I currently have a detached garage but it needs to go as it’s in the way of extending our kitchen (it’s single skin brick and generally in quite poor condition, but the overgrown rambling rose is quite good for roof security!)

The choice is between an integral garage at the front of the house or a super shed at the bottom of the garden…

The side return is only 2.8m to the boundary so an integral garage would only have around 2.6m internal width with a single skin outer wall (or possibly timber frame). Length would be 5.5 – 6m. Roof would be pitched and would put ply board and insulation on the underside. There’d be the (insulated) garage door at the front and 2 access doors at the rear (one with steps up into a utility room and one external), so neither end would provide usable space. Another snag is that the ground floor of the house is quite high off the ground, so it complicates the roof lines with the kitchen/utility extension behind it.

The super shed would be a proper insulated timber building with no windows and just a normal door (can position it in the middle so both ends provide usable space). Would probably be 3m x 5.5m with flat/mono pitched roof of no more than 2.5m beight(so it would be permitted development – although we do need to go for planning on the extension anyway). Main downside is having to walk outside to get in the shed (not far as garden is only 20m long but not as convenient as internal access) as well as it taking up a chunk of garden and be out of range of wifi (I find wifi handy for fettling as I’m usually clueless). I can get this built for roughly half the cost of the integral garage. On one hand it would be better shielded from the eyes of passers by, but it might give tea leaves more privacy/time as well.

Both would have electric (and electric heater) and be part of the house alarm system. Either would be OK for the house insurance coverage.

What would STW do?

integral garage WITHOUT access to the house. And infact unless i was planning on putting a car in there id make dummy front doors and brick up behind the door.

And just have a single secure door on the back.

super shed on the side of the house i guess would be my option. and make it as high as possible to match the roof line of your house. – height is good in a garage.

Use the space where the garage is to extend the house sideways, then build a super shed in the garden. Win-win! Run some ethernet (and power etc) out to the shed for t’internet access. Win again!

Integral garage with roller shutter and a wall behind with a window in. Plenty of light when your in there but very secure with the shutter down. I’d also have a door in it for bike access. You could make the wall from stud work yourself and any future owner could remove it easily if the wanted to. Personally I’d like access from the house but I’d put a twin door in to properly isolate it but if its from a utility area then I wouldn’t worry about that. Save the garden to expand into later.

Of course an integral garage will become a dumping ground for all sorts of kids/wife related clutter as the airlock for muck getting into the house. Less likely with a building at the end of the garden.

does your insurance have any stipulations about sheds or bikes must be kept in the main property ?

Good call on running the ethernet cable with the electric cables…

I’d thought about the stud wall behind the garage door to provide a bit of screening – I think that would be a must.

House insurer is M&S – they’re happy as long as the bikes are secured (outbuildings are fine).

I think I’d want the internal access to the utility (but I would make this an external door and it would be alarmed – as would the other doors).

Still not decided though 🙂

Good call on running the ethernet cable with the electric cables…

I don’t know what current regs are but I believe you have to have a separation between the 2 so there is no chance of the ethernet cables becoming live. I’m thinking back to when I rewired our house and the in that case it was telephone cable. I may be talking rubbish but it might be worth checking.

Super shed with nano brewery keep the aroma and steam away from the house