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.
In Gillingham, as anywhere in Kent, the price of a garage conversion is driven mainly by size, materials and access. Across the South East our guide sits at £13,500–£31,500 with VAT, but restricted parking, a narrow side passage or extra preparation can move the figure either way. That is why every price we give follows a visit to the house.
- Guide price
- £13,500–£31,500 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 2–6 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- ME7 and ME8
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Medway
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does a garage conversion cost in Gillingham?
No two jobs cost exactly the same, but the ranges below give a fair picture of a garage conversion in Gillingham. Pricing for the South East runs about 12% above the national guide, and the overall guide is £13,500–£31,500 with VAT included. We'll confirm your figure after surveying the property for free.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Gillingham |
|---|---|---|
| Integral single garage | A garage within the house footprint, with sound walls and a roof already in place. | £11,000–£20,000 |
| Attached single garage | A garage beside the house that may need roof, wall or floor upgrades. | £15,500–£28,000 |
| Double or detached garage | A larger or separate building, often with a shower room or kitchenette. | £24,500–£50,000 |
What moves the price up or down:
- Garage type: integral, attached or detached
- Condition of the floor, walls, roof and foundations
- Whether a shower room or kitchenette is included
- Heating method and ventilation for the new room
What do you get?
- 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
- Electrics, heating and ventilation by qualified trades, with certificates
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
What are homes like around Gillingham?
Kent's older buildings include oast houses, weatherboarded cottages, Wealden timber-framed houses and Kentish ragstone walls. Medway towns have long rows of Victorian terraces, Margate and Ramsgate have Regency and Victorian seafronts, and Ashford, Maidstone and Dartford have seen large new estates alongside interwar and post-war housing.
Victorian terraces suit loft rooms and rear extensions; weatherboarded and timber-framed buildings may need cladding repairs and lime work. Newer estate homes often take garage conversions, porches and landscaping.
Knowing the typical building types in Kent helps, but a survey of your own home in Gillingham is what decides the right approach to a garage conversion.
Do you need permission in Gillingham?
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Gillingham is in England. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
In England, converting an attached or integral garage into a room usually needs no planning permission, unless a planning condition on your estate has removed permitted development rights (common on newer houses). Changing the garage door to a wall and window is generally fine.
Building Regulations approval is needed: foundations for the infill wall, a damp-proof course, insulation, ventilation and fire safety.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
What happens after you get in touch?
Survey and measure
Book a visit and we'll come to you. The survey covers measurements, the state of what's there now and any obvious constraints, so the price that follows is based on your actual home, not an average.
Price and scope agreed
The quote arrives in writing, not over the phone. It covers the full scope, the finishes you've chosen, any exclusions and the payment schedule, with a fixed price tied to that specification.
Dates and permissions
We handle the paperwork side: checking whether planning permission or building control approval is needed, submitting applications where they are, and scheduling the trades and materials around your dates.
Finish and handover
On site, the agreed plan is followed and any change is put in writing first. At completion we do a final clean, go through the snagging list with you and leave you with the relevant documents.
What you can expect from us
Questions about a garage conversion in Gillingham
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 £13,500–£31,500, 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 I need building regulations approval?
A garage conversion needs building regulations approval because the space becomes a habitable room. Building control checks that the new wall in the door opening has proper foundations, that the floor has a damp-proof membrane and insulation, and that walls and ceiling meet insulation standards. Ventilation, fire safety and escape routes are also checked. In Scotland a building warrant is normally needed before work starts.
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 Gillingham 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.
Do you cover Chatham, Rochester and Strood?
Yes. As well as Gillingham, we cover Chatham, Rochester and Strood and the rest of Kent. 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.
Nearby towns
If your address falls within ME7 and ME8, we cover it. The same goes for neighbouring Chatham, Rochester and Strood, which we include alongside Gillingham when arranging surveys and quotes.