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.
Derry/Londonderry sits within our coverage for a garage conversion, as do neighbouring Strabane, Limavady and Coleraine. Before giving a price we want to see the property: the condition of what's there now, the access, and anything that might need extra work. The guide range for Northern Ireland is £10,500–£24,000 including VAT, and your written quote will spell out exactly what that covers.
- Guide price
- £10,500–£24,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 2–6 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- BT48
- Planning rules
- Northern Ireland
- Local area
- Derry
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for a garage conversion in Derry/Londonderry?
No two jobs cost exactly the same, but the ranges below give a fair picture of a garage conversion in Derry/Londonderry. Pricing for Northern Ireland runs about 14% below the national guide, and the overall guide is £10,500–£24,000 with VAT included. We'll confirm your figure after surveying the property for free.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Derry/Londonderry |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Expect these to shape the final quote:
- 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
What’s included?
- 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
- Electrics, heating and ventilation by qualified trades, with certificates
- Plastering, skirting and decoration-ready finish
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
Building in Derry/Londonderry
Derry has Georgian and Victorian terraces around its walled city, alongside large post-war estates and newer developments. Coleraine, Limavady and Magherafelt mix older town centres with semis and estates, Portstewart has seaside villas, and rural areas have many detached homes and bungalows, often roughcast.
Terraces suit loft conversions and rear extensions, while rural bungalows commonly take extensions, loft rooms and driveways. Roughcast homes often need re-rendering, and coastal houses need roofline and window renewal.
None of this holds for every street in Derry/Londonderry, which is why we look at your actual house before pricing a garage conversion rather than assuming from its age alone.
Do you need permission in Derry/Londonderry?
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Derry/Londonderry is in Northern Ireland. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
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.
The four stages
Free site survey
We begin by looking at the job in person. During the free survey we discuss options, materials and budget for a garage conversion, and photograph or measure anything the quote needs to reflect.
Written quote
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.
Getting ready
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.
The work itself
The job proceeds in the order set out in the programme, with dust and debris kept under control. Finally we tidy away, inspect the work together and pass the finished project over to you with its paperwork.
How we work
Common questions
Who do I deal with during the job?
One point of contact manages your project from survey to handover. They schedule the trades working under our contract, keep you updated on progress, and are the person to call with any question. You don't need to coordinate builders, electricians or decorators separately, because that is part of what we do.
Does the floor need raising?
Garage floors are usually lower than the house floor and slope towards the door for drainage. Most conversions raise the floor with a damp-proof membrane, insulation and either a screed or a timber floor, so it lines up with the house and removes the step. The final level depends on ceiling height and the door into the house. We measure both during the survey.
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.
Can I keep some storage space?
Many people keep part of the garage for storage by building a dividing wall, leaving a smaller store at the front behind the existing door and converting the area behind into a room or utility. This keeps the look of the house unchanged and gives you somewhere for bikes and tools. The converted part still needs the same insulation, ventilation and fire separation.
Can you combine a garage conversion with other work?
Yes. Because we manage several trades under one contract, we can plan a garage conversion alongside other work on your Derry/Londonderry home, such as new windows with rendering, or a kitchen refit with an extension. Combining jobs can reduce repeat set-up such as scaffolding, skips and access, and every element is listed and priced in the same written quote.
Near Derry/Londonderry
We survey and quote throughout Derry/Londonderry's BT48 postcodes and in surrounding places such as Strabane, Limavady and Coleraine. The process and pricing approach are identical in each of them.