick Victorian terraces, Edwardian villas in the north and south of the city and large post-war estates, while towns such as Ballymena, Antrim, Larne and Carrickfergus mix terraces, semis and newer developments. Dark basalt appears in older rural buildings, and pebbledash or roughcast is a very common finish.
Terraces suit loft conversions and rear extensions, and many need window and roof renewal. Pebbledashed homes commonly need re-rendering, and detached rural houses often take extensions, porches and driveways.
The north coast and glens are exposed to strong winds, salt and frequent rain, which affects render, roofline and outdoor work.
Planning and building rules in County Antrim
Planning law differs across the UK. For a home in County Antrim, it is the Northern Ireland rules below that count, and we check them with the council ahead of any quote.
In Northern Ireland, converting a garage into living space usually needs no planning permission unless rights were removed by condition.
Building control approval is needed under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland).
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
From survey to handover
We look at the job
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price a garage conversion properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
Price and scope agreed
Next you receive a written quote with a fixed price for the agreed specification. It lists what is included, what is not, and how payments are staged, so you can compare it properly.
Booking the work
Once you accept, we agree start dates, order materials and deal with any planning, building control or neighbour notices the job needs. You'll know who is coming and when before work begins.
Build and hand over
Our trades complete a garage conversion while your point of contact keeps you updated. When everything is finished, we clear the site, take away waste and go through the result with you before handover.
How we work
Frequently asked questions
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
How much does a garage conversion cost?
A typical single garage conversion costs £10,500–£24,000, depending on whether the garage is integral, attached or detached and what the room is for. Integral garages usually cost least because the walls and roof are already sound. Adding a shower room, upgrading a flat roof or levelling a sloping floor adds cost. As a guide, allow roughly £550–£1,100 per square metre plus fixed costs. We confirm a fixed price after the survey.
Will the new room be warm enough?
A converted garage can be as warm as any other room in the house, provided the floor, walls and ceiling are insulated to current standards. Garages are usually built with single-skin walls and no insulation, so this work matters. Heating can come from a new radiator on your existing system, underfloor heating or an electric heater, depending on your boiler capacity. We advise on the most suitable option.
Do I need planning permission for a garage conversion?
Whether a garage conversion needs planning permission depends on the works, your home's location, whether it is listed or in a conservation area, and which UK nation you are in. In England, converting an integral or attached garage is often permitted development where changes are mostly internal, unless a planning condition has removed those rights, which is common on newer estates. We check what applies before quoting.
Do you cover Belfast, Lisburn and Newtownabbey?
Yes. As well as County Antrim, we cover Belfast, Lisburn and Newtownabbey and the rest of County Antrim. Our coverage is UK-wide, so the process is the same wherever you are: a free site survey, a quote in writing that fixes the price for the agreed scope, and one point of contact while the work is planned and carried out.
Towns in County Antrim
Choose your town from the list to see how we price and plan a garage conversion in your part of County Antrim, including typical time on site.